There are a number of different styles of musical notation. One of them, is the one that most trained musicians throughout the world seem to value the most--Western Staff Notation. You know, the five-line staff with alternating lines and spaces for pitch and the a series of sticks, lines, dots, and flags to indicate rhythm? … Continue reading A “Note” to the “Staff”: Knowing Multiple Forms of Music Notation
Now, of course, you just ordered all the pieces for your drum kit but what they never taught you in school is: how to assemble a drum kit from the box. It is one of the few things in life that do not come with an instruction manual. The manufacturers just assume that you already know what you're doing, which is odd. Don't worry, here are picture instructions that take you through the journey of assembling your kit for the first time:
This list includes the song name, artist name, chords, and skills learned from each song. It is mostly catered to guitar players, but unless otherwise stated, you can assume that the keyboard, bass, drums, and vocals are pretty straightforward. This means that drums will play a straight up rock groove variation, bass will play root notes more or less, and piano will play chords that basically follow the guitar, as well as easy vocal melodies. It is also important to note that the chords listed are not necessarily in order. They are simply a list of the chords in the song.
Must-Read Music Teacher Professional Development Book List These books have a common theme, they promote Informal learning, Non-formal teaching, popular music education, or creativity, and sometimes all four! Rock Coach: A Practical Guide for Teaching Rock Bands in Schools Rock Coach by Steve Giddings Bit of a shameless self plug but seriously, I wouldn't have … Continue reading Steve’s Must-Read Music Teacher PD Book List
If every kid were the same, they would all enjoy the same genre of music. Of course, we know that every kid is not the same but if the first sentence seems like it's obvious then why isn't it obvious in music programs around North America? The problem, as I see it, lies in the … Continue reading Re-Thinking Music Teacher Education and Classical Music’s Identity Crisis
