by Alyssa Cowell, Catoctin School of Music We are quickly approaching the end of 2023! While many dismiss the idea of New Year’s resolutions, the beginning of a new year is an opportunity to reassess habits and personal goals, including the aspiring musician’s progress on their way to musical excellence. As the year winds down, it’s a great time to reflect on your musical progress and...
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by Alyssa Cowell, Catoctin School of Music Are you ready for a new school years’ worth of music making? Here are 5 things you can work on now as the summer winds down! Reevaluate your practice habits! Maybe you had a jam-packed summer full of fun activities and your practice has fallen to the bottom of your to-do list. Maybe you’re considering adding a bunch of new activities...
Read More by Jamey Mann, Catoctin School of Music One of the most frustrating things I’ve noticed happening over the past few years is parents pulling students from lessons for not practicing. It’s not unusual for students to end lessons due to not practicing. However, when this is a young student between the age of 6 and 10, it is not the child’s fault for not practicing. Parents and...
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by Robert Fisher, Catoctin School of Music Have you ever felt like quitting? You’re in the middle of an extremely technical etude and after many endless hours of practice, testing new techniques and tips, it hits you like a ton of bricks: I just want to quit! Or maybe, it is simply a feeling of defeat one may feel after trying various approaches and methods of...
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by Jamey Mann, Catoctin School of Music 0ver the course of my playing and teaching career I’ve developed a couple rules. These rules are simple, but effective for the students that follow them. I’ve developed these rules to help students think about and process the information they are seeing in their music, to help them understand the importance of listening to what they are doing and...
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