Every year thousands of musicians of all types, levels, and ages head to one of hundreds of music camps held nationwide, and in Canada. This spring Making Music uncovered what the experience is like for campers at Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camp near Woodstock, New York, and California Coast Music Camp in Placer County, California.
Oklahoma City was once a vibrant center for jazz. Its Deep Deuce neighborhood was home to Charlie Christian and Jimmy Rushing, however little remains of that important heritage but a few markers in the sidewalk. The heart of the city’s live music scene today is the Bricktown Arts and Entertainment district.
For lifelong musician David Cassidy, you might say that music and show business are in his blood. And it all began long before he became a household name on The Partridge Family. “Both my parents were from musical families and in the theater,” Cassidy says. “My father [Jack Cassidy] was a brilliant singer, and my […]
AC/DC once sang, “It’s a long way to the top, if you want to rock and roll,” and singer/songwriter Alex Boatman knows this all too well. Since forming The Boatmen in 2009, in Syracuse, New York, he’s endured his share of obstacles, including odd gigs, departing band members, and simply juggling bandmates’ varied responsibilities. But […]
From sax straps to guitar pick holders, here are some inexpensive stocking-stuffer ideas for any musician. These stocking stuffers are sure to warm the hearts of your musical friends and family. Whether they play guitar, drums, piano, trumpet or violin, we’ve got a stocking stuffer for just about every musician. Except those who’ve been naughty—for […]
Ray Kurzweil was described as “the restless genius” by The Wall Street Journal and “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes. The magazine Inc. ranked him number eight among entrepreneurs in the US, calling him the “rightful heir to Thomas Edison,” and PBS included Kurzweil as one of 16 “revolutionaries who made America,” along with other inventors of the past two centuries. He founded Kurzweil Musical Systems in 1982, when he applied reading machine technologies designed for the disabled to musical purposes.
Experienced musicians know a great deal of preparation goes into a successful performance. They also know a key to an ensemble’s success is its ability to travel around and reach new audiences. Like a frame around a great painting, a music ensemble needs the right sound system to ensure that its performance yields the desired […]
June 21st, coined Make Music Day in the US, may soon be the most auspicious day for recreational musicians all across the country. An international celebration that began with France’s Fête de la Musique in 1989, the holiday has spread to more than 460 cities around the world. In North America, Make Music days were […]
As a partner at the Dallas School of Music (DSM) and one of the founders of the online music site Discover Learn Play (DLP) I get lots of questions about practicing, especially when new students begin at DSM, or online at DLP. Parents want to know how long their kids should practice each day and adult learners are anxious […]
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