Making Music Magazine

Back to School: Choose Your Instrument and Find Your Voice

Band & Orchestra School band and orchestra instruments are divided into four categories: brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion. Following is a brief look at each one. Brass: Brass instruments make their sounds through the lip vibrations of the player, combined with the movements of a slide, in the case of trombones, or the opening and […]

Back to School: Participation in School Band, Orchestra & Chorus Offers Countless Benefits – Both in Music & Beyond

As the calendar turns to August, we begin to hear the words “back to school,” much to the chagrin of many students. This is a chance, however, for students to explore participation in their schools’ music programs, be it by playing an instrument in the band or orchestra, or by singing in the choir. MakingMusicMag.com […]

Product & Industry News for the Week of August 2

Oxford Economics has released an economic report entitled “The Concerts and Live Entertainment Industry: A Significant Economic Engine” highlighting the industry’s contributions to the U.S. economy. According to a press release, the report was commissioned by Live Nation Entertainment and conducted by Oxford Economics “to better understand this important industry’s contributions to the U.S. economy nationally […]

How To … Deal with Stage Fright

Picks of Summer NAMM 2021

Award-Winning Indie Artist Talks Songwriting, How to Make Great Videos

Alto Key, an independent London-based artist who makes indie/alt-pop music, is a musician whose work has the power to uplift your spirits, punch you in the gut, and squeeze a tear from your heart. He is also delightfully and hilariously funny on his various social media channels, and boasts over 6.7 million likes and 375,000 […]

Pick the Winter 2021 Community Video Contest Winner!

We’ve chosen our favorites, now it’s your turn. Pick your favorite artist or group from our Winter 2021 Community Video Contest winners and decide who will get a special feature story and video interview on Making Music! Vote now through February 19. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the voting link. The artists […]

Community Video: Porsia Camille — Can’t Say the Same

Porsia Camille is a passionate singer and songwriter who started singing before speaking. She grew up in her dad’s home studio, where she was introduced to the writing and recording life. She spent years practicing her craft in school choir, as well as honor choirs as her favorite practice, singing classical and musical theatre. Her […]

Community Video: The Wilderness — If I Have to Die

Community Video: altre di B — Salgado

Tying It Together: Defining the Difference Between Ties and Slurs

The difference between tied notes and slurred notes in music can cause confusion—which is not surprising, since they are both noted the exact same way! Both slurs and ties are indicated with arc-shaped lines placed either above a grouping of notes (if the notes’ stems are pointing down) or below a grouping of notes (if the stems are pointing up).

9 Tips to Avoid A Hoarse Voice During the Holidays

The holiday season is a time for numerous music events, late nights, and celebrations. Here are 9 tips to avoid a hoarse voice during the holidays:

Music Sudoku for Kids

This 100% reproducible collection of Music Soduko for Kids has 64 Sudoku puzzles (18 four-square, 20 easy six-square and 28 medium six-square) and offers students a fun gateway into music learning. The symbols and characters used are drawn from a variety of music subject areas such as notes and dynamics, to letters representing instruments, composers […]

How to Read Music

The Process Einstein Used to Stimulate Creativity and Why it Worked

Multi-Purpose Beginning Band Tool

Take a Virtual Tour of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum

Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum has been closed to the public for over a month. In an effort to continue reaching bluegrass fans all over the world, the Hall of Fame has produced a virtual tour led by Executive Director Chris Joslin. Within the Hall of […]

The NAMM Show 2020 Adventures

The NAMM Show 2020 was held January 16-19, 2020 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. Here are some photos from our time at the show.

It’s Almost Time for The NAMM Show 2020…

It’s January, which means that it’s time to prepare for the annual NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show—the world’s most comprehensive gathering of musical instruments, gear, and experts. The NAMM Show, held each January in Southern California, unites over 115,000 registrants from 130 countries. This is a conference where almost every music instrument or […]

Make Music Winter Returns Nationwide on December 21

Free Participatory Musical Parades Showcasing a Wide Variety of Genres and Styles to Kick Off Winter in Over 30 U.S. Cities Make Music Winter, a free, outdoor music-making celebration on the winter solstice, returns this year on Saturday, Dec. 21, with participatory musical parades and performances and events in more than 30 U.S. cities. The […]

Earth Celebration: 3 Days of Drumming

Earth Celebration is a huge drum festival hosted by the globetrotting drum group Kodo. This year’s festival will be held August 16-18 on Sado Island.

How To … Deal with Stage Fright

July 28, 2021

Stage fright is the bane of all performers – musicians, actors, lecturers, even professional athletes can all experience bouts of nervousness or even sheer terror before getting up in front of their respective audiences. The ability to get past stage fright (sometimes called “performance anxiety”), its causes, how to overcome it and climb up on […]

How To … Deal with Stage Fright

July 28, 2021

Picks of Summer NAMM 2021

July 27, 2021

If I learned anything at Summer NAMM this year, it’s that there are more types of picks in this world than I ever imagined. The expo offered a plethora of picks, ranging from your standard flat pick to intensely designed 3-D picks. I’m sure some people will always prefer the classic simplicity of a standard […]

Product & Industry News for the Week of July 26

July 26, 2021

Concert promoter Live Nation announced it will offer concert fans “$20 all-in tickets to nearly 1,000 shows this year” as part of its Return to Live promotion. In a press release, the company said, “As Live Nation’s outdoor venues across the U.S. begin to open, the time is here to get outside and catch live […]

Product & Industry News for the Week of July 19

July 19, 2021

Casio recently introduced the PX-S1100, the latest addition to its Privia PX-S series of digital pianos. In a press release, the company said: “The PX-S1100 replaces the PX-S1000, which has become one of the top-selling digital pianos on the market today and earned its reputation for sound and features that punch far above its price […]