Category Archives: Music Lessons

Music Lessons for Kids and Adults on Almost any Instrument including Banjo, Bass, Cello, Clarinet, Drums, Flute, French Horn, Guitar, Mandolin, Piano. Recorder, Saxophone, Trombone, Trumpet, Ukulele, Viola, Violin and Voice

What makes learning music so rewarding?

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Music - woman wearing headphones listening to musicHere are four reasons why learning a musical instrument can be so fulfilling.

  1. Listen to music in a new way.  Once you learn the fundamentals of music and how it works, you will have a different ear when listening to music of all genres.  You will understand songs on a heightened level.
  2. Play songs that you love.  It is enjoyable to hear yourself play a tune that you know well from the radio, a favorite album, or concert that you have attended.
  3. Make an impression. Music is an art form and how each individual plays and performs a piece of music is unique.  When you add your own interpretation to a song, it is satisfying to yourself and means something to your audience.
  4. Play with other musicians. Becoming proficient in an instrument provides you with the ability to easily play with other musicians.  Being part of a musical group is rewarding because of the fuller sound of many instruments playing together and the enjoyment gained from interaction with other musicians.

For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call    (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.

Why is it important for music students to practice scales?

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For many beginning students, practicing scales may seem like the least interesting part of their practice routine.  However, as professional musicians of all genres and instruments know, a proficiency in the relevant scales can carry your musicianship to the advanced level.

Music is based on a scale, which is a set of notes in a predetermined order.  The scale that music is based on varies depending on the genre, but the scale will determine the set of notes and patterns to be played in the song.  The scale can be used to compose a melody, to improvise a solo, and to accompany other musicians.

Practicing scale patterns on instruments helps students gain the muscle memory necessary for each scale.  Gaining this proficiency with scales can take a number of years, depending on the instrument.  The reward for doing so is well worth the effort: a student who becomes familiar with different scales will have an easier time improvising music in any desired genre of music like jazz, rock, pop, and even classical.

For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call    (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.

 

What’s the right age for kids to start learning a wind instrument?

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wind instruments

The winds include two families of instruments: Brass and Woodwinds.

French horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba are common brass instruments.  Examples of woodwinds are clarinet, flute, recorder, and saxophone

As indicated by their name, wind instruments require a significant amount of breath to play them.  It is recommend that a student be at least 8 years old to start learning a wind instrument (with the exception of recorder) because the student will have a larger lung capacity which will make learning the instrument easier and more enjoyable.

For students younger than 8 who would like to learn a wind instrument, the recorder is often the ideal instrument to start with.  The recorder is small and requires less breath capacity to play.  With recorder lessons, students learn the fundamentals of music, rhythm and note-reading.  Since the recorder is also a wind instrument, students learn breathing techniques that would help them transition to learning a brass or woodwind instrument of their choice in the future.

For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call    (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.

Flute Care and Maintenance Tips

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Querflöte

The flute is a delicate instrument made of precious metals with many small and fragile key mechanisms. Proper care and maintenance will help keep your flute in good working condition. Special thanks to music educator and flutist Melissa Reichert for sharing these flute care and maintenance tips.

  1. Always swab your flute out after playing.  As a flute is played, condensation builds up inside the instrument. To prevent the condensation from accumulating on the pads, swab your flute out after every time you play.
  2. To polish your flute, use a microfiber cloth. By handling the flute, our fingerprints and oils rub off on the flute’s exterior. To remove these, gently wipe the flute down with a microfiber cloth, sold in most music stores. Do not use household silver polish.
  3. Handle your flute with care. Flutes are very delicate instruments made of soft precious metals that scratch, dent and bend easily. Never grip any moving mechanisms of the flute, and take care not to hit a flute against anything such as a music stand.
  4. Sticky pads? If you begin hearing a suctioning sound, coming from your pads, you can purchase Pad Paper from most music stores to remove the excess residue that may have accumulated.
  5. Avoid tarnish by inserting an anti-tarnish strip. As with many precious metals, flutes will begin to show tarnish over time; by adding an anti-tarnish strip to your flute case you can help keep your flute extra clean for up to 6 months!
  6. Never leave your flute in a hot or cold car. Flute pads and mechanisms are very sensitive to extreme changes in temperature. When in doubt, carry it with you.
  7. Flutes do require regular maintenance by a professional flute technician. All flutes, new and old, will require a clean, oil and adjust (COA) every 6-12 months from a professional flute technician. By taking good care and maintenance of your flute you will extend the time period in which your flute may need this procedure.

For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call    (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.

Top Ten Solo Piano Pieces Requested by our Students

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Top 10 Solo Piano Pieces Requested to Learn by our Piano Students:

10. Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven)

09. Someone Like You (Adele song)

08. The Entertainer (Scott Joplin)

07. Happy Birthday

06. Harry Potter Theme Song

05. Imagine (John Lennon)

04. Yankee Doodle

03. Ode to Joy

02. Jingle Bells

01. Für Elise (Beethoven)

For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call    (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.

The Keys to Practicing: Part II

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PianoThe quality and consistency of practicing is more important than the length of time practicing. For beginners, just a few minutes a day is all that is needed. The key is having a practice routine that you and your child stick to over the long term.  Below are a few tips for effective quality practicing:

  1. Repetition is important in learning any skill, but it can be boring.  An easy fix is to have fun and creative games for practicing your songs and exercises at home.
  2. Start small – Music is better learned in smaller sections rather than playing the whole song over and over.  Identify the most challenging parts and play through them until you are comfortable with them.
  3. Most children don’t like playing the difficult parts and often end up skipping over them.  You can help by asking them to stop and find the tricky part.  You can even guide them to find a way to fix it.
  4. Sometimes learning a song will be difficult and it takes time.  Praise and encourage your child daily for their efforts.  Allow them to take a break or play another song if it is too frustrating.
  5. Include time for your child to play songs that they know well and enjoy.  Improvisation and composition of new songs can also be included.  Listening to music that your child enjoys, looking things up on the computer, or watching a music DVD of any genre all count towards your child’s at-home learning.

For information about music lessons at the Altadena Academy of Music, please call    (626) 296-0799 or use our email contact form.