You’ve no doubt heard people say things like my title here, I’ve heard it a bunch about country and less mainstream styles like metal or rap. I find it so interesting that someone could feel comfortable saying it. Obviously we all have preferences and likes/dislikes...

The wrong teacher does too! The place of a music teacher is such a powerful and important role, especially in the life of the young people we are often working with. Music is such a powerful element, far from just an auditory experience or physical exercise, it’s a...

Music making is the marriage of technical ability and musical sensitivity. They are needed in balance and must be present for music to really work. Basically the musician must be able to play and play so with heart and expression. You will no doubt have experienced a...

I truly believe that music is for everyone. As a participant one can play music, listen to music and enjoy music on their own terms. The amount of times I have been told by people that “I don’t have a musical bone in my body”, or “I’m tone deaf” is pretty incredible...

We all have our own reasons to play. These are unique and often deeply personal reasons, which should be understood by the musicians themselves and shared carefully (if at all). I imagine music to be deeply connected to something in us, almost a direct line to the...

Consider your favourite artist or song. What comes to mind? It’s likely a combination of an image of them, a tune and an experience you had that had elements of both of these. It’s interesting right? To think about the link between music and it’s visual or...

I don’t believe in “good” or “bad” music or rather I don’t believe they should be phrased that way, I think most of us mean “this is music I like” or “this is music I don’t like” when we say this. This is not to say we cannot have standards, or cannot hold music to...

I believe music has meaning and can speak deeply to subjects of importance or lightly to subjects of fun. It has the capacity to confront us to think and feel despite our best intentions to push it away. I have been asked about my own pieces before, the instrumental...

As a teacher I have been asked many times by parents if their child has “got it” or if music is just a waste of time for them. I would usually say whether they have “it” or not does not mean it is a waste of time at all. They’re really asking if their child has a...