Chemically Treated Wood Apparently Makes A Great-Sounding Violin

A recent article posted on the science website Phys.org offered some interesting research on how famous violin builders Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppi Guarneri “del Gesu” were able to create instruments of such incredible sound quality more than two centuries ago. Turns out, it was not necessarily the luthiers’ skill in building their instruments that gave […]

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 July 19

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 […]

Sandra Wong: The Wonder of the Nyckelharpa

As an enterprising force in the world of indigenous and exotic instruments, Sandra further engages in collaborations with a many musicians working with diverse genres of music. Sandra goes on to create and personally facilitate musical study trips to different countries — leading people into the heart of individual folk cultures through the music and dance of each country. She strives to nurture a deep love of music and the arts in both children and adults.

Jeremy Cohen’s Historic Prized Violin

Imagine a violin that has had a bigger career than most any musician… Times 10. Player Violinist Jeremy Cohen is the founder of Quartet San Francisco, an eclectic Grammy-nominated ensemble that regularly jumps boundaries, and Violinjazz, a jazz group and publisher of sheet music for modern string players. The QSF’s latest album is Pacific Premieres: […]

Serious About Fiddling Around with Sara Watkins

Acclaimed songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Grammy winner Sara Watkins has been a steady fixture over the years in LA and the greater folk and Americana scene. A founding member of both Nickel Creek and I’m With Her, Watkins is freshly off of two years of consistent touring with I’m With Her (Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan) garnering praise from the NY Times, Rolling Stone, The Guardian and more….