UreMusic Education

Making it as a musician requires determination and persistence when other musicians have given up and taken other jobs. A daily commitment to practice routines, an eye for recognizing opportunity and the ability to book concerts and get paid for your work are just a few of the daily tasks musicians must complete. You must know how to promote your work and sell your services. When just starting out, finding a way to support yourself may be difficult, but there are many avenues to help provide a stable income while your fame as a musician rises. Creating a Music Website Create a music website that includes video and audio of your performances. Think of your website as a chance to showcase your talents to potential fans and venues which may wish to hire your services. The Mailing List Use a mailing list and include a sign-up form on your website to keep people notified of your upcoming concerts and activities as a musician. Send out a monthly newsletter to keep fans coming back to your we...

Musicians typically complete several courses designed to build a solid foundation in advanced instrumental techniques. These courses serve as the basic core curriculum of any music student’s study. Through these courses, students learn how to analyze, interpret and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for music. Musicians and non-musicians benefit from these courses by learning about music mechanics and becoming more well-rounded musicians and patrons. Ear Training Ear training teaches students to id e ntify musical elements quickly. All students enrolled in a university or conservatory music program are required to take ear-training courses. Ear-training courses are designed to help the student develop the ability to sight-sing music and aurally identify intervals, scales, chords, and progressions. The final semester of theory usually requires students to dictate a four-part harmony. Students develop their ears through classes that meet several times per week. They sing melodi...

Beethoven was one of the most influential Classical composers. Classical music is comprised of sever a l components that influence the overall form, structure, and characteristics of the music. Music has been evolving since the early Middle Ages. Classical music may use two different spellings, with each indicating a different type of music. Classical music with a capital “C” refers to a specific time period of music created between 1750 to 1820. Classical music with a lower case “c” refers to all western art music. Because of this confusion, the terms “western art music” or “serious music” are often used to describe classical music from more than one time period. Harmony Harmony is the vertical component of music. It is responsible for the chords created in harmony. The major difference between classical and popular music is the use of harmony. Classical music will use complex chord progressions to create complex musical sonorities while popular music concentrates on common chord prog...

Early childhood education includes music to provide a well-rounded approach to the education of a child. Music helps children develop coordination, and improve the ability to interact with their peers. The goal for each activity should be to improve the child’s musical ability and spatial reasoning. Avoid setting specific goals to attain a certain level of competency. Music for early education should be enjoyable and concentrate only on general improvement. Marching Marching to a steady beat prov i des one of the most essential skills that an early childhood music center must include. Having children march to the beat of a song develops the ability to sense rhythm and sets the stage for future rhythmic development. Early education centers must teach children to march, clap, and walk to the rhythm of songs with varying tempos. Even simple games like musical chairs will help children develop an awareness of music, develop coordination, and set the stage for advanced musical studies. Sing...

In Greek drama, there are two types of plays: tragic and comic. In a tragedy, a well-known, respected, and influential figure suffers a tragic blow that destroys his social standing and financial well-being and often takes his life. In contrast, a comedy deals with a peasant’s advancement through the class system to a better social standing. Tragedy and comedy are polar opposites, with tragedy encompassing a fall from grace, and comedy allowing individuals to rise and prosper. The basic rules for dramas were laid out by Aristotle in his “Poetics.” Action and Plot Greek dram a s, regardless of whether they are tragedies or comedies, follow a single plotline in a clear way that makes it easy for the audience to follow. Avoiding subplots was an essential rule for Greek dramas. The “unity of action” takes the audience from a single action to the ultimate consequence and conclusion of that action. A complete plot uses a fairly rigid form containing a beginning, middle, and end. The action a...

Having a solid understanding of the difference between a Greek comedy and tragedy allows you to enjoy the drama with greater understanding and context. The two art forms exist on separate sides of the spectrum, with comedies ending with happy and resolved endings, while tragedies end more catastrophically. Both types of drama were valued in Greek society and they served to entertain and inform the audience. There are two main ways to think about Greek drama: Aristotelian and Rhetorical traditions. Aristotelian Tragedy Aristotelian tragedy   dealt with people in a higher social class that spoke well and came from good backgrounds. In the tragedy, these people have a fall from grace and are completely destroyed by the end of the drama. According to Aristotle, these tragedies were intended to purge the audience of “fear and pity.” The goal was to move the audience towards a feeling of catharsis and release from their daily troubles. Aristotelian Comedy In contrast to Aristotelian trag...

Using a conga drum to create homemade chimes produces a unique patio, porch, or interior decoration. Traditionally, chimes have been made of various materials, including glass, metal, stone, and wood. Choose the material that sounds best to you and use the conga drum as the base for constructing the homemade chimes. Wooden Chimes Attach different-sized wooden blocks to the botto m  of each metal tuning brace on the conga. The braces are located around the top of the conga and hold the drum head in place. Allow the strings to hang down at least 2 inches below the bottom of the conga to ensure the wooden pieces clack together when the wind blows. Use a plant hook to hang your conga from a patio, awning, or ledge to benefit from the relaxing sound of the wooden chimes. Metal Chimes Metal chimes produce a metallic clangy sound, and you can slightly dull the sound by gluing rubber inserts inside the chimes. Find five pipes and cut them into different sizes, so that you have 7, 6, 5, 4, ...

The guitar flutter technique creates a vibrating sound with the notes that are played immediately before and during the activation of the tremolo bar. Not all guitars have a tremolo bar installed. On guitars missing the tremolo bar, you can have one installed, but it is preferred to select a guitar that already has the tremolo bar installed. Location The guitar flutter technique is most easil y  executed near the top of the fingerboard. You can do it at most any location, but the top will provide you with the best flutter sound. Somewhere around the twelfth fret is a good location to begin your flutter. Use one of the higher strings, such as the G-string, the B-string, or the top E-string. Lower strings don’t provide the same resonance and clarity as the higher strings. Tools You will need a properly equipped guitar with a tremolo bar to effectively play the flutter technique. You can also purchase an extension for your guitar, but it is better to use a guitar specifically equipped...

Developing finger independence on the guitar improves your technical and musical facility. The ability to quickly play anything and not have to worry about your lack of coordination getting in the way opens up new doors and avenues for musical development. Guitar players must be able to move their fingers quickly while maintaining a high level of finger independence. Often, the pinky is the worst offender when it comes to finger independence. Finger exercises will greatly improve your control. Finger Raise Place your playing ha n d on the guitar neck with your fingers lying flat against the strings. Increase your finger independence by keeping all of your fingers straight and moving one finger at a time without moving your other fingers. Start with your index finger and then use the middle, ring, and finally pinky. Complete each exercise a total of five times with five finger raises per finger. When done regularly, this exercise takes five minutes. Major Scales While not the most enjoy...

A music-themed birthday party can be educational and fun for the kids. Since there are four main instrument families in the orchestra, you can create themes based on any one instrument group. This will make it possible for kids to choose an instrument that relates to them while teaching them a little about the different instrument families in an enjoyable way. Strings Purchase treat bags that have a picture of a string instrument on the outside. Then, fill the treat bags with toys and games that use strings. You can include mouth harps, small toy banjos and cards that show pictures of string instruments. Include candy that resembles string, such as licorice. You can also include a can of silly string for the kids to play with. Think creatively and include items that include string such as yo-yos and toys with pull-strings. Woodwinds Woodwind instrument treat bags can include anything that uses air to produce sound. You can include inexpensive recorders that cost less than a few dollars...

The first time I brought home a tuba, I was in middle school. I wanted to play the trumpet, but my band director convinced me to consider the tuba. He even offered to get me a stand to hold the tuba since he felt I was too small to wrangle the behemoth. I briefly imagined what the other kids would say, and I quickly dismissed the offer. The tuba had a copper, brass, and new instrument smell. If you ever played an instrument, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I pulled it out of its case. At this age, I was small enough to fit inside the casing. I marveled at the instrument, and I couldn’t wait to learn how to play. Many factors affect a tuba’s tone. An understanding of basic acoustics goes a long way toward understanding this rumbling beast. The tuba uses a series of welded brass tubes that create resistance, making it possible to direct air through the horn. This creates vibrations that the tuba amplifies, and the alloys used in the creation of the tuba generate the sound. This ...

Triads are the basic building blocks of music harmony. Triads consist of a series of three notes separated by an interval of a major or minor 3rd. A musician must know these two intervals to build triads. A minor third spans three half steps, while a major third spans four half steps. Determining an interval requires knowledge of the chromatic scale, which consists of the following notes: C, C#(Db), D, D#(Eb), E, F, F#(Gb), G, G#(Ab), A, A#(Bb), B. The notes in parentheses are called enharmonic notes, having different names but the same pitch. For example, if you wanted a major third above D, you would count to F# instead of Gb since F# is both four half steps away from D and alphabetically three notes away. Major Major triads are built with a major third followed by a minor third from bottom to top. In a major scale, triads built on the 1st, 4th, and 5th scale degrees are major. Major triads often occur in music that is intended to sound consonant or free of dissonance. While all musi...

Temperature greatly affects the sound, construction and appearance of a guitar. Care must be taken to avoid subjecting your guitar to harsh fluctuations. If you must play outside in the cold or extreme heat, consider using a less expensive guitar to avoid damage to your high-end instruments. Keep your instrument in its case and minimize the time spent performing in temperatures that will warp and distort your guitar. String Tension The tension of the strings will change with temperature. The strings most affected are the thickest strings while the strings least affected are the top higher strings that are slimmer. The overall tension can be increased or decreased depending on the environmental conditions. This will directly affect the tuning of the instrument. Performers need to be aware of how temperature will affect the temperature of the guitar. This makes it possible for the performer to re-tune the guitar as necessary in extreme temperatures. Cold Weather No noticeable difference ...