—“Each day is a blessing, the future is not a given, so you have to enjoy the NOW” Fiona Joy Hawkins is a mainstream composer/pianist/vocalist with an international following, whom she greets weekly with pandemic-inspired, livestreamed concerts. The event’s growing success might be attributable to a combination of her musical talent, a love for […]
Learning/playing music has been the biggest challenge of my life, but also the most joyful. I get a lot of satisfaction unraveling tunes that appeal to me. I feel compelled to discover why a song resonates, or how it invokes certain feelings of joy, melancholy, and longing. This doesn’t come easy to me, but if I can grab at least a basic understanding of what an artist is “saying”…
Country artist Rich Carroll was the winner of Making Music’s most recent Community Video people’s choice competition. His video for the song “Lifetime” received more than twice as many votes as the runner-up. That song — Carroll’s first professional recording and release, which he also co-wrote — is about “the rise from a hard fall and […]
Frederic Chiu’s early career followed traditional avenues. His awards and competition wins included the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Juilliard’s Petschek Award, and wins at contests run by the Music Teachers National Association and the Beethoven Foundation (now the American Pianists Association)…
Whether you call it fate or sheer luck, ukulele players Noel Tardy and Kate McLennan, first met over the Internet. Exchanging e-mails back and forth…
If you’ve heard of Daniel Ho, it’s most likely from his recent concerts and recordings of Hawaiian music on ukulele
Fleck is perhaps the most well-known banjo player on the planet. He’s traveled to Africa to study the banjo’s origins, and championed the instrument’s evolution, playing everything from jazz fusion to classical.
In addition to being one of the premier bass players of his time, most widely known as a member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Grammy winning bassist Victor Wooten also runs a successful music camp in Only, Tennessee. Wooten’s Center for Music and Nature at Wooten Woods Retreat originally focused on teaching music to bass players. Now in its 15th year, it has accommodated all instruments—voice, horns, keyboards, and more—for at least the last six years or so.
From the Making Music archives, 2007 With so many projects on his plate, it’s a wonder that comedian, author, writer, actor, blogger, radio host, and voice talent Harry Shearer has any time to himself. But he makes sure he does, and when he wants to relax or share quality time with his wife, he picks […]
The rock band Hell & Hollar was the winner of Making Music’s most recent Community Video people’s choice competition. Their video for the song “Showdown” received three times as many votes as the runner-up. Hell & Hollar is a rock band from South Florida featuring Blake Burns on guitar and vocals, Nate Largent on drums, Johnny […]