The thing about life is that everything you know and plan can change on a dime. That’s what happened to Justin Echols in January 2003, when the Oklahoma City Police Officer and Army Reservist was involved in a head-on collision.
Category: Keyboards
November/December 2012
Justin Echols: Piano Policeman Musical Gift List Retired Teacher Starts School Musical Side of Ann Arbor Soloing with the Blues Scale
Ray Kurzweil: Synthesizer Genius
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.
Digital Pianos
Graham Howard’s 7 Things You Must Know Before You Buy a Digital Piano is an extremely useful guide that breaks down everything from confusing terminology to simple tests you can do in a piano store before making a decision. The UK-based Howard aims to help you make the right decisions regarding a purchase, but he […]
Make Music Day Brings Out The Masses
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 […]
How to Buy a Digital Piano
Graham Howard’s 7 Things You Must Know Before You Buy a Digital Piano is an extremely useful guide that breaks down everything from confusing terminology to simple tests you can do in a piano store before making a decision.
Accordion Chat with Nawal Motawi
“Although we couldn’t afford piano lessons when I was in grade school, my mother bought me a John Thompson beginning piano book so I could learn on my own,” says Nawal Motawi owner of Motawi Tileworks in Ann Arbor, Michigan, recalling her childhood. “My mother also showed me the fingerings, bit by bit, for interesting […]
How to Join a Piano Society
What exactly is a piano society? Is it a club, shrouded in secrecy that requires a hazing or an initiation to join? Do they hold closed-door meetings about Frédéric Chopin and the hidden meanings behind his nocturnes? Not at all, at least not the former, but come to think of it, some may actually do […]
A Visit to Memphis
Memphis has been the inspiration for many a music maker. In fact, there have been more songs written about Memphis than any other city in the US. This four-day tour touches on the “must-see” sights for music lovers. For a good choice of hotels with discount prices, visit Hotel in Memphis for more information.
Sculptures of Famous Musicians
Sculptor Alan LeQuire is well-known for his iconic Nashville sculptures, including Musica (above), a centerpiece of the city’s Music Row, and a full-scale recreation of Athena, which resides in Music City’s Parthenon. He is also a recreational musician. For the past 10 years, the artist has dedicated a part of his talents to a very […]