Musicality Now

On the show today we're joined by Leila Viss, author of the 88PianoKeys.me blog and the book "The iPad Piano Studio". In her own piano studio Leila specialises in helping students be more creative on keyboard and together with Bradley Sowash at 88 Creative Keys she runs workshops and provides online training to help other teachers to empower their students creatively.   As you'll hear in this epis...

In this episode, we discuss the roles that teachers, coaches, and mentors play in your musical growth, making connections and distinctions between each to help you understand what kind of help you'd like in your journey and how to get it.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 091   Links and Resources •  Inter...

Recently on the show we did an episode on something called the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization (LCCOTO) with Andrew Bishko from our team. Andrew introduced me to this when he wrote a tutorial about the Lydian scale for our website, and in the process of putting that article together we came across a man called Andy Wasserman, one of just a handful of people in the world who is fully...

In this episode Christopher and Andrew talk about the musicality of playing multiple instruments. How becoming more musical makes it easy to pick up a second (or third, or fourth!) instrument - and how playing more than one instrument can help you become more musical.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 089...

Today we're joined by David Row of the Make Moments Matter website and podcast. David is an elementary music teacher in the US who specialises in the Orff method of music teaching. Orff is something we've mentioned a couple of times on the show before because it's one of a few approaches that really puts musicality at the heart of music learning. And although these days it's mostly used for early...

In this episode, we introduce you to frequencies in music, discuss why they're important, and give you a simple primer on the fascinating science behind them.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 087   Links and Resources •  Interview with Allan Hubert-Wright • Interview with Jeremy Fisher • About the Word "T...

Today we're joined by Allan Hubert-Wright, the founder of Le Chanteur Moderne, one of the most respected voice training institutes in France, and one which is remarkable for using modern voice science to help singers and singing teachers be more effective by leveraging what we actually know about the human voice. He is also the director of the voice department at the prestigious IFPRO performing a...

Choosing the perfect online course for you is half the battle. The other half is ensuring that you stay engaged and motivated so you can complete the course and get as much out of it as possible. Learn all about how you can be proactive and smart about your course to maximize your odds of success.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Note...

One of the parts of musicality that we haven't covered so much on the podcast so far is the topic of performing, and finding ways to share the music you love, perhaps even music you've written yourself, with an audience. If you've been listening to the show for a while then you know we're not about to tell you that there is one single correct path to follow and that all serious musicians should do...

Not everything is in 4/4! Learn about polyrhythms, or rhythms where two (or more) rhythms occur simultaneously. Musical U's Anastasia Voitinskaia gives a rundown of polyrhythms, where they're found, and how to count them, and why you should make them a part of your musical repertoire.    Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transc...

Today we're joined by Kendra McKinley, a San Francisco singer-songwriter who we interviewed on our website last year after a cover song she recorded made us sit up and pay attention. Her music has been described as having a "striking musicality" and we think that's a great way of putting it, so we were delighted to have the opportunity to sit down with her and learn more about where that musicalit...

Did you know that it's possible to practice your musical repertoire even when you don't have your instrument in your hands? Learn all about the skill of audiation, a.k.a. imagining music in your head, and how it can improve your musical memory, your understanding of the music itself, and even your performances.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube  ...

Today we're joined by Sharon Mark-Teggart, who along with Dr. Sally Cathcart runs The Curious Piano Teachers, one of the leading organisations training up the next generation of piano teachers. And as you'll discover in this episode they're leveraging the latest research into what makes for effective learning and teaching to help those new teachers be more successful, enjoy their teaching more, an...

The world of online music education is ripe with opportunity for a musician interested in self-directed learning. In this episode, we explore the factors that should go into choosing an online course that is compatible with your musical goals and vision.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 079   Links and Re...

Today we're talking with composer David Asher Brown, who is also the man behind PianoCub.com, a website that can help anybody to start learning piano online. David's work as a composer is wonderful and varied, and well worth a listen - but as you'll be hearing, that's just one clue as to the fascinating variety of projects and interests David has explored during his musical career so far.   We'll...

With so many possible uses, it can be difficult to know exactly what we mean when we say "tone". In part two of our series about tone, we look at three more common uses for this multipurpose word, and how to contextualize them in music.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 077   Links and Resources •  About t...

Today we're joined by Jeremy Fisher, one of the co-founders of Vocal Process, one of the most impressive and useful websites for learning how to develop your singing voice and sing better. Through blog posts, live in-person training, online webinars, books and even an app, Vocal Process covers all the most in-demand topics for singers, ranging from how to get started and sing in tune, through exte...

The major scale may get all the attention, but have you been introduced to its close relative, the Lydian scale? In this episode, Musical U's own Andrew Bishko discusses the Lydian and the associated Lydian Chromatic Concept - a theory that may change the way you think about the major scale forever...   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show...

Today we have the distinct pleasure of interviewing one of our own team members at Musical U. Andrew Bishko is our Content Editor and Product Manager at Musical U, which means he's in charge of overseeing everything we publish and also the teaching material we continue to expand and improve inside Musical U itself. But as you're about to discover, despite his huge contributions at Musical U, this...

You may be surprised to learn that a large part of learning to play by ear is in fact trial and error! However, you can accelerate your learning by adding some method to the madness - with the proper tools and training!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 073   Links and Resources •  Interview with Chris Owe...

Today we're speaking with Chris Owenby, the man behind the website "Practice Habits" where he shares blogposts and videos to help musicians and especially piano teachers with their students to form more effective and enjoyable practice routines.   As well as running Practice Habits and its corresponding members website for piano teachers, Chris is also an award-winning composer, and the creator of...

There's a slew of obvious and not-so-obvious benefits of playing music. From boosting your self-esteem to improving your brain's ability to multitask, music is the gift that keeps on giving - whether you're a child starting piano lessons, a college student joining the school choir, or someone picking up an instrument in retirement.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitch...

Today we're talking with Jimmy Rotheram, the man behind an incredible success story in the UK school system. Last year Feversham Primary Academy made headlines after transforming from one of the worst-performing schools in the country to well above average, in just a few short years. After being singled out for its unacceptably poor student attendance and academic results in 2010, Feversham now ha...

What does "tone" mean in music? This multipurpose word can actually take on some very different uses depending on the context it's mentioned in. Learn about how "tone" can refer to a note, a frequency, or an interval.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 069   Links and Resources Interview with Donna Schwartz...

Today on the show we're joined by Donna Schwartz, one of the best-known saxophone teachers online. As you'll be hearing though, Donna's expertise goes deep on sax but also wide on other instruments and musicality in general. Along with past podcast guest Nick Mainella, Donna hosts the "Everything Saxophone" podcast, and is the creator of several interesting online courses, including "Get a Killer...