How To Prepare For Sight Reading In Music Auditions

October 24, 2013 by 2 Comments

music auditionsWhat?  You have an audition coming up soon?  That’s great!

Are you ready for it?

The Reality

Most people are okay with the requirements of a music audition except for the sight reading portion.

That’s where they would rather crawl into a hole and hope for the best.  (Sound familiar?)

It doesn’t have to be this way, especially if you are working on it all the time.

Start Now

Sight reading is a good skill to develop on a regular basis.  Don’t wait until that looming audition approaches before you get started.

Do something now.

The more you do it, the better you get.

The better you get, the less you have to practice in order to learn the music in the first place.

Do I have your attention now?

I sure hope so. [Read more...]

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Beat The Clock: Treble Clef & Bass Clef Worksheets (Printable Music Worksheets)

September 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

treble clef and bass clef worksheetsA collection of worksheets to help you build your music reading skills!

These are perfect for anyone having trouble reading notes on the staff or would like more resources to keep reinforcing this area.

They are completely reproducible for you to print out or copy multiple times for personal or classroom/studio use.

The 20 worksheet collection features the notes on the treble clef and bass clef staff.  It moves progressively starting with the notes on the staff moving towards reading and naming notes up to 2 ledger lines above and below the staff.

A Treble Clef Notes chart and Bass Clef Notes chart is provided as tools to help you name the notes with more speed and accuracy.  An answer key has also been included to make it easier to check your work. [Read more...]

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How Musicians Can Take Charge Of Their Procrastination Problem

June 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment

procrastination problemIf you have ever procrastinated in your life, please raise your hand.

All hands go up. 

(Yep, I am guilty too.)

Why do we delay making decisions, put off tasks that need to get done, and avoid doing the things that need our attention?

Fear.

Somewhere, deep down in the darkest corners of our minds, there is fear holding us back through the use of lies.

Once we start believing them, we then begin coming up with excuses for why we can’t do what needs to get done…….and the delay begins. [Read more...]

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10 Tips For Sight Reading Music

May 24, 2013 by 2 Comments

tips for sight reading musicLast week I shared with you why learning to sight read music can help you with your music reading.

Now, it’s time for you to learn how to tackle this.

Is your throat tightening up?  Is your heart starting to beat a little faster?

Don’t worry.  If you know how to sight read, then the entire process is quite simple.

The key to being able to sight reading well is having a plan.

Without it, you have every reason in the world to be worried.  Who needs that stress?

Tips For Sight Reading Music

To make your life a little easier, here’s a few tips you can add to your plan for better sight reading. [Read more...]

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Why Learning To Sight Read Music Can Be Your Short-Cut To Reading Music Well

May 14, 2013 by 5 Comments

learning to sight read musicAre you having a hard time reading music?

Stop tearing your hair out.

I am about to share with you how I overcame this hurdle and how you can too with a little sight reading practice.

It’s not rocket science, but it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself right now.

So, let’s get started…

Learning to sight read music is very valuable for several reasons:

1) It helps you become a better music reader.

2) You learn how to play under a little pressure.

3) This pressure forces you to focus more intently on what you’re reading.

4) As your skills improve, so does your confidence level.

If you are having trouble reading music, sight reading is one of the best ways to resolve this problem.  It’s just like anything else. The more you practice, the better you get! [Read more...]

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10 Tips For Developing Music Speed Reading

May 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

music speed readingDo you feel like you can’t read music fast enough?

Do the notes fly by faster in your music than your brain can comprehend?

Don’t worry.  I think we all feel like this at times, especially early on in our music learning.

What you need is a little eye training similar to what we do when reading words.

Here are a few ways you can get a little faster in your music reading…

Music Speed Reading Tips

1. Look ahead.  Force your eyes to move on scanning the next notes.

2. See an entire group of notes.  Stop focusing on individual notes.

3. Don’t spend too much time looking at the flags or stems.  Pay more attention to the “dots” or note heads on the staff. [Read more...]

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2 Important Tips In Developing Patience With Your Music Learning

May 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

developing patienceIn the last post, I invited you to think about your music habits.

I gave you 3 simple steps to helping you change your practicing behavior and take charge of your emotions again.

This time, we are going to talk about developing patience.  When we live in a world of instant gratification, it is difficult to remember that the real thrill of acquiring anything is earning it.

This requires sustenance, stamina, and patience in order to work at something over a long period of time.

Important Tips in Developing Patience

The key to keeping going when things get difficult is to keep the right perspective.  Music is not a “thing” to acquire.  It is a life-long pursuit that needs to be nurtured regularly.

If you’re having trouble staying focused while learning and practicing, try following these two simple tips. [Read more...]

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How To Take Charge Of Your Music Habits

April 24, 2013 by 3 Comments

music habitsWhen you’re working on your music, what exactly are you doing?

Are you aware of what’s happening or are you busy thinking about what’s for dinner tonight?

I say this in all seriousness, because most people don’t really know what’s going on.  They may be more focused on their emotions during this time (frustration) than on the music itself.

If you’re not seeing any progress, it’s very likely that you need to change some of your music habits.  In order to do that, you first have to become aware of what you are actually doing.

What are Your Music Habits?

Do you get upset when you practice?  When you make mistakes, how do you respond?

Negative emotions come from expectations tied to a result or product.  You may decide that you won’t be happy until you get what you want or do it a certain way right now. [Read more...]

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Four Steps To Developing The Practicing Mind

April 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

practicing mindHave you ever had these thoughts enter your mind while practicing your music?

“I’m never going to learn this.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get this to sound the way I want.”

“This is where I always mess up.”

“I can’t ever seem to get this part right.”

Yep, me too.   It all sounds pretty negative, doesn’t it?

Why do you think we entertain these thoughts?  Maybe it’s because we are too focused on the product and not on the process itself.

When You’re Focused on the Product…

You are judging yourself and putting the majority of your attention on the mistakes.

Pretty soon, you find yourself being so critical that it makes you want to stop completely.  Practicing is now considered drudgery and no longer fun. [Read more...]

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Music Note Relationships Chart (Printable)

April 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

music note relationships chartSeeing is believing when it comes to thinking about how music notes relate to each other.

In this Music Note Relationships Chart, you can see how the half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes all relate to the whole note.

This is a great way to see the “big picture” and become familiar with how each note received it’s name!

What It Shows

  • 1/2 of a whole note = a half note
  • 1/4 of a whole note = a quarter note
  • 1/8 of a whole note = an eighth note
  • 1/16 of a whole note = a sixteenth note

When you look at each note value as fractions mapped out in a pie chart, it may be easier to “connect the dots” in understanding.

Almost everything in music can be traced back to a larger whole as it all associates with something else.  This is perfect example of that. [Read more...]

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