Music Education
At the age of three, I remember jumping on my parent’s sofa, waving my arms in the air conducting a record of Gilbert and Sullivans Pirates of Penzance. Last week, my four-year-old son was doing the same thing, only to the soundtrack of Disney’s Frozen. “What are you
Music Education
A brief history of a tradition that marks the beginning of every new year for European lovers of Western classical music. Every year, on 1st January at 11.15 in the morning CET, the Vienna Philharmonic ushers in the New Year with a concert of music by the Johann Strauss
Music Education
What do we classical musicians spend most of our time doing? That’s right: practicing. Nowadays this is mostly a completely closed and private process, where we are completely alone and prefer other people not to listen. As teachers, we don’t really know how our students practice, let alone
Music Education
In the month of Leo Tolstoy’s death anniversary, an exploration of why the immortal novel stands out as a ballet. Immersed in the realm of words, one of the greatest writers of all time, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy went on to create a 90-volume legacy for generations to come. He
Music Education
Literature declaring the piccolo’s grand entrance into the symphony is widespread. Sharing debutante status with the trombones and contrabassoon in the triumphal final movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the piccolo’s arrival at the doorstep of music’s Great Western Canon in such an iconic masterpiece is celebrated
Music Education
“I don’t own a piccolo,” was one of the first statements the principal flutist of a local community orchestra claimed as she watched me finding my place at the bottom end of the section and beginning to set up the stand for my piccolo, concert, and alto flutes. How
Features
A four-part series of reflections on the pleasures and paradoxes of learning to sing or play an instrument. For parents, musicians, and would-be musicians of all ages. The Ultimate Holistic Practice What is the meaning of “holistic”? The Oxford Dictionary gives two definitions, the first related to philosophy: “characterized by
Music Education
My son’s piano lessons afford me an opportunity to look at piano sheet music up close. Piano scores seem to have a unique visual beauty that music written for other instruments doesn’t quite match. I’m writing this after taking a look at ‘Children’s Corner’ (L.113)
Features
A four-part series of reflections on the pleasures and paradoxes of learning to sing or play an instrument. For parents, musicians, and would-be musicians of all ages. All the World’s a Stage Performing might be considered the ultimate goal of music study. To occupy the stage confidently and perform
Music Education
Operetta, a precursor of the modern musical, is often considered less serious than opera. We delve into the history of the ‘lighter’ side of opera to understand why the form continues to thrive in musical theatre of the 21st century. Operetta emerged in the second half of the 19th century
Music Education
Ahead of the Autumn 2022 Season of the Symphony Orchestra of India which features three widely regarded adaptations of the classic, a look at the historical context in which they were written, the norms they challenged and what emerged from the synthesis of Shakespeare with music. The global reputation and
Features
A four-part series of reflections on the pleasures and paradoxes of learning to sing or play an instrument. For parents, musicians, and would-be musicians of all ages. We have seen that learning to sing or play an instrument involves a lot of very worthwhile work. Understanding notation, controlling the physicality
