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 […]

Versatile Musician/Repair Tech Offers Maintenance Tips for Woodwind & Brass Players

A serious, dedicated musician often possesses a passion for music which a non-musician may not fully comprehend. Indeed, this enthusiasm can continue to drive said musician, even though he or she may be forced to turn to non-musical endeavors simply to earn a living. The rare musician who can live a fully musical life, at […]

NAMM Show 2021: Product Spotlight on the Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone

Yamaha recently introduced the YDS-150 Digital Saxophone, a first-of-its-kind instrument that allows saxophonists of all levels and those new to playing a wind instrument to create great sounding music from the very start. The YDS-150 effectively emulates an authentic saxophone experience digitally—from the sound and key layout to feedback from the instrument—while maintaining the sense […]

Jeff Stockham’s Past, Present & Future As a Horn Player

Trumpeter/hornist Jeff Stockham is well-known to Upstate New York music fans. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and a veteran of the renowned Eastman Jazz Ensemble, his performance credits read like a Who’s Who of the upstate New York music scene. He has performed with the Central New York Jazz Orchestra, Salt City […]

Prateek Thakur

Saxophonist Prateek Thakur Triumphs Through Music

At a young age, Prateek was diagnosed with impaired hearing, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a music teacher. He had to work twice as hard to make sure he was successful. Whenever one of his students feels discouraged, he always tells them that if he can accomplish his dream despite all the challenges he faced, anyone can do it.