I was recently inspired by a colleague of mine who was creating interactive Power Point slides to use with her students in the remote teaching setting. The focus was on note value identification. The activity worked like this. Students could…
I was recently working in a sectional with a small group of middle school bass players at an honors ensemble rehearsal in my region. These students had a few years of experience, but were still at the beginning stages of…
Building a strong time feel is essential for a bass player. We are, after all, the foundation of the music. The role of the bass is one that provides the glue between the rhythm and harmony of the music. Our…
Choosing concert repertoire can be exciting, fun, and also, a challenge due to the number of arrangements and pieces to choose from. Programming music for our students takes careful consideration. After all, performances are where our students skills, musicality, and…
Developing a comfortable bow hold is challenging for young string players first starting out. Rather, maintaining a comfortable, relaxed, and flexible bow is a process that continues even today for me as I develop and grow as a musician. Over…
Learning the double bass is a challenging pursuit. Building the endurance, muscles, and dexterity to get around the bass takes time and diligence. Young musicians looking to learn the bass will have to work at developing both solid left hand…
As educators, we know our students best. We know their strengths and weaknesses and we care about their personal and musical growth. Music learning is different for every student and requires us to be tuned into their needs. There have…
This last week I wrapped up the second annual Summer Study Bass Camp. The camp was created last summer to reach young bassists in my community who are interested in learning more about playing the bass, connecting with other young…
“How come we never get the melody?” “My part is boring!” Perhaps you’ve heard this lament from the bass section of your orchestra or rhythm section bassist. As a middle school orchestra director, I know I’ve heard this sentiment at…
Musicians are masters at assessment. We assess our personal music making and those of our students constantly and make real time adjustments and observations. Live performance is an “in the moment” creation. During a performance, musicians are called to listen,…