Author: musicinmindedu@hotmail.com

Listening skills

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singing lessons melbourne listening skills

For many of us keen to start vocal lessons in Melbourne the interest was sparked by listening to a certain record or seeing a great performance. A common trend that I’ve noticed is many students only listening to a handful of artists. By narrowing your listening like this you are not allowing other influences to broaden your musical palate. There are many apps on the market today that allow music to come to your computer or smart phone instantaneously and at little cost. Spotify and Pandora are two that I utilize for broadening my musical base. At Music College at least two required subjects were listening or aural skills based. We would be trained and tested on historical music traits as well as report on live ensembles we attended. This focus and analysis on music allowed for greater musical appreciation. I implore all Melbourne music students to set your ears loose on genres and musical styles that perhaps aren’t in your well grooved musical niche. Like the taste buds, variety is exciting and revealing so don’t just snack on toast

The Holidays

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The holidays were here again and the usual problems for music students came bubbling to the surface. Trumpet teachers often sight a lack of practice as the biggest downfall to a student’s progress. This seems fairly common to all endeavors as you only get out what you put in! Over the Easter Holiday break many families are on the road or overseas enjoying a well earn’t break. For music students this translates to weeks without their instrument. I’m a strong advocate for practicing daily however how can we do this when the instrument isn’t physically with us? Here are a few tips to keep your musical juices flowing anywhere, anytime.

Try taking some sheet music with you and reading it without your instrument. You will find your brain still engages with the notes and you may find you can sight sing the notes. This also works for sight reading rhythms. Your Melbourne trumpet teacher can give you many rhythm exercises on sheet music that you can clap, tap or sing. Try utilizing that amazing piece of technology in your pocket- your smart phone. The plethora of great aural training apps and rhythm apps available at the online store means that you can take your studies anywhere you go. Lastly, lets use this extra downtime to actually listen to music. Find new songs that interest and excite you. By stimulating the ears you will come back after the holidays with a fresh enthusiasm for your trumpet music lessons.

 

Back to school promotion – Book today and receive 20% off your first music lesson

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Music on the brain

It’s getting cold again, winter is coming! With the kids stuck inside at home, what better time to book in for some music lessons? And what better way than to have a Melbourne music teacher arrive at your door and teach them at home? You could be making dinner or relaxing after work while they’re having a guitar lesson, piano lesson or whatever instrument they’re passionate about learning.

Our teachers are all graduates in both Music Performance and Education, as well as holding current Working with Children Checks. Try out our diverse team of music teachers, including qualified Music Therapists and teachers with special needs education experience.

Want to prepare for a performance exam? We can help you go all the way whether it be AMEB, ANZCA, Royal College or any other exam format. We also hold concerts twice yearly to give music students the opportunity to perform in front of a live crowd.

Call us today on 0407 825 926 and we’ll give you 20% off your first lesson.

Trumpet case

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Damaging your trumpet in transit is a common heartache. Fortunately purchasing a suitable case can prevent this. You have spent good money on your trumpet so why skimp on the case that protects it from scratches, dents and breakage. To do reviews on all trumpet cases on the market will be next to impossible in this blog so I will simply outline some key features to tick off when purchasing your case. Many trumpet sellers will have a case for your trumpet when you purchase it but these can be cheap ones so they can move stock. Most stock cases have wood paneling covered by leather and other waterproof materials. These hard cases are superior so soft ones as they can take a spill without damaging your trumpet and can usually have something stacked on it which is very common when travelling. The hard cases will usually have stiff dividers that add extra support from the case being crushed. Lastly, the weight of the case is something we try to keep low for ease of lifting however this usually translate to cheap plastic materials so please Melbourne trumpet students spend the extra money on your case to save money on repairs down the road.

vocal warm up tips

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Hi singers, this week we approach a crucial topic- warm ups. There are literally thousands of articles and blogs on this topic and many singing teachers in Melbourne have different approaches. Here are a few of my tips for our aspiring singers at Music in Mind. Firstly, lets think about the voice as exactly what it is- a muscle. The vocal folds, lips and tongue are all muscles that need blood and flexibility to work at their optimal. When I was travelling the world as a musician on Cruiseships the singers onboard would routinely spend at least 30mins in the steam room/sauna to moisten and loosen the vocal chords and phlegm before a performance. Of course not many of us have saunas at home so instead try using your shower. Close the doors and get that hot water flowing which of course will steam up the bathroom. Lip trills are a popular exercise that we use just to loosen up the lips and cheeks, see this video to see it in practice- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVCHI3TwXBk

Lastly for vocal warm ups I recommend singing students sing long notes. These are notes sung without wavering for an entire breath. Start low in your register and slowly work up to your upper register. You may feel phlegm or some scratchy parts in your voice. Don’t push too hard through this as you may strain the vocal chords. Just allow the vocal folds to loosen gently and you will find your voice will feel strong and consistent.

ukulele lessons

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Here at Music in Mind we offer Ukulele lessons and they have begun to gain popularity form our young students. The guitar like many instruments is a physically demanding instrument so parents must be practical about their child’s size and ability before enrolling them in guitar lessons. Even the half sized guitars can be too bulky and cumbersome for children so we often recommend the ukulele as a suitable substitute. The small size of the ukulele, the easy chord shapes and the fact it only has 4 strings means little hands can play songs with greater ease. I’ve been teaching ukulele for a number of years and honestly some songs sound even better played on the ukulele than the guitar. This is controversial but I like “Here come the sun” by the Beatles played on the ukulele more than the guitar… Maybe it was because I taught it to myself on the exquisite beaches of Vietnam or its just because the timbre makes me smile. Ukuleles are cheap and can be a great springboard into music for young children. They also travel very well so taking it on trips or to and from lessons is easy for small children.  Get in contact with us to try out a first lesson!