5 Techniques for Memorizing Music

5 Techniques for Memorizing Music Finding techniques for memorizing music can be intimidating to a young musician. Memorizing is one of the more difficult challenges of studying music, for sure. After all, how can you fully perform something if you haven’t memorized it.  Memorizing pieces of music is important for developing skills and learning techniques for memorizing music will enhance the ability of the student.  Additionally, it is essential to memorize music in order to perform it to the best of your ability.   Memorizing Music is to Know it, Inside and Out. After a piece of music has been learned, […]

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Plan a Piano Practice Routine With These 5 Concepts

Piano Practice Routine: Plan With These 5 Concepts Planning out a solid piano practice routine for yourself is the most fundamental secret to getting the most success for yourself and the most out of your piano lessons. We’ll show you how. The great quote, “Without a plan the people perish” couldn’t be more true to how to kill the piano learning experience for yourself. My husband is in the Air Force and one of his frequent quotes as a life principle our military takes on for itself is: hope is not plan.  If you want to get the most out of […]

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Summer Music Camps

Summer Music Camps for Kids Summer is almost here and many of you may be asking yourselves, what summer camps should I put my own kids in?  The answer is easy: summer music camps for kids! Summer music camps are a great way for students to further explore their music skills and give children the chance to get extra practice with the reading and understanding of music. Moreover, music summer camps develop a child’s love for the arts. “Summer Time, Summer Time Music Camps for Kids Time!” Just to give you an idea, here are five musical focuses of a […]

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Taking Piano Lessons as an Adult

Taking Piano Lessons as an Adult Guest Contributor: Anna Hathaway My First Piano Recital My first piano recital was in the fourth grade.  I played a piece by Bach.  I unfortunately (and am rather embarrassed that) I can’t remember what the song is called, but not only can I humm the piece right now from start to finish, which is nothing to brag about (I mean, it’s Bach. Everyone knows Bach!).  My fingers still know the directionality of the notes, when to cross over each other, and an estimate of how large or small the jumps are.  I haven’t played […]

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Piano Curriculum at Martucci Music

Here at Martucci Music, we have streamlined our piano curriculum to using our favorite Alfred’s piano books. We have found this piano curriculum to be the most thorough in teaching a traditional piano technic that also includes a solid approach to music theory. That being said, we also supplement materials with this piano curriculum at times in order to create a more custom piano lesson experience for individual piano students. While other piano curriculum may have “prettier compositions”, we have found them lacking in their progression of music theory and the necessary time and exercises spent on developing note-reading skills. […]

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Managing Performance Anxiety

Managing performance anxiety is a necessary skill to develop as a musician and performer. Those sweaty hands, shaky legs, and shaky breath are an experience that most performers feel at some level or another. Some more than others. Other symptoms may include a racing heart, dry mouth, sweats and nausea. But how do you manage performance anxiety? More performance experience doesn’t always mean less performance anxiety. Even famous professional performers have said, “You may never get rid of the butterflies, but you can teach them to fly in formation.” Or as we like to tell our students, “You can never […]

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Goal-Oriented Practice for Violin Lessons

Goal-oriented practice for violin lessons is for students taking violin lessons and is a method we like to teach for music mindset when it comes to practicing the violin. Without deciding our practice goals before we touch our instrument, we will not make as much progress with our time as we could. Success in anything comes with a plan. Without a plan, there’s little or no progress. The last thing we want is to approach our practice for violin lessons mindlessly.  What does it mean to approach our violin lessons mindlessly? Let’s start with the definition of “mindless”.  Mindless: Thinking, acting, […]

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Do We Value Music As We Should Be Valuing It?

Do We Value Music As We Should Be Valuing It? This blog entry is inspired by a friend of mine’s Facebook post asking if we value music and appreciate the art-form as a top influencer in our daily lives. Furthermore, are we valuing the artists and composers behind the creation of this music? How much do we consciously value music and its creativity around us? Do we realize how much musical creativity surrounds us all the time and how it plays such a major role in our everyday lives? Let’s remind ourselves of this with examples of how much music […]

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The Beauty of Learning and Playing the Violin

Learning and Playing the Violin When you are learning and playing an instrument like the violin, the journey of practicing technique and repertoire everyday may seem boring and routine at times. But, whenever you come across that thought, stop yourself for a second. Think about learning and playing your violin this way: every single time you pick up your instrument and play on it, you are making an inanimate object speak and sing. Every single time you pick up your violin and play on it, you are making an inanimate object speak and sing. You Have the Power to Make […]

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