This colorful storybook is for any young musician who has struggled with performance anxiety, who feels shy about sharing music with others, or who simply does not look forward to playing in recitals.The book tells the story of Hannabelle, a little girl who loves to sing, but who doesn't love to perform in front of other people. She is uncomfortabl...

Review by Vanessa Cornett When I first held these books in my hands and leafed through their cheerful pages, the same thoughts kept running through my mind. This is how we rock the boat. It's time. Are we ready? I sincerely believe the answer is yes.  Music study can instill a lifelong appreciation of music and the arts, an...

The need to shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way music instructors interact with their students. Most teachers now rely on various technologies to facilitate remote instruction for lessons and group classes. While this shift is essential to slow the spread of infectious disease, the sudden move to online instru...

The recent global pandemic has generated a mental health crisis in our culture. Although experts will not fully comprehend the psychological effects of COVID-19 for many years, millions of people around the world are currently experiencing the repercussions. The complex emotions associated with the coronavirus include feelings of fear, grief, loss,...

Would you teach your students to play only the first six notes of each major scale? Of course not! Good teachers introduce a complete concept, often from multiple perspectives. They may emphasize the building blocks of scales, key signatures, logical fingering, good practice habits, and healthy technique. Out...

The Words We Speak: The Power of Language in Nurturing Confident Musicians

Valentina Lisitsa is a formidable pianist with dazzling technique and an ever-growing fan base. A self-made luminary, she was arguably the first classical musician to catapult herself from relative obscurity to superstardom using social media alone. At forty-three, the Ukrainian-American virtuoso now boasts 300,000 subscribers to her YouTube channe...

For better or for worse, in sickness and in health..." As I think back to my marriage vows, I wonder how they might have changed if I knew then what I know now: "In forte and piano, in Scriabin and Prokofiev, until you are parted by death or insanity...?" My husband, Salam, is a Renaissance man, a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde. By day, he works as an ...