Scales... Most music learners think scales are just an exercise you've got to do as part of learning your instrument. But did you know there's actually a whole area of ear training dedicated to scales?   In fact there are two! In this clip from the archive of live member Q&A calls at Musical U we talk about these two types of scale ear training and how each can help you.   If you want to get more out of scales and ear training, don’t miss this episode.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 245   Links and Resources • How to Make Scales Less Boring • Musicality Now - Music Theory You’ll Love to Learn, with Glory St. Germain • Musicality Now - About the Power of Solfa • Musicality Now - About Scales and their Flavors • Musicality Now - How to Improvise For Real, with David Reed         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Do you sometimes get the notes wrong when you sing?   At Musical U we strongly encourage every music learner to sing because of the huge positive impact it has on your musicality - but what if you find you just can't get the notes right? Here's a clip from the archive of live member Q&A calls at Musical U where we talk about just that.   Enjoy!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 244   Links and Resources • How to Learn to Sing in Tune • Musicality Now - Finding the Notes Yourself, with Sara Campbell • Musicality Now - About Singing as a Tool • Musicality Now - How to Sing Smarter, with Meghan Nixon • Musicality Now - Singing that Sounds Good – and Beyond, with Davin Youngs • Musicality Now - All Things Vocal, with Judy Rodman • Musicality Now - The Instrument Inside You, with Ben Parry • Musicality Now - What Your Voice Can Do, with Jeremy Fisher • Musicality Now - Find and Make Peace with Your Voice, with Nikki Loney • Musicality Now - About the Power of Solfa         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

If playing music is like speaking a language, how should we think about harmony, or playing two hands on piano?   We answer that question in this clip from the archive of live member Q&A calls at Musical U. Enjoy!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 243   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - About the I, IV, V and vi Chords • Musicality Now - Choose Your Words Carefully, with Glory St. Germain (Ultimate Music Theory) • Musicality Now - In Perfect Swinging Harmony, with The Quebe Sisters • Introduction to Chord Progressions • What can you already play by ear? Harmony & Rhythm? • How To Sing Harmony Like A Pro         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Did you know that wearing good headphones is one of the easiest ways to improve your ear training? Why is that - and what exactly makes a pair of headphones "good"?   Learn how to choose the right headphones to level up your ears in this clip from the archive of live member Q&A calls at Musical U. Enjoy!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 242   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - About the Ear Training Trap • Musicality Now - About Active Listening • Musicality Now - About Listening as the Route to Musicality • Musicality Now - What Is Ear Training? (and why does it normally fail?) • Wired For Sound Part 4: Headphones • What are the best headphones for ear training?           Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Audiation is one of the most powerful ways to develop your musicality - but what if you find you really struggle with it? In this clip from the archive of live member Q&A calls at Musical U we share some practical tips to help you audiate. Enjoy!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 241   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - About Audiation • Musicality Now - Audiation and Thinking Music, with Cynthia Crump Taggart • Musicality Now - How to “Hear Like A Musician” • The Secret Music Practice Skill: Audiation     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever felt like you were guessing the answers while working on ear training? Believe it or not, that may not be a bad thing! Find out why in this clip from the archive of live member Q&A calls at Musical U - stay tuned!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 240   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - What Is Ear Training? (and why does it normally fail?) • Musicality Now - Boosting Musical Brainpower, with Josh Turknett (Brainjo) • Musicality Now - Intervals Versus Solfa: Which Is Best? • The Ultimate Guide to Interval Ear Training • Musicality Now - About the Ear Training Trap         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We’re joined by Dylan Hart, one of the top French Horn players in Hollywood today. He has played on many well-known soundtracks including Moana, Frozen, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Baywatch, The Good Place, and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.   You’re about to hear Dylan’s unlikely journey to becoming a highly-successful session player, concert performer, and French horn teacher.    In this conversation Dylan shares:   • The importance of “getting out of your own way” when playing - and how to do that. • His unexpected advice on how to sight read at the extremely high level required of session players. • Why we must look for the root cause of problems rather than just treating symptoms - and how that applies to practicing off your instrument, sight-reading, and performing at your best under pressure.   In everything he does and teaches, Dylan has a focus on the inner instinct for music and a deep connection with your instrument. You’re going to love this conversation packed with thought-provoking ideas.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 239   Links and Resources • Dylan Skye Hart Online • Annie Bosler Online • Norman Doidge - The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science • Daniel Coyle - The Talent Code • Daniel Coyle - The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills • Dr. Bob Rotella - Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect • Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan - The Breathing Gym • Sam Pilafian and Patrick Sheridan - The Brass Gym: A Comprehensive Daily Workout for Brass Players • Jaume Rosset Llobet - A tono: Ejercicios para mejorar el rendimiento del músico • Alexander Technique • California State University Long Beach • Musicality Now - How The Best Play Their Best, with Annie Bosler • Musicality Now - Your Peak Performance Toolkit, with Mark Morley-Fletcher (Play In The Zone) • Musicality Now - The Keys to Performance Success, with Dr. Don Greene (Winning On Stage)         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We are excited to bring you another inspiring edition of Pathways. In this special series of episodes you’ll hear the stories of music-learners just like you, reaching out and lending each other a hand on our musical journeys. We’re speaking with Oli Fuhrmann, a swing dancer and swing dance teacher from Berlin, Germany.   Oli started learning piano and trombone in the last three years to play the music he loves to dance to. He’s eager to try new things and happy to risk failure. You’ll hear how his attitude has really payed off for his music learning and the richness of his musical life.   In this conversation Oli shares:   • Why it was easy for him to start joining jam sessions despite being only a beginner-to-intermediate player - and a few specific tips for how you can make it easy for yourself. • How learning trombone was relatively simple after piano, and why he realised the importance of a good musical ear. • How he discovered the power of community support as part of his online learning.   Enjoy this episode and be inspired to be more bold and risk new endeavours in your own musical journey.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 238   Links and Resources • Swingstep Online Courses • Mad Oli Facebook • Oliver Fuhrmann Facebook • Mad Oli Instagram • Musicality Now - Pathways: Nick Cheetham • Musicality Now - Pathways: Sharilynn Horhota • Musicality Now - The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you been feeling stuck on something challenging in music? A section of a piece, a specific technique, an overall plateau, or maybe practice goes fine but then everything falls apart in live performance.   Have you felt like you just don’t have enough time for learning your instrument and learning new music? Maybe you feel like you’re putting in the time and effort but just don’t seem to be getting much payoff in terms of results.   Have you been frustrated by struggling to memorise things, or finding the things you did work hard to memorise slip away over time?   Or maybe it feels like whatever you try, you’re just spinning in circles, or tripping yourself up, so that you never quite make solid progress towards your musical goals - like there’s something continually sabotaging you - and it might just be all in your head.   If you’ve felt one or more of these frustrations in your musical life you are certainly not alone. And believe it or not, there’s a single solution which can quickly eliminate all of these challenges.   It’s time to re-learn what it means to “learn music”. It’s time to discover the techniques of musical superlearning.   What does that mean, exactly? That’s what we’re talking about in this special episode with Christopher and Andrew from the Musical U team: what does “musical superlearning” look like in practice, and is it right for you?       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 237   Links and Resources • Musical Superlearning • Practice Q&A [1/5] How To Find More Music Practice Time, with Gregg Goodhart • Practice Q&A [2/5] How To Get Maximum Results In Minimum Time, with Gregg Goodhart • Practice Q&A [3/5] How To Conquer Tricky Sections And Break Through Plateaus, with Gregg Goodhart • Practice Q&A [4/5] How To Stay Consistent - Without Discipline, with Gregg Goodhart • Practice Q&A [5/5] How To Spend Practice Time And Prevent Overwhelm, with Gregg Goodhart     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Feeling overwhelmed by all the information about what to practice?   This is the fifth and last in a special series of episodes on how to tackle the biggest sticking points in your music learning. We recently surveyed our audience to learn about their experiences with music practice. The results were astounding! Across several hundred responses, we found a handful of really common and painfully frustrating practice issues – including, “How can I know what to practice?”   To answer these big burning questions, we invited Gregg Goodhart, The Learning Coach, back on the show. Gregg is a leading expert on how to apply all of the latest scientific research and understanding of how the brain learns to skill acquisition, including in music.   Learn what to focus your music practice on in this episode.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 236   Links and Resources • Learn Music Faster • Gregg Goodhart – Learning Coach • What is a Practiclass? Sax, cello, guitar, The Learn Like A Genius Institute • Learn Like A Genius – Piano Practiclass (Full), Houston, TX with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - How to Learn Like a Genius, with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience • Carol S. Dweck - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success • Barry J. Zimmerman - Dart Throwing Study         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you lost your motivation for practice?   This is the fourth in a special series of episodes on how to tackle the biggest sticking points in your music learning. We recently surveyed our audience to learn about their experiences with music practice. The results were astounding! Across several hundred responses, we found a handful of really common and painfully frustrating practice issues – including, “I feel bad because I don’t practice enough”   To answer these big burning questions, we invited Gregg Goodhart, The Learning Coach, back on the show. Gregg is a leading expert on how to apply all of the latest scientific research and understanding of how the brain learns to skill acquisition, including in music.   After watching this episode you’ll regain your enthusiasm for learning music.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 235   Links and Resources • Learn Music Faster • Gregg Goodhart – Learning Coach • What is a Practiclass? Sax, cello, guitar, The Learn Like A Genius Institute • Learn Like A Genius – Piano Practiclass (Full), Houston, TX with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - How to Learn Like a Genius, with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience • Carol S. Dweck - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success • Barry J. Zimmerman - Dart Throwing Study         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Struggling to get that complex section up to tempo?   This is the third in a special series of episodes on how to tackle the biggest sticking points in your music learning. We recently surveyed our audience to learn about their experiences with music practice. The results were astounding! Across several hundred responses, we found a handful of really common and painfully frustrating practice issues – including, “How do I break through plateaus?”   To answer these big burning questions, we invited Gregg Goodhart, The Learning Coach, back on the show. Gregg is a leading expert on how to apply all of the latest scientific research and understanding of how the brain learns to skill acquisition, including in music.   Enjoy this episode and unlock your music learning super powers!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 234   Links and Resources • Learn Music Faster • Gregg Goodhart – Learning Coach • What is a Practiclass? Sax, cello, guitar, The Learn Like A Genius Institute • Learn Like A Genius – Piano Practiclass (Full), Houston, TX with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - How to Learn Like a Genius, with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience • Carol S. Dweck - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success • Barry J. Zimmerman - Dart Throwing Study         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Can you get results from only 10-15 minutes of practice?   This is the second in a special series of episodes on how to tackle the biggest sticking points in your music learning. We recently surveyed our audience to learn about their experiences with music practice. The results were astounding! Across several hundred responses, we found a handful of really common and painfully frustrating practice issues – including, “How do I get the most results out of my practice time?”   To answer these big burning questions, we invited Gregg Goodhart, The Learning Coach, back on the show. Gregg is a leading expert on how to apply all of the latest scientific research and understanding of how the brain learns to skill acquisition, including in music.   In this episode you’ll learn a 3-step process you can use to get the most out of every minute of your practice. Start supercharging your learning today!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 233   Links and Resources • Learn Music Faster • Gregg Goodhart – Learning Coach • What is a Practiclass? Sax, cello, guitar, The Learn Like A Genius Institute • Learn Like A Genius – Piano Practiclass (Full), Houston, TX with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - How to Learn Like a Genius, with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience • Carol S. Dweck - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success • Barry J. Zimmerman - Dart Throwing Study         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Do you have enough time to practice your music?   This is the first in a special series of episodes on how to tackle the biggest sticking points in your music learning. We recently surveyed our audience to learn about their experiences with music practice. The results were astounding! Across several hundred responses, we found a handful of really common and painfully frustrating practice issues – like, “How do I find time for music?”   To answer these big burning questions, we invited Gregg Goodhart, The Learning Coach, back on the show. Gregg is a leading expert on how to apply all of the latest scientific research and understanding of how the brain learns to skill acquisition, including in music. In this episode, we talk about what to do if you feel like there’s never enough time for practicing music.   After this episode, you may well find time that you didn’t even know existed, as well as ways to supercharge the time that you do have for practicing, and get better results faster.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 232   Links and Resources • Gregg Goodhart – Learning Coach • What is a Practiclass? Sax, cello, guitar, The Learn Like A Genius Institute • Learn Like A Genius – Piano Practiclass (Full), Houston, TX with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - How to Learn Like a Genius, with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience • Carol S. Dweck - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success • Barry J. Zimmerman - Dart Throwing Study         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We are delighted to bring you another inspiring edition of Pathways. In this special series of episodes you’ll hear the stories of music-learners just like you, reaching out and lending each other a hand on our musical journeys. We’re joined by Joanne Cooper, a longstanding member of Musical U, who has particular expertise in a piece of software called Band In A Box.   Joanne’s musical life has never been the same since she started using Band in a Box. She went from writing zero songs to writing and covering hundreds of songs! She has learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way, so we were excited to have Joanne on the show to share her musical journey.   In this conversation Joanne shares:   • How Band In A Box made a life-changing impact on her song-writing and musical performance. • How she used performing with backing tracks as a stepping stone to accompanying herself. • The simple and specific song-writing process you can try if you're just starting out.   If you've never tried song writing, are nervous performing, or you've never come across the Band In A Box software, this episode will enlighten you.   Have you picked up useful ideas or techniques in your own musical journey so far that you think could inspire or help others on their path of exploring their musicality? Get in touch by dropping an email to hello@musicalitynow.com! We are always looking for new guests for Pathways and would love to share your story next.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 230   Links and Resources • Joanne Cooper Online • Joanne Cooper - First Song with Band-in-a-Box for Windows video course • Band-in-a-Box 101: A beginners guide to making and performing with Band-in-a-Box backing tracks by Joanne Cooper • How To Make A Backing Track, with Joanne Cooper • How To Make A Backing Track with Band-in-a-Box YouTube Video • Band-in-a-Box for Windows and Mac • Joanne's Extensive Playlists of Videos on YouTube • Musicality Now - About the I, IV, V and vi Chords           Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We’re joined by violinist and Suzuki pedagogue, Laura Nerenberg. Laura is founder of Rideau Falls Violins where she teaches based on the principle that all children are born with the potential to develop a high level of instrument ability and creative ability.   Laura shares the inspiring story of how she learned to combine improvisation and classical violin - and how improvisation has impacted her teaching.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Laura’s upbringing learning violin with the Suzuki method - and some of the myths and misconceptions people have about Suzuki’s ear-based approach. • How Laura didn’t realize until later in life that she had learned a lot about improvisation growing up with a jazz-pianist father. • The Creative Ability Development framework which empowers learners to improvise from the outset, and in a way that focuses on listening and personal expression.   Even if you’ve never improvised, or you’re an avid improviser keen to learn more, you’re going to love this conversation.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 231   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - Welcome to the Musicality Podcast! • Laura Nerenberg - Rideau Falls Violins • Laura Nerenberg with Triptych Piano Trio - Facebook • Shinichi Suzuki - Nurtured By Love • Suzuki Association • Alice Kanack - Kanack School Of Musical Artistry • Art of Improvisation Workshops • David Darling       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We are delighted to bring you another inspiring edition of Pathways. In this special series of episodes you’ll hear the stories of music-learners just like you, reaching out and lending each other a hand on our musical journeys. We’re joined by Joanne Cooper, a longstanding member of Musical U, who has particular expertise in a piece of software called Band In A Box.   Joanne’s musical life has never been the same since she started using Band in a Box. She went from writing zero songs to writing and covering hundreds of songs! She has learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way, so we were excited to have Joanne on the show to share her musical journey.   In this conversation Joanne shares:   • How Band In A Box made a life-changing impact on her song-writing and musical performance. • How she used performing with backing tracks as a stepping stone to accompanying herself. • The simple and specific song-writing process you can try if you're just starting out.   If you've never tried song writing, are nervous performing, or you've never come across the Band In A Box software, this episode will enlighten you.   Have you picked up useful ideas or techniques in your own musical journey so far that you think could inspire or help others on their path of exploring their musicality? Get in touch by dropping an email to hello@musicalitynow.com! We are always looking for new guests for Pathways and would love to share your story next.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 230   Links and Resources • Joanne Cooper Online • Joanne Cooper - First Song with Band-in-a-Box for Windows video course • Band-in-a-Box 101: A beginners guide to making and performing with Band-in-a-Box backing tracks by Joanne Cooper • How To Make A Backing Track, with Joanne Cooper • How To Make A Backing Track with Band-in-a-Box YouTube Video • Band-in-a-Box for Windows and Mac • Joanne's Extensive Playlists of Videos on YouTube • Musicality Now - About the I, IV, V and vi Chords           Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Right now, millions of people around the world are choosing to stay in and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In this challenging and unprecedented time, Musical U’s priority is to provide new free training daily to keep you engaged, excited, and learning during your extra time at home. We’re continuing to collaborate with world-class music educators to bring you everything you need to continue honing your musicality in this time.   In this interview, Brent Vaartstra of Learn Jazz Standards and the Passive Income Musician podcast shares his four “defaults”: mindset ideas for getting through this difficult time while staying positive and connected through music.   He talks about: • The power of gratitude and how to focus on the things you’re grateful for on a daily basis. • The impact of generosity, and ways to volunteer and donate your resources. • The importance of community engagement . • Goal-setting, and how to take this time to invest in your dreams. • Recognizing the activities and routines that will help you make the most of every day.   Brent’s “defaults” are the perfect antidote to the unusual circumstances we have found ourselves in - his ideas are as helpful for your daily well-being as they are for your musicality. Enjoy!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 229   Links and Resources • Learn Jazz Standards • Learn Jazz Standards podcast • Passive Income Musician podcast • Musicality Now - How to Stop Doubting and Start Performing, with Brent Vaartstra • Musicality Now - An Ear for Jazz, with Brent Vaartstra • The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-Being by Hale Dwoskin         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review      

We’re excited to have Zach VanderGraaff, the founder of Dynamic Music Room, on the show. Mr. V (as his students like to call him) is a K-5 music teacher who’s developed his own teaching philosophy drawing on the Kodály approach.   Zach shares many of our core beliefs here at Musical U. He believes that “talent” is a myth, that music learning can and should be enjoyable, that the learning process should feel musical, that it’s more effective to learn together with others, and much more.   In this conversation you’ll hear about:   • Zach’s own first experience of playing by ear - and why he was frustrated by his family being impressed. • The key difference between the elementary music teaching Zach does and the more common approaches you may be familiar with. • The three core concepts on which Zach bases his teaching - and how you can apply each in your own music learning.   You will be fascinated by just how much you can learn from the world of children’s music education. Enjoy this episode and make your music journey more fun and effective.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 228   Links and Resources • Dynamic Music Room • Dynamic Music Room Facebook • Musicality Now - Designing for Joyful Learning, with Anne Mileski • Musicality Now - How to Improve AND Enjoy Your Musical Life       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review  

Hi, this is Christopher Sutton from Musical U, and this will be a special short announcement episode to invite you to Stay In - and Play On.   If you're watching this episode when it airs then you'll be well aware of the current situation with the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19.   Now I'm not here to offer health advice or news updates - no doubt you've got enough of that flying at you already. But it seems clear that the sooner people self-isolate, the more lives can be saved.    I’m here in Spain on total lockdown with my wife and two young daughters - and although it’s all a bit crazy, we are all in good health so far.   And if you're like most in our community at Musical U then faced with that prospect of staying in for several weeks ahead, you're quickly turning to music as a rock you can rely on. I’m glad that my home office is always packed with instruments so I can keep playing. I did have a momentary panic when a guitar string broke - but it’s okay, it turned out I had a spare set.   Now I don't want to trivialise this and say "hey, never mind, let's all just have fun and play music!" - this is a serious situation.   But at the same time, music can be an incredible force for keeping our spirits high, helping us stay connected with one another, inspiring us to hope and be thankful. And with the opportunity to spend more time on our music learning it even offers a possible silver lining, that we can come out of this situation with new and better skills, feeling more musical, eager to go out there and enjoy performing and collaborating at a new level once life returns to normal.   So I wanted to record this special episode to share some cool things that are happening right now which can help you make the most of any extra music time you may find you have.   First off, you can expect Musicality Now to continue as normal. We took a short break - and I'll share in a minute what we were busy with elsewhere - but we're back on track for an episode per week, possibly more, so that you can always count on that new episode to listen to or watch.   Beyond this show though there's actually a lot of other stuff available for you that I didn't want you to miss out on.   Here at Musical U over the last week, as it's become increasingly clear how many people likely face lockdown for weeks or even months, and that the sooner people start self-isolating the better - we've been talking with members and brainstorming in the team, trying to figure out how we can best serve you all in the weeks ahead.   Last week we announced a few quick measures for members, which I'll just mention because I know we have a lot of members who listen to the show and you may have missed that announcement. We will be keeping our doors open at Musical U and doing everything we can to make sure you can rely on us for "service as normal" throughout this period. And we're also doing a few extra things based on what we've been hearing from you.   Firstly we know a lot of folks are facing financial difficulties with their work interrupted so we're offering an amnesty on membership payments for anybody who needs it. We don't want your membership payment to be a source of stress and we'd hate to lose you from the community.   Secondly, we were hearing that many of you anticipated more time available for music practice, but your regular activities like local group rehearsals or performances were all cancelled so you needed something new to sink your teeth into. So for a limited time we've dropped the prices of all five of our standalone courses in half for you - that's Foundations of a Musical Mind, The Musician's Ear, Ear Training For Beginners, The Circle Mastery Experience and even our latest course, Improv Immersion.    We're also shaping up plans for more regular drop-in Q&A sessions where you can connect with the team and other members, virtual jam sessions, a member “perks” page with exclusive discounts and offers on recommended products and services, and a new series of live masterclasses with outside experts for you. And of course we'll be continuing to talk with you in the community to find out what you most want and how we can help.   So that's members. We also wanted to do something to help our wider audience who aren't yet members, like our Facebook fans and email subscribers.    So last week we launched a series of free daily masterclass reruns - one hour-long music masterclass every day for a week, free of charge. We have an incredible masterclass library inside Musical U and so it’s been exciting to share some of the highlights more widely, with sessions from folks like "The Learning Coach" Gregg Goodhart, vocal coach Davin Youngs, improv extraordinaire the late Forrest Kinney, and several more. And we've had such a great response to those with hundreds tuning in for every session, we're going to keep that party going with a few more daily masterclasses at least.    Along with those masterclass sessions I wanted to provide a way for those who were eager to get access to even more. So even though we don't usually offer a free trial of Musical U membership, for a limited time we're offering free membership for a full 30 days, with no obligation and no strings attached. So if you miss a masterclass you wanted to catch, or you want to watch them all, or you want the full in-depth skill training that complements them or you want to connect with other music learners like you during this time, then you can come in, try it all for the next month, and not pay a penny. We do of course hope you'll choose to stay, and you can enjoy a big discount on regular pricing if you do - but there's no pressure and no obligation, you're able and welcome to come in, use it all, including the new special events we’re organising for members - and then leave at the end with no payment required.   So that felt like a good start, to do what we can to help our community and wider audience stay engaged in fun, productive music learning at this time.   Of course if you know us here at Musical U you'll know we never pretend to be the one true be-all-and-end-all of music learning - we love to collaborate with and help recommend other amazing online music educators. So from the outset we were also looking for ways to go beyond just what we at Musical U can provide ourselves.   This week we went ahead and added a new "Friends" page to the Musical U website. You can find that by going to musical-u.com and clicking "Friends" in the top menu. This is something we were working on anyway as part of bigger website changes to showcase our mission and more of what we're all about here at Musical U - but given the circumstances it seemed smart to go ahead and make sure all visitors to our site had easy access to our top recommendations for other resources that can help you in your journey of becoming more musical.   As you can probably imagine, that wasn't an easy page to put together! Because I wanted to include pretty much every single one of the amazing guests we've had interviewed here on the show! We did have some particular criteria for who to include though, which is a bit hard to explain until those fuller website changes are made. But just to say if you spot any notable absences, folks like Brent Vaartstra at Learn Jazz Standards, for example, who you know we highly recommend and consider a good "friend" of Musical U - that's no slight on his work, it's just about the particular framing of that page, which will hopefully become clear in due course.   As well as that Friends page, over the last week I've been reaching out to all our friends and contacts in music education to see what they have planned, and paying attention to what's been going on in the various music teacher groups online.    A lot of us have been trying to figure out how to adjust what we do to best serve music learners at this time, and a lot of music teachers have been hastily making the shift to online teaching. A big shout out to some of the amazing teachers-of-teachers like Sara Campbell, Glory St. Germaine, Bradley Sowash, Tim Topham, Anne Mileski and Melody Payne who've been rapidly providing special training and guidance to help with that transition.   So there's a lot going on! And to help you stay musical and stay connected we've put together a special page at stayinplayon.com with details of everything I've mentioned.   You'll find there the free daily Musical U masterclasses and whatever we do next after that, you'll find a list of all the special resources and opportunities with other music education providers online that we know about, as well as a way to let us know if you come across any we've missed. And we're also compiling a list of independent teachers who are accepting new online students at this time if you're looking for something new or you want to support music teachers at this difficult time.    We're also encouraging you to share what you're doing to stay musical during this time, by posting on your social media of choice, whether that's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever Snapchatty Tik-Toky thing the cool kids are using these days, with the hashtag #stayinplayon - so that even if you're not joining us for our group activities inside Musical U we can all still feel connected and inspire one another to draw on music as our comfort, our refuge and our silver lining at this time.   I would love to hear what you're up to - but instead of our usual invitation to drop us an email I'm going to ask you to put it out there on social media for more people to see and be inspired by. Hashtag it #stayinplayon and we'll see it there.   So head over to stayinplayon.com and check out everything that’s happening and I hope to see you at some of the live events we’re organising for members and the public in the weeks ahead.   Stay healthy. Stay safe.   And together, let’s stay in - and play on!    

Welcome to a very special edition of Musicality Now. We invited Glory St. Germain of Ultimate Music Theory back on the show to teach something very specific. Glory overflows with joy as she shares this powerful lesson.   Transformative vocabulary is a broad concept that many successful people apply in their lives. In this episode Glory St. Germain teaches how you can apply transformative vocabulary to your musical life. You will learn how to use words that uplift you - and fuel your excitement you to take on that next challenge!   If you wish for impactful musicality that inspires every one around you, you’re going to love this conversation.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 226   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - Music Theory You’ll Love to Learn, with Glory St. Germain • Free Music Theory Masterclass with Glory St. Germain • Musicality Now - Becoming Curious, with Sharon Mark-Teggart • Tony Robbins - Transform Your Life • The Alter Ego Effect         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We were thrilled to speak with Annie Bosler, a world class French Hornist who has played with John Williams, Josh Groban, Michael Feinstein, Itzhak Perlman and Paul McCartney. Annie has performed for famous shows such as Glee, The Ellen Show, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The 2020 Grammy Awards ceremony.   Surely such a high-level performer is long past any concerns of stage fright or performance anxiety, right? That’s not always the case. In this conversation Annie shares invaluable insights on how top-level professional musicians think about and actively tackle performance anxiety.   We talk about:   • The relationship between performance anxiety, flow states, and getting into “the zone”. • The specific components of Annie’s own peak performance toolkit and what you might like to try for yourself. • The lessons she learned from interviewing some of the original Hollywood studio musicians of the golden years.   This conversation will enlighten your overall view of performance flow states - and leave you with some specific tips to help you reach your full performance potential.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 225   Links and Resources • Annie Bosler Online • The Healthy Musician: Dealing With Nerves & Performance Anxiety • 1M1: Hollywood Horns of the Golden Years • Composed Documentary • Kenny Werner - Effortless Mastery • Don Greene Books • Chuck Kriese Books • Annie Bosler, Don Greene, Kathleen Tesar - College Prep for Musicians • Maxwell Maltz - The New Psycho-Cybernetics • Musicality Now - The Keys to Performance Success, with Dr. Don Greene (Winning On Stage) • College Prep for Musicians Instagram         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We were honoured to speak with Professor Henkjan Honing, one of the leading researchers of music cognition and biomusicology. The science behind musicality is at an exciting early stage, so there are at least as many intriguing questions as answers in this fascinating conversation.   Professor Honing has written two books exploring the science of musicality: The Evolving Animal Orchestra discusses what we can learn about musicality from the animal kingdom and The Origins of Musicality details the latest cutting-edge research on where human musicality comes from and how it works.   In this conversation we talk about: • The crucial research study with newborn infants that changed the whole trajectory of Professor Honing’s research. • Two surprising facts about absolute pitch (often called perfect pitch) that might completely change how you think about this seemingly-magical skill. • What the state-of-the-art scientific research tells us about how much musicality is an innate part of us versus a purely-learned skill.   Enjoy this dive into Professor Honing’s perspective on musicality - and gain new appreciation for your own inner musician.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 224   Links and Resources • Henkjan Honing - The Origins of Musicality • Henkjan Honing - The Evolving Animal Orchestra • Music Cognition Group • Prof. HJ (Henkjan) Honing • TEDxAmsterdam 2011 - Henkjan Honing • Research study - Newborn infants detect the beat in music • Tone Deaf Test from Musical U         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We’re joined by Mark Morley-Fletcher from Play in the Zone. Mark is a jazz guitarist turned peak performance specialist. He’s developed a system for helping everyday music learners tackle performance anxiety.   Mark has taken ideas and techniques from the world of performance psychology and drawn them in to a clear, coherent framework. He does a fantastic job of tying the underlying concepts behind performance to practical tips you can apply right away in your own musical life.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The non-musical activity that helped Mark draw together the latest research on peak performance into a practical system for musicians. • The difference between “good” autopilot and “bad autopilot” when it comes to performing. • The specific things you can do to defuse the negative physical and mental reactions to performance situations.   You’ll love the insight in this episode - whether you’re gearing up for your first performance, or you’re a touring veteran. Jump in and learn how to play your best!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 223   Links and Resources • Play in The Zone • Unlock Your Performance • Unshakeable Foundations • Play In The Zone YouTube Channel • Musicality Now - Note2Self: “I Love This!”, with Lisa McCormick • Musicality Now - More Mindful, More Musical, with Susanne Olbrich • Musicality Now - About Mindfulness for Musicians         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Diane Allen, a former concertmaster violinist with the Central Oregon Symphony for 15 years. Diane speaks on the topic of flow and finding your own personal “flow strategy” to reach your full potential, in music and anywhere else in your life.   In the past, “peak performance” and “performance psychology” were the exclusive realm of top-level professional performers. Now these ideas are becoming more accessible and applicable to everyday learners and musicians. Diane brings a unique perspective to to the world of performance.   In this conversation we talk about:   • How Diane rose to great success in the classical world, then put aside her violin completely - and returned to it later in an innovative way. • The specific practical steps you can take to find your own connection with a piece of music. • The three components of getting into “flow” state - only one of which is normally covered when you hear about flow.   You’ll be excited to apply Diane’s fresh ideas to your own practice and performance. Dive in to this episode and learn how to be at your best!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 222   Links and Resources • Diane Allen - Own Your A-Game • Diane Allen - Corporate Speaking • My Violin Recital - YouTube channel • Fingerboard Workbook by Diane Allen • Bow Arm Bootcamp • Email Diane for a special discount • Losing yourself in flow state | Diane Allen | TEDxNaperville • Get Out Of Your Head & Into Your Heart | DisruptHR Talks • Diane Allen Facebook • Diane Allen Instagram • Diane Allen’s Violin, Copper Dragon • Diane Allen Twitter • Diane Allen Linkedin       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We are delighted to bring you another exciting edition of Pathways. In this special series of episodes you’ll hear the stories of music-learners just like you, reaching out and lending each other a hand on our musical journeys. Today we’re speaking with Jon Magnusson, a Swedish songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and father who has done what many in our audience dream of: made music his full-time profession.   In this inspiring conversation you’ll gain insight not only in to the business side of Jon’s career, but also in the ways he’s dedicated himself to improving his musicality.   We talk about: • The two key areas of musicality he felt he had to improve, even though he grew up feeling like a very “talented” musician. • How the combination of being a modern-day A&R rep and musician feed other to accelerate his musical and entrepreneurial growth. • How he’s managed the biggest challenge in making music his full-time gig.   Whether you’re serious about making a career in music - or you’re just a casual hobbyist - you’re going to enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how business and musicality can help each other.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 221   Links and Resources • Jon Magnusson • Adam Neely - New Horizons in Music • Passive Income Musician • Music Entrepreneur HQ • Rick Beato - Everything Music • Indepreneur • Udemy • Submit Hub   Have you picked up useful ideas or techniques in your own musical journey so far that you think could inspire or help others on their path of exploring their musicality? Get in touch by dropping an email to hello@musicalitynow.com! We are always looking for new guests for Pathways and would love to share your story next.   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

What if you could learn music so fast, people would assume you’re a genius? Imagine jumping over any learning hurdle, breaking through any plateau, and gaining professional-level instrument skills in a fraction of the time. These things are possible.   One of our most popular recent interviews by far was with Gregg Goodhart of Learn Like A Genius. Gregg specialises in taking all the latest research and understanding of how the human brain can most effectively practice, and actually putting it to practical use, in music lessons and classrooms.   There was so much packed into our conversation with Gregg that we wanted to make this dedicated recap episode to make sure you didn't miss out on any of the major takeaways. You’ll also hear about the free masterclass Gregg will be presenting at Musical U.   Dive in to this episode for insights from a world-leading expert, and how you can to get access to the detailed training to put it all into practice yourself.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 220   Links and Resources • Gregg Goodhart free masterclass on Musical U • Gregg Goodhart 1-to-1 practice coaching sessions • Learn Like A Genius • Musicality Now - How to Learn Like a Genius, with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - About Mindfulness for Musicians • Musicality Now - More Mindful, More Musical, with Susanne Olbrich • Musicality Now - Mind Before Fingers, with Marilyn White Lowe (Music Moves For Piano) • Musicality Now - What Music Practice Really Means, with Jonathan Harnum, PhD (The Practice Of Practice) • Musicality Now - About Deliberate Practice in Music         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We are joined by Ruth Power of Piano Picnic, home of high quality online training courses for pianists. However, this is not our usual kind of interview episode. We’ve invited Ruth to talk about something very specific: lead sheets.   Ruth brings a fun energy and creativity to the teaching process, and her material is always really cool and interesting. When we heard she was releasing a new course called Lovin' Leadsheets we knew had to bring her back on the show!   If you’ve never used lead sheets - or you’re already a lead sheet ninja - you’re going to love the nifty ideas and insights Ruth shares about her new course.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 219   Links and Resources • Lovin' Leadsheets • Piano Picnic • Making Music Learning a Picnic, with Ruth Power • About Playing From a Lead Sheet • Musicality means… Playing from a Lead Sheet         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Dan Hulsman founder of The VGM Academy, the leading website dedicated to composing video game music. Dan helps aspiring composers from around the world hone their composing skills and break into the VGM industry!   The VGM academy is packed full of tutorials, resources, expert interviews, courses and workshops covering all aspects of the industry. Dan teaches everything from composing melodies, to using new technologies, through to marketing and career building.   In this conversation Dan shares: • The one thing more than anything else which is distinctive about video game music, which is still the case now, decades after the first game soundtracks were written. • The reason it can be surprisingly hard to produce an “album” version of a game’s soundtrack these days. • And the clever way his high school choir director tricked him into joining the choir, setting him on the path to a career in teaching music and founding VGM Academy years later.   For some in our audience, the phrase “video game music” will conjure up memories of very simplistic music barely worthy of consideration - while for others it represents a large and serious part of their love of music. Whether you find yourself in one or the other category - or somewhere in between - this conversation will enlighten your musical journey.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 218   Links and Resources • Video Game Music Academy • VGM Academy Quest Logs • Journey Original Soundtrack by Austin Wintory • Prescription for Sleep: Undertale by GENTLE LOVE • Final Fantasy XV Original Soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura • VGM Academy Facebook • VGM Academy on Twitter         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We’ve had an incredible year at Musical U! Since switching from audio-only to video interviews at the beginning of 2019, we’ve had the opportunity to speak with amazing musical experts from all over the world. In this special Rewind episode of MusicalityNow, the Musical U team reflects on some of the episodes from 2019 that had a big impact on our musical lives. We’ve all learned so much and were really excited to share some of our a-ha moments with you! We are so grateful to have the honor of gaining insight from such powerful musical minds - and we don’t want you to miss any of the golden nuggets of information and inspiration packed into the vaults of the Musicality Now catalogue. Dive in to this special Rewind episode and unlock an excitement for musicality to propel you to your musical goals!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 217   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - How to Earn Your Inspiration, with Mark Cawley • Musicality Now - More Mindful, More Musical, with Susanne Olbrich • Musicality Now - Boosting Musical Brainpower, with Josh Turknett (Brainjo) • Musicality Now - How Composers Improve, with Matthew Ellul (School of Composition) • Musicality Now - In Perfect Swinging Harmony, with The Quebe Sisters • Musicality Now - Nature, Nurture, and your Duvet of Music, with Robert Emery • Musicality Now - How to Learn Like a Genius, with Gregg Goodhart • Musicality Now - What Music Practice Really Means, with Jonathan Harnum, PhD (The Practice Of Practice) • Musicality Now - Emotion and Efficiency, with Marc Gelfo       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re excited to share another Pathways story with you! We are joined by Musical U member Sharilynn Horhota. Before her engineering career and three children, Sharilynn was headed towards becoming a professional flute player. Now she has returned to the flute in a surprising way.   Sharilynn has been sharing her journey on her Musical U Progress Journal. The Progress Journal, or PJ, is a system we use inside the Musical U site for members to share their progress, ask questions, and get feedback and support from the Musical U team and Musical U community. Sharilynn has made fantastic use of her PJ so we had some sense of her interesting backstory and all the cool activities she’s been up to - but as you’ll be hearing, Musical U is just one part of all the resources she’s been drawing on and all the ways she’s been stretching herself since returning to flute.   In this conversation we talk about:   • How studying Alexander Technique in Finland let her feel much freer in her playing and opened up her sound • The specific resources and exercises that have helped Sharilynn start to improvise, and in a way that feels like she is truly expressing herself, rather than just improv-by-numbers following chord tones. • And the two clever variants on traditional exercises, scales and long notes, which she now gives her flute students to help them improve faster and enjoy practicing more.   Part of the intention with this Pathways series is to share stories of music learners who are perhaps more relatable than the world-leading experts we’re so fortunate to have the chance to interview here on the show. But we’re not sure Sharilynn quite fits that bill, because as you’ll discover, she is one seriously impressive music learner! You will surely find a lot to relate to in her story - and pick up some handy ideas and pointers that you can apply in your own musical journey.   Have you picked up useful ideas or techniques in your own musical journey so far that you think could inspire or help others on their path of exploring their musicality? Get in touch by dropping an email to hello@musicalitynow.com! We are always looking for new guests for Pathways and would love to share your story next.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 216   Links and Resources • The Complete Guide to The Alexander Technique • Michael Lake - Alto Bone • Aimee Nolte Music • Musicality Now - Explaining the Musical Ear, with Aimee Nolte • Jeffrey Agrell books • Musicality Now - Making Improv a Game, with Jeffrey Agrell • David Reed - Improvise For Real • David Reed - Sing the Numbers • Musicality Now - How to Improvise For Real, with David Reed • Brent Vaartstra - Learn Jazz Standards • Musicality Now - How to Stop Doubting and Start Performing, with Brent Vaartstra • Learn Jazz Faster - How To: 25 Great Ways To Maximize Your Jazz Improvisation Practice • Musicality Now - Boosting Musical Brainpower, with Josh Turknett   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re talking with Dr. Jonathan Harnum, whose PhD research was focused on the topic of music practice. Dr. Harnum studied how a wide variety of musicians think about and execute practice to be able to reach such high levels of ability.   The result of Dr. Harnum’s research is a book called The Practice Of Practice, which we strongly recommend checking out. The Practice of Practice is a highly-readable treasure trove of all the latest ideas, understanding, techniques and insights on what makes for effective music practice and how you can learn better and faster.   From a classical upbringing to an exciting 2-year road-trip of discovering improvisation, Jonathan Harnum’s own musical journey is fascinating!  We were excited to have the chance to speak with him and share some of the ideas from The Practice of Practice to inspire and accelerate your music learning.   If you heard our recent interview with Gregg Goodhart on the topic of practice then you’ll find this is a beautiful counterpoint. Although the broad topic is the same, this is a very different conversation - but similarly packed with insights and nuggets that can pay off for your own music practice.   In this conversation you’ll hear about:   • A simple way to reframe how you think about difficult things which can immediately transform frustration and helplessness into empowered eagerness. • The neurological research which proves that watching live music can be a highly valuable form of practice too. • How “guerilla practice” can help you fit in genuinely effective music practice even amid the busiest of lives.   You’re going to really enjoy Dr. Harnum’s insights on improvising, creativity, broadening the idea of what music practice can be, and some of the very specific actionable ideas he shares along the way.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 215   Links and Resources • The Practice of Practice • Practice Like This by Jonathan Harnum PhD (Free PDF) • Jon Harnum - Author, Teacher, Musician • Dr. Jonathan Harnum - Books on Music Theory and Trumpet • Kenny Werner - Effortless Mastery • The Musician’s Ear - Active Listening Course • Musicality Now - How to Learn Like a Genius, with Gregg Goodhart     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review  

Today we’re joined by one of the leading Gordon-trained music educators and author of Music Moves for Piano, Marilyn White Lowe. Music Moves is an innovative approach to teaching piano, which from the very beginning incorporates all of the “inner skills” we focus on here at Musical U, such as improvising, playing by ear, composing your own music and collaborating with other musicians.   Music Moves uses Dr. Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory, which codifies how the human brain learns music, as the basis for designing how musicianship can most effectively be taught. “Music Learning Theory” has previously been featured on Musicality Now, most notably in our interview with Professor Cynthia Crump-Taggart, President of the Gordon Institute for Music Learning. We’ve discussed several times on past episodes the idea of audiation, which is a word Edwin Gordon originally coined. Audiation has detail and depth that goes far beyond simply “imagining music in your head”. Marilyn brings a wonderful new perspective to audiation for us, as educators applying it directly in the context of teaching an instrument.   Drawing on ideas from Orff, Suzuki, Dalcroze, and Kodály, The Music Moves For Piano method incorporates listening, singing, movement, audiation, and notation, on top of the pure piano technique skills - and as you’ll hear in this conversation it develops the student into a fully-fledged and well-rounded musician - not just a piano player.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Why clapping, tapping or walking may not be the best ways to internalise the pulse and the rhythmic patterns of music. • The specific rhythm and pitch frameworks which give students the "vocabulary" they need to improvise and be creative in music. • Why the age of 9 is a turning point in music learning, and what that means for adult music learners.   A lot of the concepts we talk about here at Musical U are brought to life in this conversation. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like to learn an instrument in a way that truly incorporates musicality training, rather than having it be off in its own separate area, this episode will inspire your music learning.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 214   Links and Resources • Music Moves For Piano • Music Moves Books • Music Moves Videos • The Gordon Institute for Music Learning - Music Learning Theory • Edwin E. Gordon - Learning Sequences in Music • Edwin E. Gordon - How Children Learn When They Learn Music • Gerald Eskelin - Lies My Music Teacher Told Me • Eric Bluestine - The Ways Children Learn Music: An Introduction and Practical Guide to Music Learning Theory • Music Learning Academy • Musicality Now - Audiation and Thinking Music, with Cynthia Crump Taggart • Creative Piano Teachers Podcast - Forrest Kinney on The 4 Arts of Music     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today’s guest, Gregg Goodhart, specializes in taking all the latest research and understanding of how the human brain can most effectively practice, and actually putting it to practical use, in music lessons and classrooms. Through his innovative Practiclass project he’s able to prove by on-the-spot demonstration with real students, just how effective these techniques can be for breaking past longstanding plateaus and reaching new heights of instrumental ability.   Gregg’s YouTube channel and project is called Learn Like A Genius, and with good reason. When you see the virtuoso instrumentalist, the person who seems like a musical genius, and wonder how they got so good, the chances are that they either consciously or unconsciously have been using some of the learning techniques that Gregg shares today.   We talk about: • The two disastrous ways that the idea of “talent” sabotages music learners and can hold you back from reaching your true potential. • Gregg’s simple three-word summary of the powerful idea of “deliberate practice”, and how it can be the key to fast progress. • The counter-intuitive but foolproof way to break past plateaus where you just can’t seem to play a certain passage correctly at full speed.   You’re going to come away from this episode seriously inspired about what could be possible from your music practice in the future - and to make sure you’re able to really follow through on that, we’ve got a couple of fantastic ways for you to dive into using these ideas in a practical way.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 213   Links and Resources • Gregg Goodhart - Learning Coach • What is a Practiclass? Sax, cello, guitar, The Learn Like A Genius Institute • Learn Like A Genius - Piano Practiclass (Full), Houston, TX with Gregg Goodhart • Learning, Competence, and Talent, with Gregg Goodhart • Making things hard on yourself, but in a good way: Creating desirable difficulties to enhance learning • Geoff Colvin - Talent Is Overrated • Effective Practice: Lessons from Neuroscience and Psychology, with Gregg Goodhart • Practical Ways to Play Better Now, Right Now, C’mon, Go Do It! • Why an "A" is not enough         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the honour of talking with one of the top authors of piano books over the last nearly 35 years: Dennis Alexander.   With over 400 publications and recordings on Alfred Music, including Alfred’s flagship piano method Premier Piano Course, Dennis is one of the world’s most prolific and popular composers of educational piano music for students at all levels. In 2015 he was awarded a “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in recognition of his extraordinary service to the music teaching profession.   Mr. Alexander provides a rich learning experience for his students by bringing awareness to the importance of musicality. Often dull topics like music theory and reading notation are brought to life with a creativity and a consciousness of musical expression.   In this conversation we talk about:   • How Dennis’ background in playing by ear and improvising feeds into how he approaches composing. • The main difference between children and adult learners and one great way to make learning more enjoyable and improvisation less intimidating if you’re an adult learner. • And the specific aspects which you should have in mind to bring a rendition from a strictly-correct but unmoving one through to a compelling, musical performance.   Enjoy this glimpse into what makes one of the top piano methods much more than just “playing the right notes at the right time”. Even if you’re not a piano player you don’t want to miss all of the deep musical insight in this interview!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 212   Links and Resources • Dennis Alexander Online • Premier Piano Course • Keys to Stylistic Mastery • Keys to Artistic Performance • Dennis Alexander on Alfred Music • Dennis Alexander Compositions         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In more than 200 episodes, Musicality Now has brought you interviews with the world’s leading experts on musicality as well as teaching segments on crucial topics to your music learning. But while we’ve been inspired by the accomplishments of educators and musicians who seem to “arrived” musically, something very important has been missing.   What is really going on in the day-to-day musical lives of passionate music learners who are still very much on the Pathways to reaching their musical goals?   Well, today we have the first in a new series of episodes in which we’ll be talking with folks just like you, reaching out, inspiring each other, and lending each other a hand in our musical journeys.   Every day inside Musical U we see the power of peer-to-peer learning, and how much we can all gain from being among the right community of music-learners. And so we're going to be inviting the Musicality Now audience as well as our members at Musical U to come on and share their own music-learning journey, and the resources, insights and breakthroughs that have helped them along the way so far.   If you've had a musicality breakthrough - small or large - please get in touch by sending an email to hello@musicalitynow.com - we want to hear your story!   Today we’re joined by Nick Cheetham, a podcast listener who got in touch after our recent "Intimidating - or Inspiring? You Choose" episode to share some of his thoughts on the topic, and he had such interesting things to say we decided to invite him on the show to share his journey so far.   In this conversation you're going to hear about: • What caused Nick to pick up the violin for the first time at age 40 despite worrying he might be "tone deaf" • How Nick's been able to achieve several significant goals over the last 18 months and how that relates to the choice of "intimdating vs. inspiring” • And how after 10 years of learning Nick made some adjustments and was quickly able to get off the page and into playing by ear, improvising, and playing in groups.   We hope you'll enjoy this new kind of episode - let us know what you think, and maybe we can share your story next.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 211   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - Intimidating – or Inspiring? You Choose • Musicality Now - Explaining the Musical Ear, with Aimee Nolte • Musicality Now - How to Improvise For Real, with David Reed • Musicality Now - How to Stop Doubting and Start Performing, with Brent Vaartstra • Coursera - Fundamentals of Music Theory from The University of Ediinburgh • Carol Dweck - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success • Improvise For Real • Creative Strings Academy • The Mind Over Finger Podcast • The Jazz Violin Podcast • River Of Suck • Learn Jazz Standards         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Don Greene, one of the world's leading experts and practitioners of performance psychology. In his 30-year career Dr. Greene has coached more than 1,000 performers, including top-tier symphony musicians and Olympic gold medalists.   Dr. Greene has written eight books, two of which we discuss in this conversation, Performance Success and College Prep for Musicians. He also publishes articles covering all aspects of peak performance psychology for music, sports and all performing disciplines on his website, Winning on Stage.   You may be familiar with some of the ideas in this interview, such as visualisation and positive self-talk. However, If you’re like most music learners, you've probably come across these ideas in vague blog posts or conversation. You're going to find it hugely valuable to hear from a performance psychologist who's worked with world-class performers across several disciplines for many years.   We talk about:   • Why trying to feel relaxed is not actually the route to reliable performance under pressure • The five areas you can assess yourself on, to know how best to improve your own performance abilities. • The importance of a so-called "pre-shot routine" that can help you perform at your best even when your heart is pounding   This conversation is going to equip you with some valuable new insights and strategies to apply in your musical life and open your eyes to what might be possible for you!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 210   Links and Resources • Winning On Stage • Winning On Stage Articles • Dr. Don Greene’s Books • Performance Mastery Assessment • Centering Training         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re talking with Caroline Whiddon, the co-founder of Me2/Orchestra, the world's only classical music organisation created for those with mental illnesses and the people who support them.   The mission of Me2/Orchestra is to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness, including addiction, through supportive classical music ensembles and inspiring performances.   As a society we are only just beginning to figure out how to talk sensibly and openly about mental illness. In this interview we wanted to be respectful and tactful while also addressing head-on some of the stigma that Me2/Orchestra is trying to mitigate, such as the assumptions people have about how an orchestra of people with mental illness can actually function.   We talk about:   • Caroline's own story of music and mental health and how it led to her meeting the co-founder of Me2/, Ronald Braunstein. • How after studying with the likes of Karajan and Bernstein, Ronald was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and encountered the stigma and discrimination which ultimately inspired the Me2/ project. • And the specific ways Me2/ benefits its players and enlightens audiences - not in any kind of preachy way but simply by virtue of its existence and musical excellence.   One thing to clarify before we dive in - you might associate the phrase "Me Too" with the recent #MeToo movement about sexual assault but Me2/Orchestra was founded in 2011 and there's no connection between the two. The name came from Ronald's experience sharing his mental health diagnosis with other musicians and being surprised to hear them say "me too".   Mental health is something we should talk more openly and honestly about. We are glad to have the opportunity to showcase this wonderful project. Whether this topic is of interest to you or not, there is a ton of insight packed into this conversation and we can all learn a lot from how Me2/ approaches running an orchestra.         Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 209   Links and Resources • Me2/Orchestra Online • Orchestrating Change - Documentary Film about Me2/Orchestra • NY Times Article - Fighting the Stigma of Mental Illness Through Music • Al Jazeera news report on Me2/Orchestra       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re speaking with Joseph Alexander, the man behind Fundamental Changes, the leading publisher of guitar books on Amazon with over 100 titles in their catalogue and over 150,000 copies sold last year.   Joseph's own backstory is a really interesting one and reveals some great insights about learning effectively in the modern era, whether self-taught or with a teacher. Fundamental Changes has been leveraging the dramatically changing landscape in the world of book publishing to provide exciting new opportunities for students - and potential authors!   In this conversation we talk about:   • The three factors that helped Joseph go from struggling in learning music to really enjoying and improving consistently. • The specific advantages a modern indie publisher has over traditional book publishers and how that helps authors and students alike. • What their publishing process looks like when they work with a musician or music educator who has something interesting to say - and how different that is from the status quo in the publishing industry.   If you’ve ever wondered how a music book comes to be, or whether learning from a print book or ebook can really match up against in-person lessons or YouTube videos - you won’t want to miss this one.   Fundamental Changes are currently seeking new authors - if you're a musician or music educator with something interesting to share, be sure to get in touch via the contact form on the Fundamental Changes website!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 208   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - Welcome to the Musicality Podcast! • Fundamental Changes • Musicality Now - From Mechanics to Organics, with Bradley Sowash • Musicality Now - Nature, Nurture, and your Duvet of Music, with Robert Emery • Musicality Now - A Simple Tip for Indecision and Analysis-Paralysis       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

For this episode of Musicality Now, we turned the tables on our usual format. Adam Liette, Musical U Operations Manager is taking over for our normal host, Christopher Sutton – and Christopher is our guest!   Adam sat down with Christopher and asked him two important questions:   1. One that many musicians think they know the answer to: “What is ear training?” 2. And one that is a sticking point for most music learners: “Why isn’t ear training working?”   If you’re watching or listening to this show, you know the benefits of a great musical ear. But how do you get there? If you, like many others, find ear training hard or frustrating, you won’t want to miss this conversation.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 207   Links and Resources • Ear Training For Beginners • Musicality Now - About the Ear Training Trap • Musicality Now - About Perfect Pitch • Musicality Now - What Is Musicality? (Revisited) • Tim Topham’s Creative Piano Teaching Podcast - Forrest Kinney On The 4 Arts Of Music       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we are welcoming back Dave Isaacs, “The Nashville Guitar Guru”! We interviewed Dave on episode 60 of the show, where we talked about his own musical journey from aspiring classical guitarist to learning improv, switching to playing popular styles including country rock, teaching. He shared his major lessons learned as a musician and music teacher, which he shares at Nashville Guitar Guru.   Dave is the author of the brand new book, The Perpetual Beginner, A Musician’s Path to Lifelong Learning.  It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read that will be relevant and impactful to anybody who enjoys Musicality Now.     We are excited to have Dave Isaacs back on the show to share some of the powerful ideas and stories from “The Perpetual Beginner”.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Why so many music learners find themselves stuck in the "beginner" phase, even after months, years or even decades of learning. • The painful experience that opened Dave's eyes to the downside of respecting tradition and having reverence for doing things in the most technically correct way. • Why some teachers discourage students from returning to earlier, easier material - but the two important reasons you should be doing this regularly.   Plus: we’re so keen to get this book into as many music learners’ hands as possible, we’re giving away five copies, shipped to your door, absolutely free! Listen for the details in the episode.   If you’ve ever found your enthusiasm and motivation waning, or you’ve been frustrated not to reach a higher level faster, or you’ve felt torn between doing things “the right way” and doing things “your way” - you’re going to love how this episode helps you.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 206   Links and Resources • Nashville Guitar Guru • Dave Isaacs - The Perpetual Beginner • Musicality Now - Follow Your Ear, with Dave Isaacs           Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re talking with Nick Bottini, a career and performance coach who has worked with high performers from around the world including child prodigies, competition winners, rock stars, entrepreneurs, international sportspeople and elite music college students. Nick is the author of Just Play: The Simple Truth Behind Musical Excellence, a best-selling book which challenges the current thinking on performance psychology and offers a fundamentally different way of thinking about the experience of learning music and how to achieve our full potential.   Nick’s teaching is deep. Depending on your background it may seem very odd, or it may be exactly what you’ve been desperate to hear someone put clearly into words.   His successful techniques are rooted in long-standing spiritual traditions yet there’s no dogma or belief system required to benefit from these ideas. Nick brings it all home to roost with practical ways to shift your mindset and successfully achieve the musical levels you desire.   As well as some deep and profound ideas, we also make sure to cover the very practical implications of it all in the context of learning music.   For example we talk about:   • Why most musicians never feel fully settled or at home in their musical lives or identity as a musician, and how that relates to performance anxiety and impostor syndrome. • The “elephant in the room” when it comes to modern performance psychology - and what the alternative is. • Two unorthodox but effective ways to flip how you approach music practice - and, unlike some of what you may have heard on this show in the past, this is not about “enjoying practice more”   The lessons in this episode can positively affect not just your musicality and musical potential, but your life and potential in general. That’s why we’re so excited to share this with you! Enjoy.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 205   Links and Resources • Nick Bottini Online • Nick Bottini - “Just Play: The Simple Truth Behind Musical Excellence” • Musicality Now - How to Stop Doubting and Start Performing, with Brent Vaartstra • Musicality Now - More Mindful, More Musical, with Susanne Olbrich       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Robert Emery, a concert-pianist turned conductor and Musical Director. He’s worked at venues from London's Royal Albert Hall to the Sydney Opera House and with some of the top names in the world of music such as the UK’s best-selling classical artist Russell Watson and Stewart Copeland, drummer from The Police. He’s also the host of Backstage with Robert Emery, a new podcast featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with star musicians and top-level performers.   If you’re a member of Musical U or familiar with this show then you’ll know we have a pretty firm stance on the idea of musical “talent” and its implications for the adult music learner. We’re always excited when we have the chance to interview someone who’s considered “talented” or “gifted” and see what we can learn from their backstory and their own attitude to music learning.   On paper, Robert’s a classic case of the child prodigy, a talented musician who saw great success at an incredible pace as both a pianist and then a conductor. And I wouldn’t for a second detract from that or question his amazing abiltiies. But as you’ll be hearing, there is some interesting subtlety to the story. And as Robert would be the first to tell you, all of his accomplishments and the praise he receives - it has been earned through hard work, not just an effortless “gift”.   He’s also a very experienced music teacher and so has some very helpful insights and advice for the adult music learner in particular.   We talk about:   • How to choose the right instrument - and how to know whether you have or not.   • The particular challenges of learning music as an adult and how to overcome them - the pep talk he used to give his new adult students on day one that proved to be worth its weight in gold for them.   • Robert’s views on talent, nature versus nurture, and what that means for the average adult music learner.   It comes across clearly in his own podcast that Robert is a lovely guy with wisdom aplenty to share and so I knew this conversation would be a fascinating one. Enjoy.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 204   Links and Resources • Robert Emery Online • Backstage With Robert Emery • How To Choose A Musical Instrument • Asana Management Tool • The 12 Week Year         Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We’re joined by Hulda, Grace and Sophia, The Quebe Sisters, a progressive western swing band that have been blowing people away and winning fiddle contests from an early age - and have been growing a large and devoted fanbase ever since. They have been featured in Musical U tutorials on harmonic ear training because of their unique style of three-voice fiddle playing as well as vocal harmony.   In a past interview solo pianist Michele McLaughlin talked about how she and her sister refer to really touching music as music that “makes your heart hurt”.  The Quebe Sisters song, “Georgia On My Mind” is a great example of music that makes the heart hurt, while simultaneously making the ears cheer with delight. You’ll hear more about this in the interview, but just know if you’re looking for music that’s a rich and beautiful environment to explore with your ears, there are few better choices than The Quebe Sisters.   We were excited to dig into the backstory of their musicality and the sisters were honest, open and generous with what they shared.   In this conversation we talk about: • The challenges of starting to sing together after years of only playing fiddle - and the one practice habit that was painful - but hugely effective for helping them improve. • How exactly they each think about writing and arranging harmony parts and the relationship between ear skills and theory. • What the “progressive” in “progressive western swing” means and how they’ve been developing their sound for the new record.   We hope you’ll enjoy this peek behind the scenes and into the minds of The Quebe Sisters.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 203   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - Welcome to the Musicality Podcast! • The Quebe Sister Online • The Quebe Sisters - “The Quebe Sisters” on Amazon • The Quebe Sisters - “The Quebe Sisters” on Spotify • The Quebe Sisters - “The Quebe Sisters” on iTunes • The Quebe Sisters - “My Love, My Life, My Friend” • The Quebe Sisters - “Pierce the Blue” • The Quebe Sisters - “Georgia On My Mind” • Musicality Now - 100% Emotion, with Michele McLaughlin • A Cappella for Ear Training: How • Seth Riggs - “Singing For The Stars” • Rosanna Eckert - “Singing with Expression: A Guide to Authentic & Adventurous Song Interpretation” • Ray Price - “Night Life”       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we have the pleasure of interviewing one of our favourite people in the world of music education, Jeffrey Agrell. He has pioneered a game-based approach to learning improvisation and written 9 books on the topic, including “Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians” which by itself features over 500 games you can use to learn to improvise in an easy and enjoyable way.   Jeffrey was a professional French horn player, to the level of becoming a college professor in horn at the University of Iowa in 2000 - before realising that his heart just wasn’t in it for years and decades of repeating the same classical music repertoire and performances. That led to his exploring and developing ways for classical music players to begin improvising, not by switching their attention to jazz, but in ways that were fully compatible with their classical music perspective but set them free of the sheet music.    When we interviewed Jeffrey for EasyEarTraining.com back in 2016, we called the post “Game Your Way To Impressive Improvising” - because we wanted to make the point that a game-based approach to learning to improvise is not just a frivolous way to have fun but a highly effective way to learn to improvise. Improvising is not a distraction or diversion from becoming a great musician, but in fact could be a critical and generally-missing part of it.   Jeffrey is a master of metaphors and analogies and this conversation is packed with taxi drivers, fish on bicycles, talking babies, brontosaurus anatomy, 10,000 eggs and more. He paints vivid pictures of the limitations and problems with traditional classical music training and what learning to improvise can look like.   He shares:   • A simple idea and range of examples of how you can transform practicing scales into something enjoyable, creative, and ultimately even more effective for improving your technique. • Exactly how much theory knowledge, instrument technique and aural skills are required to improvise music. • How and why to learn improv with a musical friend, even if neither of you have any knowledge or experience of improvisation before starting.   Whatever your relationship with improvising, whether non-existent or highly developed, you’re going to discover some fresh inspiration and guidance in this episode for how to more fully express the musician you have inside through the art of improvisation.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 202   Links and Resources • Jeffrey Agrell - Educator, Performer, Composer, Author • Jeffrey Agrell - Improvisation Games For Classical Musicians • Musicality Now - Game Your Way to Impressive Improvising • Classical Improv Jam       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you heard of the Circle Of Fifths? If you're like most musicians you have heard of it, you've probably read about it, you maybe understand it, you haven't yet memorised it and you only know one thing it's useful for. The result: you're not actually using it anywhere in your musical life.    The Circle Of Fifths is simply the 12 notes of Western music arranged in a certain order around a circle: C G D, A E B, F♯ C♯ G♯, D♯ A♯ and F - and of course those sharps can be named with flats too.   Write those notes in that order around a circle in 12 positions like a clock - and you have the circle. Simple as that.   So why all the fuss?   In this episode Christopher, Andrew, and Anastasia from the MU team get together for an informal and unscripted chat about why most musicians have been missing out on the full power, beauty and potential of the circle in their musical lives - and what you can do about it.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 201     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

What does “Musicality” mean? Naturally we have our own ideas here at Musical U but a recent survey revealed that maybe we’ve actually missed the mark a bit…   In this episode we share exactly what “musicality” means to our Musical U members - and what it could mean for you.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 200   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - Welcome to the Musicality Podcast! • Musicality Now - Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Musicality Now - Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two • Musicality Now - A Mindset for Musicality, with Natalie Weber • Musicality Now - Discover Your Own Musical Creativity, with Forrest Kinney • Musicality Now - The Musicality of Sitting on a Rock, with Andrew Bishko • Musicality Now - About You Being Musical Inside Already • Musicality Now - The Musicality of the Beatles • Musicality Now - More Mindful, More Musical, with Susanne Olbrich       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

When we think of music learning, we often think of the really hard work that goes into learning any instrument. Or that our goals are a long way off and will take years of dedication just to get there - But, what if we took the approach that the simple process of learning music is fun and filled with enjoyment?   In this special rewind episode of Musicality Now the Musical U team discusses Ease and Joy in Music Learning.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 199   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - Ease and Joy in Music Learning • Musicality Now - Tell Your Own Story, with David Wallimann • Musicality Now - Practice, Performance, and Powerful Levers, with Josh Wright • Musicality Now - Folk, Frameworks, and Fun, with David Row • Musicality Now - Creativity, Composing, and Confidence, with Sabrina Peña Young • Musicality Now - Note2Self: “I Love This!”, with Lisa McCormick • Musicality Now - 100% Emotion, with Michele McLaughlin • Musicality Now - Rewind: Singing • Musicality Now - Rewind: A Mindset for Music Theory • Musicality Now - Rewind: Practicing       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today We’re speaking with Matthew Ellul, the man behind School Of Composition, an online resource for anyone who wants to learn to compose music, offering free tutorials as well as eBooks and personal tutoring for aspiring composers.   Composing and song writing are often the end goals which inspire people to join our membership here at Musical U and so we’re very conscious of the things which tend to hold people back from really pursuing or succeeding with writing their own music, and we’re always eager to talk with those who specialise in teaching these skills.   Like music theory, composing is often taught in a dry, abstract rule-based way which sucks all the musicality out of it. On his site, School of Composition, Matthew tackles both topics in a way that helps nurture creativity - rather than stifle it.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Two simple insights which helped Matthew stop comparing himself to others in an unconstructive way • The music theory topic which was a big "aha" moment for him and helped stop his own compositions from meandering aimlessly • How singing, playing an instrument, playing more than one instrument, and mastering notation software can all contribute in different ways to becoming a better composer   We also talk about the big thing which holds us back from sharing our own musical creations - and Matthew recommends one effective way to fix that.   We often encourage people to try composing or song writing even if they don't expect to pursue it in a serious way - because just like improvising, composing can be a terrific vehicle for applying your inner musicality and exploring what you're capable of in music.   Whether you're currently excited by the word "composing" or not, you'll enjoy this conversation with Matthew - because there are a ton of valuable ideas and insights here for any musician.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 198   Links and Resources • School Of Composition • School Of Composition - How to Get Better at Music Composition (15 Do’s and 5 Don’ts) • School Of Composition - Cadences in Music: Beyond the Harmonic Formulas • Musicality Now - About Singing as a Tool • Musicality Now - The Instrument Inside You, with Ben Parry • Musicality Now - About Playing Like Singing • Musicality Now - Find and Make Peace with Your Voice, with Nikki Loney • Musicality Now - Learning to Sing in Tune, with George Bevan • Musicality Now - How to Sing Smarter, with Meghan Nixon • Musicality Now - Singing that Sounds Good – and Beyond, with Davin Youngs • Musicality Now - All Things Vocal, with Judy Rodman • Musicality Now - Rewind: Singing • Musicality Now - Intimidating – or Inspiring? You Choose       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

When you see an incredible musician - are you inspired? Or are you intimidated?   Believe it or not, this reaction is not something that happens to you - it’s something entirely within your control, and flipping from one to the other can have a massive positive effect on your musical life.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 197   Links and Resources • The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Do You Have An “Inner Natural Musician”? Here’s How To Know   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you been losing your enthusiasm for learning music? Or perhaps you’re loving it - but don’t seem to be making much progress.   Believe it or not, both of these can stem from the same root problem. And it turns out the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci has the solution for you...   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 196   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - A Mindset for Musicality, with Natalie Weber • Musicality Now - About You Being Musical Inside Already • Musicality Now - About the Importance of Joy and Pleasure • Musicality Now - Can't Improvise? There's just one thing holding you back • Musicality Now - How to Improve AND Enjoy Your Musical Life   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today’s interview is among the most fascinating we’ve had on the show to date. We’re joined by Dr. Josh Turknett, the neurologist, best-selling author and musician behind “Brainjo” - a music-learning methodology which originated on banjo but applies across all instruments, and which is designed to leverage modern scientific insights on how the brain actually learns.   At the Brainjo Center for Neurology & Cognitive Enhancement Josh tackles the question “Is it possible to take any ordinary adult brain and turn it into the brain of a musician?” - and finds strong evidence that the answer is a resounding “Yes!”   He is also the host of the terrific Intelligence Unshackled Podcast, which focuses on how to optimise the health and function of the brain, including its capacity to learn and change itself.   If you’ve ever wondered how exactly the brain learns new things, or whether your music-learning process is really dialed in to help you learn as quickly and enjoyably as possible - you are going to absolutely love this one.   In this conversation Josh shares: • A completely new way to think about how you’re spending your music practice time • An explanation of how to use visualisation to help you improve faster - and when exactly to do that visualisation. • The “labyrinth technique” to focus your practice time on what will deliver the biggest impact.   We also talk about how playing by ear on banjo is - and isn’t - different from other instruments, how playing complex music by ear actually works, how the adult brain compares to the child’s brain for learning - and a whole lot more.   You will come away with several new ideas that change how you think about your music learning.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 195   Links and Resources • The Immutable Laws of Brainjo • The Immutable Laws of Brainjo - Why Anyone Can (and should!) Learn To Play By Ear • The Immutable Laws of Brainjo - The Secret To Staying Motivated • The Immutable Laws of Brainjo - The Advantages of Having an Adult Brain • The Immutable Laws of Brainjo - The Most Important Skill You Probably Never Practice • Intelligence Unshackled Podcast • Intelligence Unshackled - Why You Should Embrace Your Ineptitude • David Epstein - “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World”   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever struggled to make a decision in your musical life?   You don’t want to miss this tip from a kid named James - it might just save you from indecision and “analysis paralysis” forever more…     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 194   Links and Resources • Summer Of Transformation Promotion       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We are very excited to have Susanne Olbrich on the show! Trained by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, Susanne is a specialist in mindfulness for musicians. She is a musician herself and committed to exploring the benefits of mindfulness for musicians.   In this conversation we talk about Susanne’s own story and about mindfulness for musicians. But we go deeper than just the surface level you might be expecting…   We talk about: • How mindfulness helped her and how it can help you • How to relate to the spiritual perspective on mindfulness if it doesn’t resonate with you - especially if you’re more scientifically minded • An important note about who should take care in exploring mindfulness • Deep listening and how it relates to mindfulness and the “active listening” we’ve talked about on this show before.   Susanne also leads us through a “mindful moment” to give you a “taster” experience of what mindfulness is all about.   We hope we can tempt her back to provide some training for MU members in future.   As you’ll hear her say, it’s not a magic bullet cure-all as some in the media like to portray it as - but it certainly can be a musical superpower and one well worth adding to your own musical identity.   Whether you’ve never heard of mindfulness, you’ve heard of it and thought it’s not for you, you’ve been curious but never tried it, or you’re already practicing mindfulness and enjoying the benefits in your musical life, we hope you’ll enjoy this conversation and get a ton out of it.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 193   Links and Resources • Susanne Olbrich - Pianist, Music Teacher, Mindfulness Facilitator • Free 10 minute guided mindfulness meditation • Susanne Olbrich music, including Marama Trio • Plum Village • The Difference Between Hearing and Listening: Deep Listening with Composer Pauline Oliveros • Jack Kornfield - “Meditation for Beginners” • Musicality Now - “About Mindfulness for Musicians” • Musicality Now - “Note2Self: “I Love This!”, with Lisa McCormick” • “Ending the Vicious Circle of Negative Habits” - Dharma Talk by Thich Nhat Hanh       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Bradley Sowash, an educator specialising in creativity and improvisation who we’ve long admired in the world of online music education.   Bradley is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, recording artist and educator. He's the author of That's Jazz, a nine-volume jazz piano method and is also known for his live online group jazz piano classes. He runs 88 Creative Keys along with Leila Viss, who's a past guest on this show. They host webinars and workshops helping music teachers bring more creativity into their lessons.   In this interview we talk about, • The one piece of advice from a restaurant pianist that changed Bradley’s trajectory from a sheet-music reader to a primarily by-ear player • How the piano can be seen as an orchestra with four distinct layers • How customising a melody can be an easy first step in improvisation, and 3 specific embellishments you can try right now on any melody you know how to play   You’re going to love hearing about Bradley’s own musical journey and how that’s all fed into the educator he is today, as well as the examples and demonstrations he provides along the way to illustrate what it means to bring creativity and musicality to your playing.   This is Musicality Now, from Musical U.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 192   Links and Resources • Bradley Sowash Music • Bradley Sowash - “That's Jazz” • Musicality Now - Getting Under the Hood, with Leila Viss • 88 Creative Keys   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Music theory is one of the most mystifying and confusing topics for many musicians. But, does it have to be this way?   Today, we’ll be discussing music theory and some mindset shifts you can take to open up the world of theory to your mind and ears. And make it a more accessible and enjoyable experience.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 191   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - Why and How to Learn Theory, with Matthew Scott Phillips and Jeremy Burns • Musicality Now - How to Improvise For Real, with David Reed • Musicality Now - Fundamentals Over Flash, with John Hatcher • Richard Wagner - "Tristan und Isolde", Prelude     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we’re talking with Michele McLaughlin, a contemporary solo pianist who has recorded 18 albums - roughly one each year since starting to release her music in the year 2000. She is one of the most popular solo pianists on Spotify and was recently interviewed in Rolling Stone magazine.   Her music may sometimes get classified as “new age”. However, as you’ll hear in this conversation, that’s a misleading label that doesn’t do justice to the emotional variety and powerful storytelling of her music.   It was fascinating to hear about her improvisational approach to composing and there are lots of ideas here for anyone interested in being more creative or expressive in their playing.   We talk about:   • The concert she attended at eight years old that inspired her to start creating her own music • Her “100% emotion” approach to improvising and the process that takes her from improvising to a finished piece on an album • How she thinks about learning and improving her skills year by year   You’ll love hearing Michele describe her music but you must go listen to it too! We’ll have links in the shownotes, including for her latest album, Memoirs, or you can find it at michelemclaughlin.com.   This is one of those interviews that will have you itching to run off and spend some quality time with your instrument exploring new possibilities - enjoy!       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 190   Links and Resources • Michele McLaughlin Online • Michele McLaughlin - “Memoirs” • Michele McLaughlin YouTube • Michele McLaughlin Spotify • George Winston Spotify • Chad Lawson Spotify • Ludovico Einaudi Spotify • Jim Brickman Spotify • Louis Landon Spotify   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Everything’s going great, the music’s flowing through you, the audience is enthralled, and then argh! - You play a wrong note!   What do you do in that moment? How do you handle the mistake with grace and recover in the best possible way?   In this episode we share two mindset tips and two practical tips for that, both in a performance situation - and in the bigger picture of your overall musical life.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 189   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - About Recovering From Mistakes • Musicality Now - Is Aiming For Perfect Actually Holding You Back? • Musicality Now - Making Music with Ease, with Gerald Klickstein • Gerald Klickstein - "The Musician's Way" • Cheat Sheet - How To Handle Musical Mistakes With Grace   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we have the pleasure of talking with Michael Compitello, a celebrated percussionist, composer and educator. It was Michael’s innovative projects “New Morse Code” and “Unsnared Drum” which first caught our attention - but as we learned more about him we realised the biggest opportunity to help you guys with this conversation was actually to pick his brains on music learning and practicing music.   This episode is packed with ideas. Some you may have come across before, including in past episodes of this show. But I suspect some will be new to you and you're going to love how Michael brings it all together into a really coherent picture of what these various tools and mindset shifts can do for your music learning.   For example, we talk about:   • The value of taking a "growth mindset" to music learning • Tools that can help you handle negative self-talk when it arises • How a habit of reflection can help you past sticking points, improve your practice efficiency and accelerate your progress   That's just a taste - we also discuss learning online and being your own teacher, mindfulness and bringing awareness to your practice, setting and reaching goals, and we ask Michael about the concepts behind the percussion-cello duo “New Morse Code” and the ground-breaking solo snare drum project “Unsnared Drum”.   As always, please listen with the question of “How could this apply in my own musical life?” - and we guarantee you’re going to find some really high-impact ideas in here.   This is Musicality Now, from Musical U.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 188   Links and Resources • Michael Compitello’s Website • “Unsnared Drum” • “New Morse Code” • Matt Sharrock - Marimbist/Percussionist • Carol S. Dweck - “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” • Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool - “Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise” • Todd Meehan - Liquidrum • Musicality Now - Music Learning at Warp Speed, with Jason Haaheim • Musicality Now - The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Musicality Now - Letting the Music Play You, with Paul Wertico • Musicality Now - About Deliberate Practice in Music • Musicality Now - About Mindfulness for Musicians     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Aiming for perfection is admirable - perfection is wonderful! But is music ever really perfect?   Is it possible that aiming for perfect is actually holding you back from your true potential as a musician?   In this episode we’re going to explain the two meanings of the word “perfect” - and why focusing on playing the “right notes” might actually be a mistake. Stay tuned!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 187   Links and Resources • Musicality Now - How to Earn Your Inspiration, with Mark Cawley • Musicality Now - Song Writing: Start and Succeed, with Alex Forbes • Musicality Now - Writing Songs the Beatles Way, with Matt Blick   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we have the honour and the pleasure of sitting down with Paul Wertico. If you’re at all familiar with the all-time great drummers of the world or you’re a jazz fan then you’ll know his name and his work.   Paul is a 7-time Grammy Award winner, perhaps best known for his almost 20 years playing with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny where his distinctive “flat ride” cymbal style became a defining part of some of the group’s best known recordings.   Paul is an innovative musician and a devoted educator, including his role as Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and as author of a new book entitled “Turn the Beat Around”.   As you’ll hear us say in this interview, Paul is a man frequently associated with the very word “musicality” and so it was such a delight to get to speak with him and unpack what exactly it means for a drummer to be “musical” and exhibit “musicality”.   We talk about: • How Paul learned the drums and the influential music educator who helped encourage him in developing his own unique identity as a musician. • What it means to “turn the beat around” and how playing what he calls “front beats” can bring a unique flair to a piece of music. • And how it’s possible for his group Wertico Cain and Gray to perform 100% improvised compositions together with no prior discussion, ranging from 30 seconds to several minutes long which have a coherence and structure that mean the listener would never guess they were improvised.   We also talk about practicing with a metronome versus a backing track, what role the drummer plays in different genres and situations, and how he ended up ditching the drums to just play cymbals on a tango record in Italy.   This was a blast and there’s a ton of insights and wisdom here for drummers and musicians of all stripes.   This is Musicality Now, from Musical U.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 186   Links and Resources • Paul Wertico Online • Paul Wertico - “Turn the Beat Around: A Drummer's Guide to Playing "Backbeats" on 1 & 3” • Cream - “Sunshine Of Your Love” • Derek And The Dominos - “Bell Bottom Blues” • Chicago - “Woman Don't Want To Love Me” • If - “Forgotten Roads” • The Emotions- “A Long Way To Go”   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Imagine a new musical future, where you can approach your music with ease and joy.   What you’re about to hear is the third of three live sessions we did this week talking all about ease and joy. And how having more ease and joy in your music learning can be the fastest route to results.   Hopefully you’ve already heard parts one and two, or you were with us live. If not go back and listen. And if you’re all up to date enjoy part 3.   Oh, and you’ll hear us mention a special link we were putting in the Facebook comments for people attending live. As a podcast listener, you can find that link in the shownotes for this episode in your podcast player. Or visit musicalitynow.com and check out the shownotes there.    Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 185   Links and Resources • Foundations of a Musical Mind Special Offer • Ease and Joy in Music Learning • What’s Going On In Your Head? • About Choosing An Online Music Course • About Succeeding With Online Courses • Pillars of Autumn - "Grandeur and Virtue, Pt. II: Regret" (May Contain Explicit Lyrics)   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Is there a big mental barrier that might be holding you back from ease and joy in learning music?   What you're about to hear in this episode is the recording of a Facebook live session we did this week. We explained a bit more in yesterday's episode of the podcast. If you didn't hear that one yet, we do recommend listening to that one first, and we're talking all about ease and joy in music learning.   So without further ado, please enjoy the recording of the second live session from this week. It is informal. It is unscripted. We’re just hanging out and talking about this topic with some Musical U members, with Foundation students, with our email audience, and with you, the podcast listener. Enjoy.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 184   Links and Resources • Foundations Of A Musical Mind • Musicality Now - Ease and Joy in Music Learning • Free cheat sheet on enjoying practice • Musicality Now - The Roots of Greatness, with Scott Devine   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today, we've got something a bit different for you. Now, hopefully you are on our email list so you already know all about this, but in case not, this week to mark reopening the Foundations of a Musical Mind course, we are hosting three live sessions on Facebook talking about ease and joy in music learning. So how to make your music learning easier, how to make it more joyful and particularly how that's actually the route to better results. It's not just a cop out. It's not just fun for the sake of it. This is actually the way to get the best results in music.   That's what we're talking about this week and what you're going to be hearing in a minute is the recording of the first of these three sessions. Now, if you're listening to this episode as it comes out, you can join us for parts two and three. I would love to see you there. You'll find all the details in the show notes for this episode at musicalitynow.com or head to facebook.com/musicalu and you'll find them there.   A couple of things to mention about the recording of part one that you're about to hear. The first is that this was taken from the live stream, so unfortunately the audio is not quite as high quality as you're hopefully used to on this show, but it's still utterly listenable, we hope. And the second thing to mention is this is a bit long. It's quite different in style to what you're probably used to on this show. This is not a punchy 10-minute summary of the topic. This is me hanging out live for an hour with a bunch of MusicalU members and foundations course students and people from our email list talking about this topic of ease and joy, finding ways to relate it to your musical life and setting you up for transforming your experience of learning music with more ease and joy. So I hope you'll enjoy it, this very different kind of an episode. And if you're listening to this as it comes out, please do join us for parts two and three this week. We’d love to see you there.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 183   Links and Resources • Foundations Of A Musical Mind • Musicality Now - Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One w/Brent Vaarstra • Free cheat sheet on enjoying practice • Musicality Now - Hey! Where Are You Going? • Musical U on Facebook   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you wondered if you have an instinct for music, or worried that you don’t?   What if all the seemingly-natural skills of music like playing by ear, improvising, singing in tune, collaborating with others - could be yours.   Not by learning them but by simply connecting with a natural musician that’s already inside you?   In this episode we explain how you can know whether you have an “inner natural” and how to tap into it to unlock these skills for yourself. Stay tuned!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 182   Links and Resources • Foundations Of A Musical Mind   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined on the show by Mark Cawley, a hit U.S. songwriter whose songs have been hits for artists like Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Diana Ross and even The Spice Girls.   With over 16 million records to his name, Mark now provides online coaching to songwriters at all stages through his website iDoCoach.com, and has recently released a book, Song Journey, which is a treasure trove of advice and techniques for writing and selling songs, with a liberal sprinkling of personal anecdotes and Mark's own career lessons along the way.   If you've been listening to or watching this show for a while then you'll know we are big believers that valuable learning often comes in indirect ways - and whenever we have a guest who plays a certain instrument or specialises in a particular kind of musicality, we like to encourage you to stay tuned even if it doesn't seem on face value to apply to you.   This conversation was equal parts entertaining and enlightening and so we know you're going to enjoy it, and learn some valuable new ideas for your own musical life.   We talk about: • How playing alongside Fleetwood Mac brought Mark clarity on what kind of career in music he wanted. • The four-stage framework which lets you quiet your inner editor and avoid writer’s block. • And how writing a song for Tina Turner did not result in her recording it - and what he did later on that did actually lead to a Tina Turner hit...   This is Musicality Now, from Musical U.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 181   Links and Resources • i Do Coach • Mark Cawley - “Song Journey” • Scott Barry Kaufman The 4 Stages of Creativity   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Do you want to become a more confident and capable singer? The Musical U team rewinds to past guest experts as we explore singing. Today on Musicality Now.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 180   Links and Resources • What Your Voice Can Do, with Jeremy Fisher • All Things Vocal, with Judy Rodman • Christian D. Larson - “Promise Yourself” • Rewind: Practicing • The Story of the “Fifth Beatle”, with Kenneth Womack • Find and Make Peace with Your Voice, with Nikki Loney • Singing that Sounds Good – and Beyond, with Davin Youngs     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we’re joined by Sarah Jeffery, host of “Team Recorder”, the top YouTube channel for recorder players, with over 40,000 subscribers.   Sarah creates wonderful tutorial videos there and although her target viewer is the adult recorder player, so much of what she teaches is rich in musicality and relevant across instruments that we were really eager to invite her onto the show.   Sarah studied recorder at a university level for 9 years, in the United Kingdom and in Amsterdam, among the world’s top players and teachers, and she started Team Recorder with the mission of making that wealth of knowledge she’d had the privilege to learn be accessible to anyone in the world who wants to know more about recorder.   If you have had this idea that the recorder is quite a simple instrument used mostly in children’s music education, then Sarah’s channel will blow your mind, and this conversation is going to show you just how fascinating and versatile an instrument it can be.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The big difference it makes to play music by heart rather than from sheet music - and how to make that memorisation process easier. • How it's possible to sing and play recorder at the same time - and why you might want to do that… • And as well as her YouTube work, Sarah is a professional performer and recording artist, and we discuss her recent recorder-centered album, Constellations, and how contemporary recorder music can be more accessible as a listener than you might expect.   We hope that after today’s episode you’re going to be going out and telling all your musician friends about these cool ideas you picked up from a professional recorder player… or that you might even be tempted to pick up a recorder yourself!   This is Musicality Now, from Musical U.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 179   Links and Resources • Sarah Jeffery Website • Team Recorder YouTube • Sarah Jeffery - “Constellations” • Tone Deaf Test   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you found yourself losing enthusiasm for music practice? It might sound surprising, but whatever instrument you play, it’s possible that the musical role played by *bassists* actually gives them a unique insight into how to keep practice interesting and effective...   In this episode I’m going to share three big lessons from three of the world’s top bass educators. Stay tuned!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 178   Links and Resources • Scott’s Bass Lessons • The Roots of Greatness, with Scott Devine • Adam Neely on YouTube • The Power of Curiosity, with Adam Neely • Steve Lawson’s Website • About Interleaved Practice • Forget Being Realistic – Do This Instead • Hey! Where are you going? • How to Improve AND Enjoy Your Musical Life • About Deliberate Practice in Music • Creativity Is The Vehicle, Not the Destination     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You are tuned in to the very first episode under our new name - formerly The Musicality Podcast, this show is now called simply “Musicality Now” which we think better captures the spirit and variety of the show and where we’ll be taking it in the future.   When we made the switch to video back in January we were delighted to have our first interview be with Sabrina Peña Young, someone we know well and who has deep insights, which made for a long and fascinating converation.   We’re excited now to kick off this new incarnation of the show similarly, with a particularly meaty episode that is going to have a big and positive impact on your own musicality journey.   Our guest today is Scott Devine, the man behind Scott’s Bass Lessons, the #1 website for learning bass guitar - they have over 650,000 YouTube subscribers, and have trained over 25,000 bassists to date. If you play bass, then you know Scott - he’ll be all over your Facebook, your YouTube, and there’s a good chance you’re already a member of the Academy site where they provide extensive training, masterclasses and live calls with a faculty of the top bass educators in the world.   In this conversation we talk about: • How spending six months at sea transformed Scott’s bass playing. • The simple piece of advice that immediately put an end to Scott’s umming and ahhing over what to study next in his own bass learning. • And, after talking to, interviewing, and studying with dozens upon dozens of the world’s top bassists and musicians, the one thing Scott has learned they all have in common - and (spoiler alert) it’s not “talent”!   Scott also gives a fantastic mini tutorial on a particular bass technique, walking basslines, which is something that’s really valuable to understand, whether you play bass or not - you’re going to hear these everywhere, and after today’s conversation you’re going to understand how exactly they’re put together.   There is a ton packed in here and you guys are in for a treat…   This is Musicality Now.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 177   Links and Resources • Scott’s Bass Lessons • Scott’s Bass Lessons On YouTube • Scott Devine’s Bass Picks • All Things Vocal, with Judy Rodman   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Hello and welcome back for part two of this special on active listening and how to hear like a musician. We’re joined by Andrew Bishko from the Musical U team.   In part one we tackled the “what”: What is active listening? What does it mean to have a musician's ear? And in this part we're going to follow that up, assuming you're already super excited to know about active listening by talking about the nitty gritty of how to do it.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 176   Links and Resources • The Musician’s Ear • Productivity Academy Episode 22 - Mindset or Mindfulness - Setting The Stage Internally With Christopher Sutton   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever wondered whether trained musicians simply hear music in a different way to you? Well, it turns out they do. And in this episode we’re joined with Andrew Bishko, to talk about what exactly that means, and how it can help you. Stay tuned!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 175   Links and Resources • The Musician’s Ear • About Active Listening • How to Stop Doubting and Start Performing, with Brent Vaartstra   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We have come to the end of Beatles Month here at Musical U and in this final episode I’m going to recap the major learning points from each of our expert guests and share the major running theme that seemed to be at the center of the Beatles’ phenomenal story - and what you can learn from that. Stay tuned!     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 174   Links and Resources • DeconstructingTheBeatles.com • Mattblick.com • Clarion Faculty Profile for Dr. Scott Kuehn • AaronKrerowicz.com • KennethWomack.com • HardDaysNight.net   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Welcome back to Beatles Month!   Today we have the distinct pleasure of talking with not one but four Beatles experts! Mike Muratore, Frank Muratore, John Auker and Patrick Gannon, the members of Hard Day’s Night.   Hard Day’s Night is rated among the top national Beatles tribute groups performing today, a full catalogue touring Beatles Tribute act focusing on performing songs exactly as the Beatles themselves did. The band has performed on national television, at America’s top Beatles festival, and at the Beatles’ own Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.   We were eager to find out what goes into being one of the top Beatles tribute acts in the world and how the four members of the group think about the musicality of the Beatles.   We talk about: • What exactly the band would do to learn a new Beatles song note-perfect • How performing as the Beatles compares to playing in a non-tribute band • And we ask, as four people who've studied and played the songs of the Beatles more carefully than almost anyone - why do they think the Beatles have had such a lasting impact over time? It was really cool to hear about how each member of the group came to love the Beatles and perform in Hard Day’s Night, and how thoughtfully and carefully they approach their work in performing as the Fab Four. There’s a lot to be learned here about musicianship that goes way beyond tribute bands or Beatles specifics - so please enjoy!   This is The Musicality Podcast, and you’re tuned in to Beatles Month at Musical U.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 173   Links and Resources • HardDaysNight.net • Hard Days Night on Facebook @HDNTribute • Hard Days Night on Twitter @hdntributeband • Hard Days Night on Twitter @hdntribute • Hard Days Night on YouTube   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Welcome back to Beatles Month!   We’re joined today by Kenneth Womack, author of a two-volume biography of George Martin: the label head and record producer who worked with The Beatles from the beginning of their recording career and was so instrumental to their success that he is often referred to as "The Fifth Beatle".   Ken’s two books were amazing to read and tell a familiar story from a perspective that was completely new to us, so we were really excited to talk with Ken and learn more about the role George played - and the conversation fully lived up to our high expectations.   We talk about:   • The similar background and particular blend of two character traits which George had in common with the four members of the band • The surprising state of The Beatles' original songs when they met George, how he reacted to them, and how they managed to salvage a very inauspicious start! • And what changes George made to their songs after the height of Beatlemania that is perhaps the reason they are still so renowned now, fifty years on.   Preparing for this interview really made us realise really made us realise just how little we’d known about the part George Martin played in the trajectory of The Beatles and just how pivotal he was to their great success. It really casts a new and interesting light on it all, and we hope you'll enjoy learning about it as much as we did.   You’re tuned in to Beatles Month at Musical U.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 172   Links and Resources • KennethWomack.com • Kenneth Womack - “Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Later Years, 1966–2016” • Kenneth Womack - “Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Early Years, 1926–1966”   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Welcome back to Beatles Month!   Today we’re talking with Aaron Krerowicz, the one and only full-time Beatles scholar who focuses specifically on the music of The Beatles. Meaning he dives deep into the lyrics, the chords, the notes used in melodies - all the stuff that musicians are perhaps most hungry to hear about but is quite rarely discussed in such a dedicated way. This was a super cool conversation.   We know you're going to be itching for more from Aaron so you'll be pleased to hear he's written several short, easy-to-read books, and published a ton of bite-sized videos on the topic too which you can find at Flipside Beatles.   In this conversation we talk about:   •The special way in which the music of the Beatles is "sophisticated" - and when that all began •How the Beatles learned from and re-imagined the music of the time to create their most remarkable songs •And what we can learn from looking at which of the group wrote each song, and the way the music and lyrics relate.   Plus: Aaron shares a quite shocking statistic about the apparent overnight success of the Fab Four.   Aaron brings a unique perspective to analysing The Beatles and I know you're going to enjoy this conversation just as much as we did.   You’re tuned in to Beatles Month at Musical U.       Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 171   Links and Resources • aaronkrerowicz.com • Flip Side Beatles • Aaron’s Beatles Minute videos • Aaron Krerowicz - “The Beatles & The Avant-Garde” • Mark Lewisohn - ‘Tune In”   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Welcome back to Beatles Month!   Today we’re talking with a Beatles expert who also happens to be a member of Musical U. As a Professor of Communications at Clarion University, Scott is trained in the study of semiotics: the meaning within media such as pop music.   And he's taken this lens of analysis to the music of the Beatles and specifically in the "Beatlemania" years of the early sixties when teenage girls would scream and faint at concerts and TV performances - to find out what exactly the band did that produced such extreme reactions. And how they carried that on throughout their career in ever-changing ways.   In this conversation we talk about: • The combination of music and visuals that led to Beatlemania and the specific techniques the Beatles used to stoke that hysteria • Whether the Beatles did all these clever things instinctively and subconsciously or if it was an intentional, conscious process • And how the Beatles' use of musical elements to support the message of the lyrics changed over time through the five distinct eras of their music that Scott identifies   We love when an interview on this show provides a new way of looking at or listening to music, and we think you're going to enjoy the little "homework" exercise Scott sets at the end of our conversation as a way to open your mind and your ears to what made the Beatles so effective and so successful.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 170   Links and Resources •  Alan Pollack “Notes on …” Series •  Scott Kuehn on Facebook •  Clarion Faculty Profile for Dr. Scott Kuehn   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Welcome back to Beatles Month!   Today we’re joined by Matt Blick, who is the man behind the Beatles Songwriting Academy, a website dedicated to analyzing every single Beatles song to learn what makes them tick.   Since founding the site in 2009 Matt has written over 500 detailed posts on what he's learned from studying the songs of the Beatles - and he’s written over 300 songs himself.   You see, unlike some song analysis websites you find, Matt's site is particularly notable for being very practical in its focus. Although it's fascinating to read his posts purely for interest, every one is written with the active song writer in mind, to inspire and guide them to better and easier song writing, inspired by the principles used by The Beatles themselves.   In this conversation we talk about:   How The Beatles could obey and break the conventional rules of songwriting so expertly if they never learned music theory. Some specific ways The Beatles modified chord progressions to be more effective and distinctive in their songs. Matt also shares what actually causes writer's block and how to fix it. We also talk about the ways Matt has benefitted from all his Beatles studies in his own songwriting, including specific examples of songs he's written using particular principles he learned from the Fab Four.   You’re tuned in to Beatles Month at Musical U.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 169   Links and Resources • Mattblick.com • Beatlessongwriting.com • Matt’s “Be-altetudes” • Ticket to Write 1: Use the flat 6 (bVI) chord in a major key song • Ticket to Write 33: Subvert a 12 bar blues by altering the chord sequence • Ticket to Write 67: Repeat Verse 1 • Ticket to Write 24: Repeat words and sentence structures     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Welcome back to Beatles Month!   Today we’re talking with Scott Freiman, the creator of Deconstructing the Beatles, a series of uniquely revealing multimedia presentations about the composition and production techniques of the Beatles. Scott has spoken about the Beatles to sold-out audiences, on college campuses and for companies around the USA. He skillfully draws on original multitrack recordings to reveal exactly how the songs we know and love were put together, drawing out new and fascinating insights about the Beatles and their music.   Scott is also a professional composer and distilled some of the songwriting lessons he’d learned from the Fab Four into a terrific online course, “Learn the Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles”. It's a great resource even for those who have no aspirations to write songs themselves but just want to understand music better.   As a composer himself he said that what the Deconstructing the Beatles project really showed him was how much work went into this music that we know and love. Just how creative the Beatles were and how that creative process happened, step by step - not just individually but collaboratively.   That's what we dig into in this interview: If these songs didn't magically spring into being overnight, what were the elements that made the band so unusually able to consistently write incredible songs that have stood the test of time. Scott has fantastic insight and there's a ton to learn here for song writers, composers and for musicians and music fans as well.   We talk about:   • The development and growth the Beatles had already gone through as musicians before their recording career began • How his training as an editor has influenced how Scott sees their music and how the Beatles themselves combined editing with experimentation • One specific technique you can listen for in any music but which the Beatles utilised in new and unusual ways.   There's some really instructive and inspiring ideas in this conversation that you will benefit from in your own music making and music listening. And it will make you hungry to go watch Scott’s full presentations and maybe check out his songwriting course.   You’re tuned in to Beatles Month at Musical U.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 168   Links and Resources • DeconstructingTheBeatles.com • Save 10% on any Deconstructing The Beatles presentation with coupon code: DTBFRIEND • Qwire, revolutionising music licensing • Learn the Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles • About Active Listening   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Hello, and welcome to Beatles Month! Today we’re kicking off a very special series of episodes where we’ll be celebrating all things Fab Four - and particularly diving into all the musicality questions we’re so interested in here at Musical U - like what makes a song tick, how to understand what you hear in music, and what are the concrete, practical skills that underlie apparent musical “talent”.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 167   Links and Resources • About Active Listening   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Learning music can sometimes be frustrating. It can feel like you’re putting in a ton of effort with very little results to show for it.   But at the same time we all know that persistence is the key to success.   So how do you know when you’re being virtuous for persisting - and when you’re just bashing your head against a brick wall?   How do you know whether to give up or stick with it?   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 166   Links and Resources • Is it time to “break up” with music? - episode includes the “Should I Stick With It?” cheat sheet   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Hey - do you feel like giving up? Is your musical life driving you a bit crazy and you’re wondering if you should just throw in the towel?   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 165   Links and Resources • Should I stick with it? - cheat sheet • Hey! Where are you going? • Forget Being Realistic - Do This Instead   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Hey, Christopher here, director of Musical U, and normally your host for the show. But today we have something a bit different for you. Now, I'll apologize in advance if you hear marching band music in the background. It's because I'm in Valencia in Spain at the moment, and they're celebrating this weekend, the Fallas festival and there's literally a marching band proceeding along outside my window. They've been playing all morning. It's a lot of fun - but not ideal when you're trying to record some video. So if you can hear a little trumpets and horns in the background, I apologize.   What we have for you today is something a bit different and in a minute I'm going to disappear, and I will not be involved in the episode at all, because what we have is a team episode of the show. We've got the Musical U team together, and what we're doing is it kind of came out of happenstance where we had a few weeks in a row where on our team call, one of the members of the Musical U team randomly mentioned they listened to an old episode of the musicality podcast and learn something really cool, or they particularly enjoyed something. After that happened a few weeks in a row I was like “this is kind of cool we should do something with this”.   So what I did was I corralled Adam Liette, our Communications Manager, to get the team together for kind of a “show and tell” episode where each of them would bring along an old episode of the Musicality Podcast, an old interview we did with a musicality expert, and share a little bit about what resonated with them or what they learned, or their own opinions and insights on that topic.   So that's what they did. The team got together, that's Stewart Hilton, Andrew Bishko, Adam Liette and Anastasia Voitinskaia, joined with our latest recruit Zac Bailey. They all got together, each bringing an episode to the table to share what they enjoyed about that episode. It turned out fantastic. They themed it all around practicing, and a little bit of performing stuff crept in there too.   I thoroughly enjoyed listening back to the recording afterwards, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. It certainly inspired me to go back and listen again to some of those past interviews.   So, that's it from me I'm going to leave you in Adam's capable hands in just a moment. Last thing to say it's just, if you do enjoy this episode, please hit us up on social media and let the team know. You can go to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram you'll find us under Musical U, and I would love for you to just show the team some love, show them some support. Tell them what you enjoyed about this episode, and hopefully we can tempt them back to do this again another time. That's it for me - enjoy the episode.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 164   Links and Resources • What Your Voice Can Do, with Jeremy Fisher • About Hacking Habituation • Emotion and Efficiency, with Marc Gelfo • Learning to Rock the Stage, with Kevin Richards • Top Musicality Tools and Tech, with Katie Wardrobe • Making Music Learning a Picnic, with Ruth Power   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

If you’re pursuing a music dream of any kind, the chances are that there’s one big thing standing in your way.   At Musical U we talk a lot about your Big Picture Vision and getting clear on the things you're most excited about achieving in your musical life if everything went perfectly. Your ideal musical future.   This is a powerful idea - but there's a big barrier that often holds people back. In this episode you'll learn what that barrier is and how you can stop it from holding you back from your true musical potential.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 163   Links and Resources • Big Picture Vision episode: "Hey! Where Are You Going?"   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever wanted to get out there and start performing? Maybe solo at an open mic night, maybe getting involved in the local blues jam, maybe starting or joining a band - or even going out and getting paying gigs as a live performer.   If so, you might have found yourself in the situation many of us do: our skills are up to scratch but we’re still not ready. Emotionally, mentally, psychologically, we just have some kind of barrier that stops us from taking the plunge.   Today on the show we have a returning guest, our friend Brent Vaartstra from the Learn Jazz Standards podcast, and his new show, Passive Income Musician.   When Brent was with us before, we talked mostly about jazz and improvisation, but today we wanted to dig into something different with him: what it’s like to be a gigging musician. From the practicalities to the juicy mindset stuff that can make the difference between sitting alone at home practicing by yourself for the rest of your life - and getting out there and sharing your music with the world confidently in a variety of musical situations.   Brent shares some really valuable insights and actionable tips, including:   • The number one most important thing to do in advance of a session or gig • How to handle a new and intimidating performance situation, especially as an introvert • And we talk about “Imposter Syndrome” - that psychological phenomenon where you continually worry you’ll be found out as a fraud - even when you are actually good enough for what you’re doing - and Brent shares his six tips for overcoming it.   We loved having this opportunity to draw on Brent’s expertise and wisdom beyond the world of jazz, and we know you’re going to find a ton of valuable stuff here, especially if performing is part of your musical life - or you wish it would be!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 162   Links and Resources • Learn Jazz Standards • Learn Jazz Standards podcast • Passive Income Musician podcast • Getting Over “Imposter Syndrome” as an Online Music Educator - podcast episode   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You can enjoy the process of learning music. You *should*, in fact!   Believing that enjoyment and achievement are mutually exclusive is holding you back from your true musical potential.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 161   Links and Resources • Forrest Kinney and Brent Vaartstra on improving your musical life   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined on the show by John Hatcher, the founder of Blues Guitar Institute, a website and YouTube channel devoted to teaching acoustic blues guitar with a simple straight-forward approach.   John was the winner of TrueFire’s Next Top Guitar Instructor contest and over the last several years has been steadily growing a devoted following of keen blues guitarists. We have been struck by how John incorporates theory and ear training into his teaching and makes a genre that’s often seen as very specialised and exclusive into something welcoming and accessible - so we were keen to invite him on the show to share more about learning an instrument in a balanced way, and how to explore the blues.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Why chasing flashy instrument technique can harm your development as a musician • What the earliest blues musicians would have to say about the idea that you need to be “born with the blues” to play it • His innovative “Microlicks” approach to breaking free from formulaic solos and being more creative when you improvise   Naturally this episode will be of particular interest to guitarists and blues fans but there are lots of interesting ideas here for any musician, so we hope you’ll enjoy the conversation as much as we did.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 160   Links and Resources • Blues Guitar Institute • Blues Guitar Institute - YouTube channel • Microlicks tutorials   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you wished you could improvise, but found the whole thing intimidating, overwhelming, or just a complete mystery?   There's one thing I can tell you, in just a few minutes, that will let you begin improvising today and set you up for continued success.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 159   Links and Resources • Patterns and Playgrounds: 4 Ways to Approach Improvisation • About Improvisation - podcast episode   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Evelyn Glennie is the world’s first full time solo percussionist, whose mission in life is to teach the world to listen. Her TED talk entitled “How to truly listen” has been viewed almost five million times. And if that wasn’t remarkable enough, take a peek at the description or presenter bio for that TED talk and you’ll discover that Evelyn actually lost almost all her hearing at the age of twelve.   One might assume that a deaf musician must just be playing from memory or from instructions - which would make it a strong example of the kind of “robotic playing” we often talk about getting away from on this show. But Evelyn actually represents the polar opposite - her deep focus on listening and feeling each and every note makes her a prime example of just the kind of truly intentional, expressive playing that we celebrate and seek to encourage here at Musical U.   Evelyn has given deep and careful thought to the topic of listening - and sound, and music, and how our relationship with each of these can transform our lives and the lives of those around us.   From her TED talk to provocative sound art installations to YouTube teaching videos and of course her professional performing career, Evelyn’s work just sparks of passion, creativity and wisdom - and so to say we were eager to pick her brains about musicality and the listening skills of music would be a huge understatement!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 158   Links and Resources • Evelyn’s website • Evelyn Glennie: How To Truly Listen - TED Talk • Evelyn Glennie: Interview from Playing from the Heart DVD • Listening to The Tempest, a tale to cure deafness • What Makes Us Human? • Questions Answered: Can Musicality Be Taught?   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Does the idea of improvising scare you? Have you given it a try but quickly decided you didn’t have what it takes?   If so, we would understand. In this episode, we're going to talk about where that fear comes from, how you can overcome it, and how to make it easy to learn to improvise.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 157   Links and Resources • Intro to Improv practice plan • Approaching Improvisation module • Introduction to Improvisation • About Improvisation - podcast episode   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Let us ask: how do you feel about your singing voice?   We're guessing that whether you consider yourself “a singer” or not, your answer probably isn’t “my singing voice is amazing and I am 100% comfortable with how it sounds at all times!”   If you’ve ever felt unsure about your voice - maybe that’s even held you back from trying to learn to sing - or if you are a singer and you’re trying to tap in to “your sound” or “your true voice” - stay tuned.   Today we're joined by Nikki Loney from Full Voice Music. Nikki is a professional singer and voice teacher and creates resources to help other voice teachers with young singers in particular. Nikki was introduced to us by Sara Campbell, our former piano pro at Musical U who’s a voice teacher and singer herself, and she made the connection because Nikki’s speciality is something near and dear to our heart here at Musical U: helping people “make peace” with their voice.   It’s easy to imagine singing as a technical skill, like learning how to move your fingers right to play guitar or piano. But although there is that pure technique that must be learned, singing is unique among instruments because it is so deeply and intimately a part of who we are.   And that means that for many beginner singers - or those who want to begin, or even those who dream of beginning but feel it’s beyond them - the biggest barrier is how we feel about our own voice.   This is such an important part of the the big bundle of “learning to sing” and it’s rarely given enough attention in the establishment of learning to sing - so that only those who are already comfortable about their voice and being a singer actually learn to sing.   As you’ll be hearing, we have a shared passion (slash rage) about how society and culture treat singing and how things can be made dramatically better and more welcoming to those who’ve felt locked out of the world of singing - as well as those who are on the path but have hangups about how they sound.   Nikki has some fantastic insights from a breadth of experience teaching, and in this conversation she shares:   • The gift for singing that she had growing up - and it's not what you might think. • How she found her own voice - and what literally it means to do that, to "find your voice" • How to know if you're good enough to start singing lessons and what specifically can help you to find the right teacher   This conversation was a total delight and we know that whatever relationship you have with singing there are going to be some fresh perspectives and we hope some powerful encouragement for you in this episode.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 156   Links and Resources • The Full Voice • The Full Voice podcast • Sane Singing, by D. Brian Lee • 10 Things Your Voice Teacher Wants You To Know About Singing Lessons • The ONE Word That Will Make Your Students Sing Better • Helping Students “Make Peace” With Their Voice • Strategies For Shy Singers - The Full Voice podcast episode • Vocal Exploration Exercises - The Full Voice podcast episode   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Playing by ear and improvisation are two of the most sought-after skills in music. The key to learning these skills is to train your ear to effortlessly recognize the relationships between notes - and the answer doesn't necessarily lie in learning intervals! Musical U founder Christopher Sutton talks about the intuitive solfa method for recognizing notes and why it works.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 155   Links and Resources • Full Facebook Live video at Ultimate Music Theory • Music Theory You’ll Love to Learn, with Glory St. Germain • Starting Solfa   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Adam Neely, whose YouTube channel is followed by over 600,000 people - and is described as “video essays, lessons and vlogs on new horizons in music and music theory.” More informally, we'd say that Adam makes some of the most solid and also thoroughly entertaining videos on music theory out there - and not the “this is a crotchet”-type music theory videos, he tackles the really odd and interesting questions, like “Why pop music sounds bad to you”, “What is the slowest music humanly possible”, “Why not to use E♭11 chords” and “Which key is the saddest?”   We’ve long been fans and so it was a delight to get to sit down with Adam and learn more about his own musical background, and how he thinks about practicing, audiating, modern composing, and more.   In this conversation we talk about:   • How distinguishing between “prescriptive” and “descriptive” can totally flip how interesting learning music theory is for you • The perspective on keeping practice interesting that for us personally would have been a massive liberation if we could travel back in time and give it to our teenage selves • And a cool extension of audiation that goes beyond simply imagining a particular piece in your mind and lets you stretch your ear in interesting, creative ways   Adam also reveals the particular vowel sound you should use when singing for ear training - and a whole lot more. Don’t miss the shownotes for this episode at musicalitypodcast.com which will be packed with links to all the videos we mention, so you can go and do a deep dive of Adam’s extensive and fascinating back catalog right after this interview.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 154   Links and Resources • Adam's YouTube channel • Why you should learn music theory (video) • The music theory of mashups (video) • John Cage's "4'33" • AUDIATION - play what you hear (video) • Why pop music sounds bad (to you) (video) • Which key is the saddest? (video) • Why You Shouldn't Use Tab (and it's not why you might think!) (video) • Exploring Minor Pentatonics - Linear Sequences (video) • 7 Cool Metronome Games (video) • Avoiding the 5/4 Clave (Sungazer's Ether) (video) • Drunk Septuplet Dubstep! (Sungazer's Dream of Mahjong) (video) • Scott's Bass Lessons • Turning Ordinary People Into Musicians, with Casey McCann • About the Ear Training Trap • The Gordon Institute for Music Learning   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In this episode, we talk about your musical path and trajectory, encouraging you to think about your Big Picture Vision and how to get yourself there.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 153   Links and Resources • Big Picture Vision worksheet • About the Little “Why” • About Taking A Long-Term Mindset   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We are super excited to be joined on the show today by Ruth Power, the creator of Piano Picnic - a method for learning to play piano by ear that remarkably manages to teach it in lessons so short and simple they almost guarantee a student will succeed.   We admire and agree with Ruth's perspective and approach to teaching play-by-ear skills so much that when time came to look for a new Resident Pro for piano at Musical U, Ruth was the first person who sprang to mind. We talk a bit towards the end of the conversation about her work here and how she's helping our members apply their core training directly on keyboard in fun and creative ways.   This conversation was great fun and there are lots of good piano-specific nuggets in here for anyone who's a pianist or wants to become one - but as always, most of the discussion is equally relevant and interesting whatever instrument you play.   We talk about:   • Ruth’s own journey of learning to play by ear and the distinct phases she went through to develop a fully-fledged ability on keyboard • The particular challenges of playing by ear on piano compared with other instruments • The terrible piece of advice she was given early on about how to learn to play by ear - and her top tip for actually succeeding with it.   That’s just the start - we also talk about humming, about basslines, about why and how modern instrument learning can look different to the traditional methods, active listening, and a lot more. You’re going to get a ton out of this one!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 152   Links and Resources • Piano Picnic • Songs by Ear course • Ear Bootcamp • Super Basics course   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This weekend we had an absolutely phenomenal masterclass with Marc Gelfo, the creator of the Modacity practice app, all about accelerating your music learning.   Marc packed a ton into his masterclass, from highly practical, tactical ideas about how you practice, to some quite deep emotional and mindset guidance. It’s no exagerration to say there were a couple of dozen really meaty ideas he shared, and everyone who attended found plenty to help accelerate their music learning. We’re excited to be adding the recording to our masterclass library inside Musical U for members.   Today I wanted to share just one small nugget with you, Marc’s idea of “hacking habituation”. As you’ll be hearing, this led on to some interesting discussion of the emotion of musical expression and mastering the inner game too.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 151   Links and Resources • Marc's podcast interview: Emotion and Efficiency, with Marc Gelfo • Modacity practice app     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we're talking with LaMar Queen, also known as Mr. Q-U-E, the rapper behind Music Notes, a company that’s been having great success providing educational rap songs to schools across the U.S.A.   Educational songs aren’t a new idea but Music Notes brings a really fresh take to it, and their songs have been shown to improve test scores in non-music subjects as well as encouraging more responsible attitudes towards schoolwork and peer support for healthier living initiatives.   We must confess that when we first came across Music Notes we thought it was really cool - but we weren't certain it was a good fit for this podcast... Because it’s a fascinating musical project - but is it really about musicality? Well, as we dug in we realised that yes, there are some really interesting questions about musicality here that we were excited to pick Mr. Q-U-E’s brains on. You’ll find there are big learning points in this interview for any musician wanting to connect more deeply with music.   We talk about:   • Why music is so powerful as a channel for learning • The challenges of writing a song that has an impact beyond just entertainment • How Mr. Q-U-E got started freestyle rapping - and a simple way you can try it yourself   We're really impressed with the work Mr. Q-U-E’s doing with his team at Music Notes and it was cool to hear his thoughts on how their projects are influencing young minds both for their musical development and their education and upbringing outside of music. We all have a tendency to get stuck in the weeds and the nitty-gritty of learning music, so we hope this episode will do for you what it did for us, which was to serve as a great reminder of the magic of music and just how impactful it can be.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 150   Links and Resources • Music Notes Online • Music Notes on Facebook • Mr. Q-U-E’s instructional music videos   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined by Alex Forbes from CreativeSongwriter.com. Alex has over 100 releases to her name including several Billboard-charting singles as well as tracks heard often on the radio and TV. She's taught songwriting at NYU's Steinhardt school and countless workshops and songwriting camps and collaborated with top musicians including Cyndi Lauper. She is the author of "Write Songs, Right Now" and as you're going to learn in this conversation she has a really sharp and refreshing attitude to the art and craft of songwriting.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Whether it was persistence or momentary inspiration that produced Alex’s first big radio hit. • The most important thing a beginning songwriter should do on day one, and the #1 thing you can do to improve your odds of succeeding with it, and • The four elements she thinks are essential for a song to be really great.   It should come as no surprise to regular listeners of this show that as someone invited to be a guest here she shares our encouraging and inclusive attitude to music-making. Far from teaching that song-writing is just for the gifted few, Alex teaches that anybody can and should give it a try - and her enthusiasm is infectious so we think there’s a good chance you’ll go away from this episode inspired to try writing a song or two yourself!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 149   Links and Resources • CreativeSongwriter.com • Breakthrough Song Workshop (video series) • Contact Alex Forbes   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the pleasure of speaking with someone we’ve wanted to have on the show since day one, a long-time collaborator at Musical U and at Easy Ear Training before that, Sabrina Peña Young. Sabrina is an award-winning composer who created the first ever original fully-animated opera, Libertaria. We've long been in awe of the range and scale of projects Sabrina manages to take on and bring to success, and for the first time we got to sit down with her and actually dig into the question of how she manages to do all that she does. Sabrina is certainly someone who people would be quick to call “talented” or “gifted”, yet we knew from working with her that she had as little belief in the importance of natural talent as we do - so we were utterly curious to know: if it’s not talent, how does she do it all?   In this conversation we talk about:   • Sabrina’s musical upbringing and how helpful attention to detail can become harmful perfectionism • The remarkable college environment that transformed who she was as a musician and shaped who she’d become as a composer and film-maker, and • The role that mentors have played in her journey and her advice for aspiring musicians seeking a mentor themselves.   With Sabrina’s extensive experience, fascinating projects and deep expertise, this conversation was never going to be a short one! And honestly, even after running a bit long we felt we’d only just scratched the surface. We're hoping we’ll be seeing Sabrina on the podcast again before too long! And we think after hearing this episode you’re going to be feeling the same way.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 148   Links and Resources • Sabrina Peña Young’s website • Composer Boot Camp • You’re Invited to Composer Boot Camp, with Sabrina Peña Young (interview) • Songwriting 101, by Sabrina Peña Young • Filmmaking Crash Course, by Sabrina Peña Young • Libertaria: The Virtual Opera, on YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon • Futurist Music Anthology   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Can you imagine having the kind of musical mind that can:   - Hear music and effortlessly recognise the notes and chords by ear. - Glance at sheet music, tab or a chord chart and immediately hear in your head how it should sound. - Spontaneously create your own original musical ideas as easily as breathing and share them with other musicians or an audience using your voice or your instrument. - Just sit down and play for your own pleasure, relaxation and creative fulfilment. - Sit in on jam sessions or gigs with any group of musicians with no prior preparation required because you know you’ll have something solid to contribute.   A musical mind that feels capable and confident in any musical situation – because you understand instinctively how music is put together.   The kind of musical mind that makes learning new things in music is a breeze – because everything just connects together and makes sense.   Does that sound exciting to you?   In our Musicality Unleashed series we’ve been talking about the mindset shifts and mental models which can empower you to do all these things and more. And last time we talked about how to bring this all together with the established “Kodály” approach which has been proven over decades to effectively put in place an empowering foundation of musicality.   After discovering the effectiveness of the Kodály approach I decided we had to do something to get it into more people’s hands, so last year we launched the first ever online training course following a Kodály approach, Foundations of a Musical Mind.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 147   Links and Resources • Get the Musicality Unleashed cheat sheet 1: The Truth About Talent 2: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing 3: What Makes a Musician a "Natural"? 4: Did You Skip Step One? 5: A Better Mental Model For Pitch 6: A Better Mental Model For Rhythm 7: Don't Just Learn Songs - Learn Music Through Songs 8: Singing Is Your Birthright 9: Creativity Is The Vehicle, Not The Destination • Foundations of a Musical Mind: Special Launch Offer!       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We’ve been talking in this Musicality Unleashed series about some powerful insights and mindset shifts for tapping into your inner musician and transforming how free, confident and creative you feel in music. We’ve talked particularly about mental models - and how it’s a foundation of the right mental models which can set you up for success and turn you into the “natural” musician who can learn new musical concepts and skills quickly and easily, and empower you to do impressive things instinctively, like play by ear, improvise, and create your own music. We’ve talked about solfa and rhythm syllables as two specific examples of those empowering mental models and about song-based learning as a neat way to make it a fun and musical experience to develop your musical mind. We also looked at creativity and how it’s something that can actually make your music learning easier and more enjoyable when you include it as soon as possible as the vehicle, not the destination.   Okay, so how are we going to bring this all together?     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 146   Links and Resources • Get the Musicality Unleashed cheat sheet 1: The Truth About Talent 2: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing 3: What Makes a Musician a "Natural"? 4: Did You Skip Step One? 5: A Better Mental Model For Pitch 6: A Better Mental Model For Rhythm 7: Don't Just Learn Songs - Learn Music Through Songs 8: Singing Is Your Birthright 9: Creativity Is The Vehicle, Not The Destination • Foundations of a Musical Mind       Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we talk about ways of infusing your musical journey with creativity right from the get-go.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 145   Links and Resources • Discover Your Own Musical Creativity, with Forrest Kinney • Circles of Creativity, with Tim Topham • Finding and Sustaining Creativity, with David Andrew Wiebe   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we talk about the roadblock of musicians thinking they cannot sing because they are tone deaf, and outline the first steps in learning to sing naturally, confidently, and expressively.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 144   Links and Resources • What if I’m Tone Deaf? • About Finding Your Note • Learning to Sing in Tune, with George Bevan • Singing as a Tool   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we talk about how you can connect the music theory and ear training you’re learning with the music you want to play and are passionate about.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 143   Links and Resources • Musicality Unleashed: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we share an intuitive model for counting rhythm: rhythm syllables! Learn why this method trumps the “1-e-and-a 2-e-and-a” method by a mile.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 142   Links and Resources • Talking Rhythm: The Kodály Method • Talking Rhythm: Syncopated Rhythms and the Kodály Method • Musicality Unleashed: A Better Mental Model for Pitch   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we delve into the oft-debated topic of how to learn pitch - and the answer doesn’t lie in intervals! Learn about the power of solfa and how it can help you understand the relationships between notes that is natural, intuitive, and simple.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 141   Links and Resources • Solfege: Why Do Re Mi Isn’t Just Child’s Play • Starting Solfa • Musicality Unleashed: Did You Skip Step One?   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we discuss the importance of having a solid foundation in music - and how neglecting to build this foundation can be detrimental to your musical understanding and autonomy later in your journey.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 140   Links and Resources • Musicality Unleashed: What Makes A Musician A “Natural” • Musicality Unleashed: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing • Musicality Unleashed: The Truth About Talent   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we explore what really makes a musician “natural” - and as you’ll learn, it’s not countless hours spent at the instrument!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 139   Links and Resources • Musicality Unleashed: The Two Things Most Music Education Is Missing • Musicality Unleashed: The Truth About Talent   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we discuss the three aspects necessary for becoming a great musician - and how traditional music education often ignores two of them.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 138   Links and Resources • Musicality Unleashed: The Truth About Talent   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode is part of the Musicality Unleashed series. Learn more and get a bonus "cheat sheet" at musicalityunleashed.com. In this episode, we unpack the concept of "talent", reveal why it's a myth, and how this knowledge can help you shift your mindset to realize your full musical potential.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 137   Links and Resources • The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • The Talent Myth: Why Talent is the Least Important Part of Being a Musician • Beyond the “Quick Fix”, with Ged Brockie • About the 10,000 Hour Rule   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Happy new year! We're excited to announce some changes that we'll be making to the Musicality Podcast to continue bringing you the best content for helping you nurture your inner musicality. Here's to your continued musical success in 2019! Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 136 Links and Resources • Musical U YouTube channel Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Big "Why" drives our musical journey forwards - it's our big-picture vision, our musical dream. But what about the Little "Why"? In this episode, we talk about the questions that you should frequently ask yourself about your musical trajectory to ensure you're on the right track.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 135   Links and Resources • LJS 82: How to Set Game-Changing Goals for Your Musicianship, with Christopher Sutton • About Choosing an Online Music Course • About Taking a Long-Term Mindset   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Lisa McCormick discusses the concept of the "self" in music, the importance of nurturing a positive and constructive mindset for learning, and the need for a holistic approach to practicing that encourages constant dialogue between mind, body, and music.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 134   Links and Resources • Lisa McCormick’s website • Note2Self: “I Love This!”, with Lisa McCormick   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Get acquainted with the two meanings of the word "clave", hear the instrument in action, and learn how to count out the ubiquitous rhythm that borrows its name from the instrument.    Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 133   Links and Resources • Clave: The Secret key to Pop Rhythm • Why is son clave so awesome? by Ethan Hein   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the distinct pleasure of talking with Noa Kageyama, whose website and podcast The Bulletproof Musician is known as the leading source for the most up-to-date research-based insights and strategies for practice and performance in music. He tackles topics like deliberate practice, accelerated learning, stage fright, and recovering from mistakes, and does so not only as a musician himself but as an expert in the fields of music and sports psychology.   Noa started in music as a toddler and went on to study at Julliard - but as you’ll learn in this conversation, that seemingly straight-line path to professional musician success suddenly paused at that point and took a fascinating new direction which led to Noa’s success today as a respected expert in the psychology of performance in music.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The connection between “practice mode” and “performance mode”. • What you should be thinking about during a performance. • The third area alongside practice and performing where Noa gained new insights that transformed his enjoyment of his musical life.   The team here at Musical U, we are all massive fans of The Bulletproof Musician and we’re often resharing Noa’s articles and episodes, so we’ve been really looking forward to having him join us here on the podcast and it lived up to all expectations.   There are a ton of potential mindset breakthroughs waiting for you in this episode - enjoy! And don’t forget we love to hear from you at musicalitypodcast.com/hello any time you particularly enjoy an episode or have thoughts to share. So do let me know what you thought of this one, at muscialitypodcast.com/hello   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 132   Links and Resources • The Bulletproof Musician • TED Talk: How I climbed a 3,000-foot vertical cliff - without ropes, by Alex Honnold • TED Talk: The transformative power of classical music, with Benjamin Zander • Full interview with Shawn Johnson on Freakonomics • This Is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel Levitin • Interview with Mark Kosower, principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra • ”Beyond Practicing” course   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Musical U’s own Adam Liette talks about his long and winding musical journey - from his conservatory years, to serving his country through music in the Army band, to his work at Musical U - and the realizations he’s made along the way about playing professionally vs. playing for the sake of joy and fulfillment. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 131 Links and Resources • About the Message in the Music Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Josh Wright, a highly successful pianist whose first solo album topped the Billboard “classical” chart. He’s played with a number of symphony orchestras, won prizes in international piano competitions, and studied with some of the world's greatest piano teachers. He shares the insights and strategies he’s learned along the way through his highly popular YouTube channel “Josh Wright Piano TV”.   We had been really impressed by the practice and performance tips Josh shares in particular and so we were excited to have him as a guest on the show to dive into these topics as well as his own musical journey.   In this conversation we talk about:   • How to make technique exercises more interesting and a more valuable use of your practice time • The clever performance strategy that involved him making snowballs before sitting down at the keyboard • The three “levers” you can play around with to transform a robotic performance into a truly musical one • The reason he will still travel long distances to go visit his childhood piano teacher when preparing new repertoire.   This was a seriously value-packed conversation, Josh has tons of practical tips and mindset-shifting insights which he shares freely so we know you’ll be taking away some impactful ideas from this episode for your own practicing and performing.   One quick note - we failed to sound check the piano before we began the interview and so there are a few spots where Josh demonstrates something and you’ll hear the sound get a bit crunchy. We apologise for that, but we think the points he’s making still come across fine.   We hope you’ll enjoy this episode!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 130   Links and Resources • Josh Wright Piano • Josh Wright’s web store - 20% off everything with coupon code PODCAST • Josh Wright’s courses on Teachable.com - 20% off with coupon code PODCAST • How to Learn A New Piano Piece Quickly and Efficiently • How to Memorize Music Quickly and Effectively • Efficient Practice Piano Lesson • A Quick Fix For Weak Spots In Your Playing • 5 Tips To Get Rid of Nerves and Stage Fright When Performing • Overcoming Performance Anxiety and Stage Fright • Mastering Rubato: How To Sound Like a Pro • Tone Quality - Create a More Beautiful Sound At The Piano • The Piano Mastery Checklist • The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

At some point in your musical journey, you may find yourself feeling totally discouraged because everything is too hard and complicated in your music learning. This is called overwhelm, and fortunately there are numerous ways to combat it. In this episode, we outline some strategies to overcome overwhelm, and explain how they help you streamline and focus your practice.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 129   Links and Resources • Handout on the MAGIC Framework for goal-setting • About Choosing an Online Music Course   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we’re joined by one of our favourite people in the world of online music education, and maybe just one of our favourite people in general, and that’s Tim Topham, who heads up TimTopham.com, the home of creative piano teaching online. Tim’s really a thought-leader among piano teachers when it comes to making piano lessons fun and creative, getting off book and away from the dry rote learning, and into a world where the student is actually empowered to feel confident and creative on the keyboard.   We’ve long been fans of Tim’s work, and we’ve actually interviewed him a couple of times for our website in the past - so we decided it was long overdue to have him on the podcast and he kindly agreed.   Hearing him talk, it’s probably not surprising he’s as well known and well respected as he is in the world of piano teaching - but what maybe is surprising is the route he took to get there...   In this conversation you’ll hear about:   • Why it may have been a good thing that Tim took a ten year hiatus from focusing on piano, and the impact that had on how he teaches • The value of getting "off the page" - and the part of this which is often glossed over but actually essential • The relationship between creative exercises in composing and improvisation on your instrument and "ear training" exercises for developing your musical ear   This episode will obviously be of particular interest to any piano teachers, or indeed piano students out there, but as always the topics and ideas we discuss can be useful to any music learner wanting to develop their musicality. And Tim shares some really cool ideas and specific suggestions, so we know you’ll get a lot out of this one.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS

Katie Wardrobe of Midnight Music shares her tips on hearing key changes in music.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 127   Links and Resources • Midnight Music • Special Membership Offer for podcast listeners   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Kevin Richards of RPM Vocal Studio, a renowned vocal coach who’s worked as a musician, producer, songwriter and arranger for over 30 years, and coached Gold and Platinum award-winning artists including Bette Midler and Rod Stewart. As you’ll be hearing in this interview Kevin has a particular angle on his vocal coaching that sets him apart from most of the technique-focused singing teachers and vocal coaches out there.   Kevin specialises in the performance side of singing, meaning what you actually do up on stage or in front of a crowd and how you make sure your singing performance is the best it can be, even though you’re far from the familiar and relaxed environment of the practice room.   As we were preparing for this episode and trying to figure out what part of Kevin's expertise would be most useful to you all as listeners of the Musicality Podcast, we were really thinking about how some of you are, I'm sure, performing already - and looking for tips on improving. And others are probably too self-conscious or too unsure of your musical abilities to feel comfortable performing or taking center stage.   We think whichever category you might be in, this episode is going to blow your mind a bit - and in a very good way.   In this conversation we talk about: • Why performance was the big piece he found was missing from all the traditional material for learning to sing. • One slightly brutal but effective (and ultimately enjoyable) exercise he does with his students who are nervous to perform in front of people. • And how working as Rod Stewart's vocal coach revealed a remarkable attitude to performing that we can all learn from.   This conversation was a total pleasure and really illuminating for us, so we hope you’ll love it too.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 126   Links and Resources • RPM Vocal Studios • The Vox Shop • Kevin’s YouTube channel • Confidence is Overrated video   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

David Andrew Wiebe from Music Entrepreneur HQ discusses the importance of approaching your musical journey with a long-term mindset, and how this sets you up for success and growth.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 125   Links and Resources • Music Entrepreneur HQ • Special Membership Offer for podcast listeners • Finding and Sustaining Creativity, with David Andrew Wiebe   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

How do you feel about sight-singing? To be handed a sheet of music and expected to sing it, perfectly, right off the bat?   Or, stepping back, how do you feel about singing in general? Maybe even singing a familiar song seems a bit intimidating to you.   Today on the show we’re joined by Dale Duncan, also known as “Mr. D” online, who is the creator of a popular method for teaching sight-singing, specifically to grade-school students - perhaps one of the most self-conscious groups of students you can imagine to try to get singing!   We were desperate to pick Dale’s brains on how exactly he approaches this and how he’s able to quickly get young people up to an impressive level of sight-singing that has them winning competitions and sight-singing material that the vast majority of experienced adult singers would struggle with.   In this conversation we talk about:   • How he helps students who struggle to sing in tune and why he never requires members of his choir to sing solo. • One core technique he uses to teach sight-singing, and how it enables you to practice sight-singing independent of score notation. • And the clever way he helps students to integrate their pitch and rhythm skills when sight-singing.   Dale’s “S-Cubed” method for teaching sight-singing is specifically designed to help other music teachers and choir directors like himself, but as you’ll soon hear, Dale has a ton of insight that can be helpful to move anybody’s singing or sight-singing forwards. We hope you’ll enjoy this!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 124   Links and Resources • Dale’s website, “In the Middle with Mr. D” • About S-Cubed • S-Cubed! Successful Sight Singing and Sight Reading Course for Middle School • ”Forbidden pattern” game • S-Cubed Middle School Sight Singing - Singing Dotted Rhythms • Sight Singing - Follow the Hand • Music Prodigy app   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

What is the pentatonic scale, and why is it so popular? Learn about the inner mechanics of this scale, discover why its notes sound so consonant and natural together, and explore how you can use it to create beautiful melodies.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 123   Links and Resources • Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re speaking with Aimee Nolte, a jazz singer and pianist who has one of the most popular YouTube channels among musicians, focusing on jazz piano with a healthy dose of a lot of the skills we discuss here on the Musicality Podcast such as playing by ear, improvising, and singing in tune.   Aimee’s also a songwriter and recording artist and this year she’s released two tracks from a forthcoming new album. Aside from just being wonderful music, these tracks are remarkable for the way Aimee’s been openly sharing the process of writing, arranging, and recording them through videos on her YouTube channel.   In this conversation we talk about:   • One important part of Aimee’s musical upbringing which let her make improvising and playing by ear a natural part of her musical identity from a very early age • What Aimee’s been discovering as she digs into the topic of tone deafness and helping people learn to match pitch and sing in tune. • Aimee’s relationship with sheet music, as someone who was predominantly a by-ear player - and whichever camp you fall in yourself, we think it’ll surprise you.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 122   Links and Resources • Aimee Nolte’s website • A Musical Conversation With My Mentor, Steve Call • About Teachers, Coaches, and Mentors • How To Figure Out Chords To Songs • How To Get Your Kids Started In Music • Point & Sing • Are You Tone Deaf? • Scat Singing 101 • About Singing as a Tool • Bruh, Do You EVEN Melody? • The Making Of My New Single: The Loveliest Girl • Falling Snow (In The Studio)   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Musical U team talks about setbacks and negative experiences in music, and how to move past them to maintain a positive musical trajectory.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 121   Links and Resources • Get Confident module at Musical U • About Mindfulness for Musicians • About Exploring Without Self-Judgement • About Recovering From Mistakes • About Your Voice Sounding Weird   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Professor Cynthia Crump Taggart, the President-Elect of the Gordon Institute for Music Learning. You might have heard that name “Gordon” in the world of music education as associated particularly with audiation, and in fact Edwin Gordon developed a whole approach to music learning which is called, simply enough, Music Learning Theory.   We had been keen to invite a Music Learning Theory expert onto the show for a while because we’ve covered some of the other “biggies” in terms of music education methodologies that really cultivate musicality, like Kodály, Dalcroze, and Orff, and we also talk a lot about audiation at Musical U, a word that Gordon himself invented.   So we were delighted when Professor Crump Taggart agreed to come on the show and this conversation was really fruitful and fascinating.   We talk about: • Her own musical upbringing and her first experiences learning from Edwin Gordon himself • The slightly imprecise way we tend to use the word “audiation” at Musical U and what it should really be used to mean • And the two simple activities Professor Taggart recommends if you want to incorporate Music Learning Theory into your own life as an adult musician.   This was a super cool glimpse into both the history and roots of Music Learning Theory, as well as the practicalities of what it does and how.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 120   Links and Resources • Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum Grades K-6 • Music Play: The Early Childhood Music Curriculum • The Gordon Institute for Music Learning • Color In My Piano   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You may have heard the word Klezmer before - or maybe not! Learn more about this distinctive style of Jewish folk music with Musical U’s Content Editor and Product Manager Andrew Bishko, who has developed a very close musical relationship with the genre over the course of his decades-long career.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 119   Links and Resources • Finding, Recovering, and Maintaining Motivation, with David Brown • Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr • The Alaska Klezmer Duo CD • Andrew Markus Bishko at Lebanon Globally Strong Culture Fair, teaching about Klezmer music • Ozarks Klezmer Orkestr, Belf’s Khusidl   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Okay, first of all a heads-up. This interview ran long, like epically long. But it's also one of the most densely-interesting ones we've had the pleasure to do! So you are in for a treat.   We've talked often on this podcast about musical “talent”, including in our interview with Professor Anders Ericsson, the leading researcher on the topic, and the notion of talent and how it relates to musicality is obviously a really central one for everything we discuss on this show. We’ve also talked more than once about “deliberate practice”, a specific practice methodology which can be applied to any instrument and task, and in fact across any discipline, not just music - and which promises to deliver several times faster progress for the same amount of time spent practicing.   Our guest today, Jason Haaheim, is the clearest-cut example we've come across of someone who's taken these ideas on board, applied them very directly in his own life, and tracked and documented the results so as to demonstrate very clearly the impact they had.   Jason began in his youth as a very casual musician and his studies and work life led him into science and engineering rather than music. But today Jason is principal timpanist for New York’s Metropolitan Opera, one of the top professional percussion roles in the world. So how did that happen?   In this conversation we talk about:   • The three big turning points that took him from a casual high-school musician to a world-class professional orchestra player • The four characteristics you need to bring to your own music practice to achieve this kind of rapid progress yourself • How taking a scientific mindset can be reconciled with the "magic" of music that we all love If you're someone who has worried that it might be "too late" for you to reach an impressive level in music, we know you're going to find this episode illuminating and encouraging.   We hope you'll enjoy this detailed conversation with Jason as much as we did. He's a fascinating man who's given these crucial topics deep thought and we can pretty much guarantee you're going to come away from this episode with a changed outlook on your own musical development.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 118   Links and Resources • How Did a Scientist Become Principal Timpanist of the MET Orchestra? • A Process for Everyone: Teachers, Freelancers, and Big-Job Auditioners • I Don’t Care How Good You Are - I Care About the Trajectory You’re Willing to Set • The Deliberate Practice Book Club • The Truth About Talent, with Professor Anders Ericsson • Becoming an Expert Learner, with Josh Plotner • Talent is Overrated, by Geoff Colvin • Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, by Professor Anders Ericsson • The Bulletproof Musician • The Deliberate Practice Bootcamp and Northland Timpani Summit (timpani seminar with Jason Haaheim)   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Musical U welcomes back Steve Nixon of FreeJazzLessons.com to discuss the art of playing in multiple genres, and the skills and knowledge that will help you shine in jazz, rock, pop, classical, and country music alike.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 117   Links and Resources • The Rhythm of Success, with Steve Nixon • 7 Ray Charles Chords Every Musician Must Know • 13 Gospel Piano Chords + 1 Must Have Progression • Slick Gospel & Blues Piano Riff Tutorial   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Anne Mileski of Anacrusic.com and The Anacrusic Podcast. Anne is trained in several of the musicianship approaches we’ve covered here on the show before, including Kodály, Orff, Dalcroze and Music Learning Theory, and her mission is to make music teaching as purposeful, sequential, and joyful as possible for music teachers everywhere. Anne really stands out as someone who draws on each of those approaches to musicianship training to develop her own very well thought-out material. And she shares this with other music teachers through in-person workshops as well as her popular website and podcast.   We really enjoyed getting the chance to talk to Anne about her experience and observations of the various approaches to musicianship training, and we’ll throw in our normal disclaimer that although some of the specifics we’ll be talking about are geared towards music teachers and early childhood music education, if you are an adult and/or a student yourself, keep listening! There are plenty of insights and valuable nuggets for you in here.   We talk about: • Anne’s own musical upbringing and a few key experiences, both positive and negative, that influenced her own musicality and how she approaches her teaching • The relative strengths of Kodály, Orff, Dalcroze, and Music Learning Theory • The importance of sequencing in teaching and learning - and the two timescales you need to be thinking about for designing effective music learning sequences.   Anne is a great story-teller and we know her stories will resonate with you, as well as her insights on singing, sequencing, improvising and more.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 116   Links and Resources • Anacrusic • The Anacrusic Podcast • Book: Teaching General Music: Approaches, Issues, and Viewpoints   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Musical U team discusses the importance of taking it step by step in music - and breaking your practice down into "chunks" that make sense for you.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 115   Links and Resources • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two • About the Message in the Music • About Listening as the Route to Musicality • About the Importance of Joy and Pleasure • About Exploring Without Self-Judgement • About You Being Musical Inside Already • About Keeping it Simple   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined by Jeff Schneider, award-winning composer and music educator whose YouTube videos for saxophone and piano, online courses, and blog and email lessons are helping musicians around the world to wrap their head around everything from equipment to technique to music theory and listening skills.   In this conversation we cover a ton of interesting topics, including sight-reading, improvisation, what makes for effective practicing, and the entrepreneurial requirements of being a professional musician today. Jeff shares:   • How many hours a day he practiced growing up, one activity that was central, and the one thing he thinks is essential to practice effectively • One resource he’s found really useful to help him balance his creativity with the desire to make a living as a musician • And several punchy tips on improvisation, sight reading, jazz and rhythm.   We know you’ll enjoy this one and it’ll inspire you to check out Jeff’s website and sign up for his email list - and don’t miss the unforgettable name that email list has, we talk about it towards the end of the interview.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 114   Links and Resources • Jeff Schneider’s website • Jeff’s YouTube channel • 7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Playing Music • How to Practice Effectively • Learning to Sing in Tune, with George Bevan • About Finding Your Note • About Your Voice Sounding Weird • About Singing as a Tool • About Mindfulness for Musicians • Learning, Playing, and Thriving, with Elisa Janson-Jones • 1,000 True Fans, by Kevin Kelly   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Musical U team discusses the messages contained in music, inspiring your listener to feel something, and finding something you want to express through your instrument.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 113   Links and Resources • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two • About Listening as the Route to Musicality • About the Importance of Joy and Pleasure • About Exploring Without Self-Judgement • About You Being Musical Inside Already • About Keeping It Simple   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're talking with Josh Plotner, a man who plays seemingly pretty much every woodwind instrument, from saxophones to flutes to recorders to clarinets - and a ton of world instruments you may never have heard of. Josh works on Broadway and also provides recording and arranging services both in person and online, drawing on his amazingly broad wind skills. And he came across our radar because he also produces two fantastic kinds of YouTube video, one in which he very punchily explains the must-know rules for arranging for particular instruments in a sensible way, and the other in which he arranges popular music such as TV themes for a variety of instruments - and then plays every part himself! We wanted to know what had gone into the music education of a person who could do all this, and the conversation was truly enlightening. You’re going to hear about:   • Josh’s early days and the surprising attitude that let him quickly learn more instruments than most of us have dreamed of ever playing • The one critical thing Josh says is the essence of his attitude to learning and which is simple - though perhaps not easy. • And the amount of daily practice it took to juggle an endless array of ensembles and groups during his high school years, as well as the way he thinks about practicing now that lets him stay in shape on all those instruments.   We know you’re gonna enjoy this episode and we think it might provoke you to think differently about your own route in learning music - or to better understand the route you have chosen. And we must insist that you go immediately after finishing listening, and check out some of Josh’s YouTube videos. We’ll have a few recommended favourites in the shownotes for this episode.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 112   Links and Resources • Josh Plotner’s website • Josh’s YouTube channel • Game of Thrones Theme - Woodwinds Only • This is Halloween - Woodwinds Only • How to Write for Clarinet in 2 Minutes • Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck • The Dunning-Kruger Effect   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Musical U team tackles the topic of active and deliberate listening, and the benefits it brings to your musicality.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 111   Links and Resources • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two • About Active Listening • About Learning Faster by Recording Yourself   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined by Marc Gelfo, a self-described “Neuro-symphonic Hornist” who has played French Horn in some of the top symphony orchestras and is the creator of the Modacity app which helps you practice music more effectively and enjoyably.   When we first came across the Modacity app, we were impressed. But quite often the research and literature around music practice seems to end up being quite divorced from the actual expressive and creative nature of music itself, so since it’s quite a scientific and sophisticated app, our first assumption was that the creator was probably quite a technical guy. In fact, we discovered that nothing could be further from the truth!   Marc’s a fascinating guy and in this conversation we talk about:   • What an epic road trip taught him about what his French Horn could do • How you can start connecting with the more expressive side of music-making, even if you don’t consider yourself creative or artistic • The principles that can transform the effectiveness of your music practice and get you better results faster, and in a more enjoyable way.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 110   Links and Resources • Marc Gelfo’s website • Modacity • Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck • About Deliberate Practice in Music • Interview with Prof. Anders Ericsson   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Musical U team gets together to talk about the importance of having fun on your musical journey, and how it ties in with creativity, satisfaction, and achievement.    Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 109   Links and Resources • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two • Sara’s Music Studio • About Exploring Without Self-Judgement • About You Being Musical Inside Already • About Keeping It Simple   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're talking with David Barrett, one of the world’s leading harmonica teachers and experts in blues music. David is the author of over 70 music education books including Mel Bay’s main harmonica tutor books, he is the founder of bluesharmonica.com, the leading online training provider for learning blues harmonica, and he has also somehow found the time to found and run the world’s only music school dedicated to the blues, the School of the Blues in San Jose, California. He is also a Grammy-Nominated blues harmonica player who still regularly performs and records.   We were really eager to pick David’s brains on harmonica, the blues and also improvisation, and he delivered 110% on all three.   In this conversation you’re going to hear:   • Why harmonica is both a very difficult and also a slightly easier instrument to figure out by ear • Why it is that harmonica and the blues are so closely associated with one another • What characterises blues music • And how David teaches his students to go beyond just memorising licks and riffs and build musically-meaningful improvised solos that will connect with the audience   This is definitely not a conversation only for those of you into blues music or who play the harmonica. There is a ton packed in here that’s relevant for any instrument and style of music. That said, we suspect that by the end you may have had your mind and ears opened to the possibilities that blues and harmonica might hold for you, too...   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 108   Links and Resources • BluesHarmonica.com • School of the Blues • David’s Harmonica Masterclass • David’s harmonicas of choice: Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas customized by Joe Filisko   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The Musical U team discusses the practice of exploring and pushing the boundaries of your musicality without self-judgement - and the wonderful breakthroughs it can lead to.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 107   Links and Resources • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two • About Keeping It Simple • About You Being Musical Inside Already   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we’re joined by a musician, music teacher, entrepreneur, author, online summit host, small business coach, podcaster and band director. Which might sound like we have a crowd of guests assembled, but in fact these are all one person: Elisa Janson-Jones.   Elisa is the host of the Music Ed Mentor podcast, organiser of the International Music Education Summit and author of “The Music Educator’s Guide to Thrive”, and through these projects and more she is on a mission to help music teachers discover the non-musical skills that can empower them to succeed. As you’ll discover in this episode though, a lot of what Elisa has to share is just as applicable to the hobbyist or professional musician as it is a music teacher.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Elisa’s own musical upbringing and how she came to play a huge number of different instruments. • The unique challenges of conducting an orchestra or band, and how you can actually learn to hear and follow dozens of different musical parts at once without needing to be born with some magical gift. • The 8 aspects of wellness that you should be thinking about if you want to enjoy your musical life to its fullest   … And Elisa also shares how she came to not only take up playing the ukulele recently, but actually build one from scratch herself!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 106   Links and Resources • Elisa Janson-Jones’ website • International Music Education Summit • The Music Ed Mentor podcast • The Music Educator’s Guide to Thrive, by Elisa Janson-Jones • The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In this roundtable-discussion episode, the members of the Musical U team discuss the idea that everyone is already musical inside - all it takes is equipping yourself with the tools and mindset to unlock this musicality.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 105   Links and Resources • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two • About Keeping It Simple   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

One of the main skills we teach at Musical U is the ability to recognise chords by ear in music. This is a really cool skill to have, whether you play chords yourself, like on guitar or piano, or you want to improvise over them, like on sax or trumpet, or you're a songwriter or composer, or even just music fan who wants to better understand the harmonies in the music you love.   The approach we teach is based on taking advantage of the fact that there are certain theory concepts and rules which mean that certain chords go together, and certain sequences of chords are more common than others in the music we hear each day. That, coupled with the fact that the ear doesn't much care what key it's hearing music in, allows you to very rapidly learn to recognise the chords in a large number of songs by ear, without needing to master each and every possible chord and combination.   So it's no surprise that this idea, of the "one, four, five and six" chords and how powerful they can be, has come up several times on the show before - and we've even dedicated a whole episode to it, we’ll put a link to that in the shownotes.   Today we’re joined by Austin Brentley, the man behind a fantastic new website which, among other things, allows you to immediately find out what songs use certain chords. There are a bunch of cool applications of this idea, including:   • Taking the set of chords you know already, and finding a bunch more songs you'll be able to play right away • Figuring out what one chord you should learn next to open up even more songs for you, and • Providing an easy middle step to learning to recognise chord progressions by ear, using songs you know and love.   It was really cool to get to talk with Austin and learn where this project came from and how people are using it and aside from those ideas we just mentioned, we’re sure you're going to come away inspired with some ways it could be useful in your own musical life.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 104   Links and Resources • ChordGenome.com • 1,576 Easy Ukulele Songs That All Use the Same Beginner Chords • About the I, IV, V, and vi Chords   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In this roundtable-discussion episode, the members of the Musical U team discuss the idea of "keeping it simple", with anecdotes from their musical lives to illustrate the benefits of this mindset.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 103   Links and Resources • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part Two • The Musicality Podcast Power Pack • Roadmaps at Musical U   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We always love when we have a guest on the show is hugely passionate about their subject of expertise, and we think that goes double when the subject is music theory. Because it's a subject that can be so wonderful - but is so often taught in a dry, boring way, much like the ear training that we focus a lot on at Musical U. So when we discover a music theory educator who can bring it to life and make it fun, easy and effective - that's really exciting. Glory St. Germain is one of those people. The Ultimate Music Theory program she created and continues to co-author is one of the most widely used and well-respected resources for music teachers to learn to teach theory. And when we say that you might be thinking about dry, mathematical-type material, all very serious and academic - nothing could be further from the truth. This is a program that teaches the true fundamentals and everything that's important to know - but as you'll hear in this episode Glory has a real knack for bringing it to life and making it a genuine pleasure to learn. One quick thing to explain - Glory makes mention of the ARCT, which stands for Associate of the Royal Conservatory, a teaching qualification provided by the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The three ways to learn music theory and why most people are missing out by just using one • How the combination of practical learning growing up and formal study later on let Glory understand both the “what” and more importantly the “why” of music theory • And she shares one neglected practice which can help you learn 30-40% faster.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 102   Links and Resources • Ultimate Music Theory • 7 Minute “Learn Rhythm & Rests” video • Full online courses at UMTCourses   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Welcome back to this special pair of episodes celebrating hitting the 100 mark of the Musicality Podcast! If you haven't already heard Episode 100 then make sure you go back and listen to it too because both that one and this one are jam-packed with incredible insights from over two-dozen expert guests, answering the question: “What’s one thing you’ve learned that could help musicians to tap into their inner musicality?” In the last episode we heard from 11 experts whose answers to this question were varied and fascinating. There were some common themes, some of which you'll hear coming up again in this episode, but each guest also brought their own unique perspective and insight to the question. We’ll talk a little more at the end of this episode about those recurring themes and how we can learn more from them. We said last time that we’d tried to group the experts to make for two great episodes to listen to, but apart from that there's no meaning to the order - so the line-up for this episode is just as impressive as the first one. In this episode you'll be hearing: • Bill Hilton, author of "How to Really Play the Piano" talking about the level of instrument technique required to sound truly musical. • Book author, podcaster, song-writer and musician David Andrew Wiebe of MusicEntrepreneurHQ.com revealing three things that can help you sound more like a pro. • Innovator in school music education Casey von Neumann of Eclectic Music and CaseyMcCann.com sharing the tip that let her sound just as musical as her incredibly accomplished teacher. • Leading teacher-of-teachers Sara Campbell of SarasMusicStudio, and our Resident Pro for piano here at Musical U, explaining why young children are often more in touch with their inner musicality and what we can learn from that. • Practice expert Chris Owenby from PracticeHabits.co talking about what it takes to become an accomplished musician like the greats we admire. • Rising star singer-songwriter Kendra McKinley pointing out the thing you're probably forgetting to listen to which could make you sound more musical. • Actress, singer, writer and cabaret expert Fiona-Jane Weston discussing the relationship between technique and artistry, and how to unlock the potential in a piece of music. • Composer and guitar educator David Wallimann on escaping the constraints your instrument might be placing on you. • Author of the must-have handbook for aspiring musicians, "The Musician's Way", Gerald Klickstein, on one activity that will transform your musicality and why it's more vital for music than other artforms. • Music technology expert Katie Wardrobe on one non-tech thing she does to develop her musical understanding. • World-leading vocal expert and sight-reading pro Jeremy Fisher on how to overcome tricky spots and learn music faster. • Creative music teaching expert Leila Viss on the mindset shift required to uncover your own creative voice. • Music theory innovator Scott Sharp on the special way of thinking about keys and chords that can let you understand what's going on in the music you hear and play. • And Vincent James, the man behind some of the most inspiring events and books in the world of music tops off our episode with some counter-intuitive advice for connecting musically with your audience. Are you excited? We’ve already heard all these and we’re excited all over again just talking through them! Before we dive in, if you're somebody who relishes this kind of musicality insight and knowledge then you are not going to want to miss the special edition we've put together to celebrate this 100th episode. It's called the Musicality Podcast Power Pack, and we've taken the first 100 episodes of the podcast plus some clever extra resources to help you get maximum value from each and every episode, AND some super cool bonuses contributed by our expert guests. And we've packed it all onto a USB thumb drive you can put in any computer or laptop and instantly get access to everything. No waiting for downloading, no worrying that the episodes might not be available any more in future - you've got everything you could want and more, all in the palm of your hand. We would really love for every single listener to the show to have a copy of this - so we've made it really affordable and we're including free worldwide shipping to help get this out to as many people as possible. So if you enjoy the show and want the Power Pack yourself, or if you have a friend or family member who you'd love to hand it to as an amazing musical gift, please head to musicalitypodcast.com/celebrate - that's musicalitypodcast.com/celebrate - for all the details. This is a very time-limited offer to celebrate this 100th episode, so don't miss your chance to grab a copy of the Musicality Podcast Power Pack - head to musicalitypodcast.com/celebrate today! Okay, with that said, let’s dive in.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 101   Links and Resources • Unlocking Your Musicality: Part One • Interview with Bill Hilton • Interview with David Andrew Wiebe • Interview with Casey von Neumann • Interview with Sara Campbell • Interview with Chris Owenby • Interview with Kendra McKinley • Interview with Fiona-Jane Weston • Interview with David Wallimann • Interview with Gerald Klickstein • Interview with Katie Wardrobe • Interview with Jeremy Fisher • Interview with Leila Viss • Interview with Scott Sharp • Interview with Vincent James     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Welcome to episode 100 of the Musicality Podcast! It is hard to believe - but we have reached Episode 100 of the podcast! It's been just about a year since we launched the show and it has been an absolute blast. We knew it would be fun to connect with interesting people and talk about musicality, but we had no idea just how incredible it would be. We've been blown away by the amazing people who've joined us on the show so far. We wanted to do something special to mark Episode 100 - and we'll tell you in a minute what we've got for you, it's truly something remarkable. So we talked about what to do in the team. And we're all hugely appreciative of *you* and everybody who listens to the show. So we thought about asking for listener contributions of comments or questions. But the thing is, for the most part, you guys are pretty shy! We know from the download numbers that there are a ton of people listening, but it's relatively rare that we get a new review or someone reaches out by email or leaves us a voice message. And we get that! Hey, a big part of what we do at Musical U is helping people become more confident in music and be proud that they're actively learning the skills that most people assume require musical "talent". But we know a lot of you listening aren’t there yet - So it would be a bit nuts to expect our podcast listeners to be rushing forwards bravely to put themselves out there and get in touch! So we didn't do that. But we did just want to mention it here so you all know how much we appreciate you, remind you that you are always welcome to get in touch at musicalitypodcast.com/hello - and give us the opportunity to say a big thank you for listening to the show. A special thank you of course to our *members* at Musical U who've trusted us with their musicality training and provide the financial support we need to put this podcast out for free every week. So when we were talking with the team about what we could do to celebrate hitting Episode 100 the other idea that quickly came up was that we could recap some of the stand-out lessons and quotes from our amazing interviewees. Which would be cool. But you know what would be even cooler? If we could get those same superstars to contribute something fresh and new - and something that would be really impactful on *your* musical life. So that's what we did. And a huge thank you to all our past guests who contributed a clip. We were hoping to get a handful back - and ended up with 26 contributions! The question we asked was: ”What’s one thing you’ve learned that could help musicians to tap into their inner musicality?” So what you have here - and these are going to run into a second episode too because there were so many! What you have here is an incredible collection of the most punchy insights and wisdom from more than two dozen of the world's leading music educators and musicality experts, all in one place. We have Gerald Klickstein, author of the must-have handbook for aspiring musicians, The Musician's Way. We've got the guys from the Music Student 101 podcast, my favourite podcast for learning about music theory. We have #1 Billboard hit singer and award-winning song-writer Judy Rodman. We have David Reed, the man behind the terrific Improvise For Real method for learning to improvise. We have Forrest Kinney, author of the immensely popular Pattern Play series of piano books. And I could go on and on... This might actually blow your mind a little bit, we know that we had to take breaks when listening to the clips to let things sink in a bit before absorbing more! And we're going to be splitting this episode in two, because there's no way you could sensibly absorb all of this in one go...! And speaking of jam-packed with amazing insights - before we dive into those answers from past guests, we must let you know about the Musicality Podcast Power Pack. To celebrate hitting episode 100 and all of the amazing guests we've had, we went back into all the archives, collected together all 100 episodes and then we found and created a bunch of cool extra bonus resources and material to help you get the maximum possible impact from everything in the podcast so far. We've put it all on a handy USB thumb drive so you can literally have the world's top musicality experts in the palm of your hand. We're making this available for a limited time only with free worldwide shipping. To get your copy, visit musicalitypodcast.com/celebrate - and of course not only will you be getting this fantastic resource to accelerate your own musicality training, you'll also be supporting the show. We should also mention this would be an awesome gift for a musical friend or family member. So if you enjoy the show, and whether you've listened to one episode or all hundred, please go check out musicalitypodcast.com/celebrate and see all the cool stuff we've packed into the Musicality Podcast Power Pack for you. This will be available for a limited time so go take a look today! Okay, so in this episode you're going to hear the first 11 experts answering the question: ”What’s one thing you’ve learned that could help musicians to tap into their inner musicality?” These are in no particular order, except that I've tried to group them to make for two great episodes for you to listen to. In this episode you're going to hear: • Respected author Forrest Kinney, talking about the adventure of playing. • Saxophone guru Donna Schwartz with the one crucial thing that might be stopping your performance from sounding musical and resonating with your audience. • Our very own Andrew Bishko talking about "practicing magic". • Jazz guitarist and the man behind Learn Jazz Standards Brent Vaartstra sharing the one thing you must focus on to have consistent long-term success. • Improvisation expert David Reed about when to introduce improvising into your musicality training. • Thought leader among piano teachers Dr. Melody Payne about the simple rules that can make you sound more musical. • Award-winning musician and Lydian Chromatic Concept expert Andy Wasserman talking about the "treasure hunt" of unlocking your musicality. • School music ed revolutionary Jimmy Rotheram talking about the four things which greatly impacted his own musicality. • Award-winning artist, song-writer and vocal coach Judy Rodman explaining what makes music compelling for the audience. • Natalie Weber from the world-famous Music Matters Blog on what helped her as an analytical person tap into her creative side. • And our friends Matthew Scott Phillips and Jeremy Burns from Music Student 101 round off this first episode by sharing several activities which can help you continually "level up" your musicality.   Enough from me! Let's dive in.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 100   Links and Resources • Interview with Forrest Kinney • Interview with Donna Schwartz • Interview with Andrew Bishko • Interview with Brent Vaartstra • Interview with David Reed • Interview with Melody Payne • Interview with Andy Wasserman • Interview with Jimmy Rotheram • Interview with Judy Rodman • Interview with Natalie Weber • Interview with Music Student 101     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In this episode, we tackle the seemingly intimidating topic of writing your own music, and give you tips on how you can share it with the world.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 099   Links and Resources • Interview with Todd McCarty • Heat on the Street • Approaching Improvisation module preview • Podcast episode: Approaching Improvisation • Podcast episode: Improvising Rhythm • Podcast episode: Improvising with Scales and Chords • Podcast episode: Improvising with Structure and Phrasing • Podcast episode: Learning to Improvise • Lisa McCormick’s website • Interview with Leila Viss • Interview with Marshall McDonald • Interview with Bree Noble • The Female Entrepreneur Musician podcast • Ira Glass on “having taste”   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Todd McCarty of the Heat On The Street blog where he shares insider insights on the music industry and how to find fans for your music.   You might be wondering why we're discussing music industry stuff here on the Musicality Podcast, where we normally focus on the music side rather than the business side of being a musician. Well, we're not suddenly making a shift to focus entirely on career topics, but we were really keen to feature Todd on the show because we know that a lot of musicians, particularly hobbyists, would love to get their music heard - but are either intimidated or overwhelmed by the modern landscape of music publishing. Streaming services can in theory provide immediate listeners - but may not. And record labels are still doing what they did in the 1950s - or are they?   We wanted to ask Todd about the real story behind the successes in the music industry and what the opportunities are - not for the rare "talented" virtuoso, but for the passionate amateur musician who just wants to get some fans.   Todd was a professional drummer who went on to act as tour manager and promoter, run a record label and be a Senior VP of Sales at Sony Music. He has several platinum and gold sales awards to his name and so he's certainly a man who knows what it takes to make it in the music business.   In this conversation we talk about: • Todd's own background as a professional drummer and how a pivotal audition hammered home an important lesson about the music business • We find a polite way to ask Todd: What's the point of record labels these days? • And he reveals the one thing that musicians get absolutely backwards when it comes to getting fans   Todd has a refreshingly clear and frank perspective on the music industry, something that can all too often seem confusing and overwhelming, and he provided some really big insights and mindset shifts that we know will help you, whatever stage you're at in getting your music out there.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 098   Links and Resources • Heat on the Street • About Teachers, Coaches, and Mentors • 35 Ways to Make Money with your Music • How to Get Followers on Spotify • Sign up for the Heat on the Street mailing list     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In this episode, we discuss the value of using your voice as a training tool to hone your instrumental skills - and how your voice is closely tied to rhythm, phrasing, and storytelling in music.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 097   Links and Resources • About Singing as a Tool • Learning to Sing in Tune, with George Bevan • Making Music with Ease, with Gerald Klickstein • Inside the Jazz Mind, with Marshall McDonald of the Count Basie Orchestra • Musical Storytelling and the Art of Cabaret, with Fiona-Jane Weston   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the show we're excited to be joined by one of London’s leading cabaret performers, Fiona-Jane Weston. Fiona-Jane has created and performed several highly-acclaimed cabaret shows in the UK and internationally, including "Wartime Women", about the roles women have historically played in warfare and "Looking For Lansbury", celebrating the life, heritage and career of actress Angela Lansbury.   Cabaret is a performing art that we've enjoyed but never really known a ton about and we were really curious to see what an expert like Fiona-Jane might be able to share, since it would likely channel musicality in a different form than that of a performing musician. It really lived up to that expectation, there were some really interesting ideas here that we haven't talked about on the show before.   In this conversation we talk about:   • What defines cabaret, and what makes for “good” cabaret • Story-telling through song, the importance of it both in cabaret and in music more generally, and • Connecting with your audience and what we can learn from the uniquely intimate environment of cabaret   Something that came out of our discussion that we weren't expecting was why cabaret might be more accessible to you, or any passionate amateur musician, than you might have imagined...   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 096   Links and Resources • FionaJaneWeston.com • Fiona-Jane Weston’s Wartime Women • Fiona-Jane Weston’s Looking for Lansbury • Sign up for Fiona-Jane’s email list     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever felt confused by musical modes? In this episode, we discuss how you can understand these fascinating scales through active listening and a simple yet eye-opening exercise.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 095   Links and Resources • The Many Moods of Musical Modes • Interview with Marshall McDonald • Crazy Easy Weird (Modal) Improv Trick • The Ultimate Guide to the Dorian Mode • The Lydian Scale: Seeking the Ultimate Mysteries of Music     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we have the distinct pleasure to talk with someone who we think it’s fair to say is one of the top jazz musicians in the world today and who has played with and learned from some of the true masters: Marshall McDonald, who has been playing for 20 years with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, and currently plays lead alto sax in that band. He’s also performed in the Duke Ellington Orchestra and with Lionel Hampton and Paquito D’Rivera.   We'll admit that we were a bit nervous going into this interview. Marshall has had an amazingly impressive career, and although we're jazz fans we're not jazz musicians ourselves - and we know that jazz cats often have an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz records, jazz history and the jazz musicians behind it all. And Marshall's certainly no exception! But fortunately he is also the most kind and humble guy and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with him - and he certainly didn't hold back on the amazing stories and insights on teaching and learning jazz - and music in general.   One might assume that a world-leading alto sax player would talk mostly about the specifics of jazz and sax - but as you’ll hear, Marshall’s got a breadth of wisdom and insight that cuts right across music itself. There is a ton in here for any musician to learn from.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Talent, and how he and the amazing musicians he's worked with and learned from think about talent • We ask him about learning to improvise, and the balance of preparation versus spontaneity to improvise in a way that moves the listener • And he helps Christopher shrug off a grudge he's been harbouring for 20 years and realise some advice that he got back then was actually pretty solid!   Marshall’s a natural story-teller, so this is a really fantastic interview - and we take no credit for that! He’s also a skillful educator, offering private lessons online and giving masterclasses, so he really knows how to explain what he does. Between the stories and the insights, we know you’re going to love this one.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 094   Links and Resources • Marshall McDonald’s website • Study with Marshall McDonald - all levels of saxophones, clarinet, and flute • Contact Marshall McDonald     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In the second instalment of our series on frequencies in music, we discuss the two major reasons why frequencies matter, and how sound can be understood, defined, and manipulated in terms of its frequencies.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 093   Links and Resources • About Frequencies in Music, Part One • Interview with Jeremy Fisher • Frequency Fundamentals • Contact us!     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 episode, Leila knows from personal experience what it's like to not feel creative as a musician, and to learn it step-by-step in a practical way and it was fascinating to hear how she did this and how she now helps others to do the same.   In this conversation Leila shares:   • Three pivotal experiences that opened up a route for her to become more creative • Why it might be okay to steal from musicians you admire - and what it means to "steal like an artist" • One simple exercise she uses with her students to help them start being creative on the keyboard   We find Leila really inspiring in how she approaches playing and teaching music, and we think you're going to enjoy hearing the specific ways as well as the overall mindset that have enabled her and her students to transform from on-page sheet music readers into free and creative musicians.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 092   Links and Resources • Leila Viss’s website • 88 Piano Keys • How a classically trained pianist learned to improvise • Steal Like An Artist, by Austin Kleon • The Practice Revolution, by Philip Johnston • Tin Pan Rhythm app • About the I, IV, V, and vi Chords • About Scales and Their Flavours     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 091   Links and Resources • Interview with Andy Wasserman • Interview with Jimmy Rotherham • Interview with David Row • Interview with Jeremy Dittus • Interview with Casey McCann • Interview with Shelle Soelberg • Scott’s Bass Lessons • TimTopham.com • Interview with Steve Nixon • FreeJazzLessons.com • Interested in Platinum Coaching for musicality? Just email hello@musicalitypodcast.com and put “Platinum Coaching” in the subject line     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 trained and certified to teach the Lydian Chromatic Concept.   So we were really keen to invite Andy onto the show to share a bit more about this - but as you’ll be hearing, Andy is actually a highly remarkable musician, composer and educator and we could have easily done a whole series of interviews with him!   Andy is a professional pianist, composer, arranger, performer and producer, in genres as diverse as Jazz, World Music (meaning West African, Asian, Middle East, Native American, Latin & Afro-Cuban, South American), Fusion, Funk, Hip-Hop, Electronica, Blues, New Age, and Gospel. You will have heard his music on TV and radio. And he’s had a fascinating journey to become the musician he is today.   We tried to reign ourselves in and focus on just a few topics, so in this conversation you’ll be hearing about:   • The four music mentors that helped Andy become the musician he is today, and the specific impact each had • Andy’s view on talent and what we can learn from paying attention to the music that resonates with us • And of course the Lydian Chromatic Concept created by his mentor George Russell, renowned composer and recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant. It’s a framework for understanding music, which Andy has spent decades helping to develop and teach.   It's a bit of a mouthful of a name, but as you'll hear the Lydian Chromatic Concept is, in a way, quite simple - in the sense of being fundamental and universal. It’s not something we could ask Andy to actually teach in a podcast episode like this but we talk in depth about what the Concept is, the way it can transform how you hear and play music, and how to go about learning more about it if you want to experience that transformation for yourself.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 090   Links and Resources • Andy Wasserman Official Website • Piano Lesson City: Andy Wasserman’s online one-on-one custom private lessons via webcam • Andy Wasserman’s YouTube Channel • All About Jazz website’s Andy Wasserman page • Jazz Monthly Interview of Andy Wasserman • George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept Tribute page at AW.com • George Russell Official Website • Official LCCOTO website and Forum (Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization) • Jazz Profiles: Six articles on life, career, and music of George Russell by Steve Cerra • About the Lydian Chromatic Concept • The Lydian Scale: Seeking the Ultimate Mysteries of Music • Book: The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization: The Art and Science of Tonal Gravity (order from Concept Publishing only!)     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 089   Links and Resources • Interview with Andrew Bishko • About the Lydian Chromatic Concept • Interview with David Row • Article: Seven Reasons to Learn a New Instrument     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 music education and David’s experience is predominantly with young children, we think you’ll find there’s plenty of interesting ideas here for the adult music learner too.   In this conversation we talk about: • David’s two quite different experiences of learning music growing up, singing harmony in church and taking piano lessons, and what he learned from each • Why David chose to study the Orff approach to music education even though he had already qualified and started working as a school music teacher • The specific benefits of the Orff approach for children and for adults.   We found this one really enlightening - so whether you’ve wondered about Orff or never heard of it before we hope you’ll enjoy it too.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 088   Links and Resources • Make Moments Matter • Make Moments Matter podcast • Interview with Casey McCann • Interview with Jimmy Rotheram • Elementaria: First Acquaintance with Orff-Schulwerk, by Gunild Keetman • David’s blogpost on Rhythm Syllable Systems     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 087   Links and Resources • Interview with Allan Hubert-Wright • Interview with Jeremy Fisher • About the Word “Tone” • About the Word “Tone”, Part Two     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 arts school in Paris and conducts ongoing research into vocal function. We recently had the chance to see Allan give a presentation, and we came away determined to have him on the show, because he shares the kinds of thing that can save years of frustration, confusion and wasted effort. So whether you don't sing at all yet, you're at the beginning of learning to sing, or you've been singing for years, you're going to want to pay attention!   In this conversation we talk about:   • Why being told he was a bad singer as a child didn't hold him back • How he helped one singer finally find her own authentic voice after years of imitating various singers and styles • And we bust three big myths in singing: about breathing and support, about what to eat and drink, and about how to correctly produce vowel sounds.   This conversation was such a pleasure and we know it's going to be an enlightening one for any of you listening who sing or who would like to - but find some of the teaching a bit confusing.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 086   Links and Resources • Le Chanteur Moderne • Le Chanteur Moderne on Facebook • Singing and Teaching Singing: An Holistic Approach to Classical Voice, by Janice Chapman • Vocology, by Ingo Titze • Principles of Voice Production, by Ingo Titze     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 085   Links and Resources • About Choosing an Online Music Course • Interview with David Asher Brown • Contact us   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 it a certain way when it comes to performing or publishing music. But we do think that whatever way, shape or form it may take for you, music is fundamentally about the human connection, and finding a way to share your music-making is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your musical life.   Today we're joined by Bree Noble, who as well as being an award-winning singer-songwriter is the founder of the Female Musician Academy and host of two popular podcasts, Women of Substance Radio and the Female Entrepreneur Musician podcast, both of which we listen to ourselves.   Bree is a total expert on a couple of topics that may be of interest to you, if you've had the urge to perform as a musician, or to share music you've created yourself - but you haven't known where to start, you've worried it's too late for you, or you've wondered if it might even be possible to make some money with your music.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Bree's own journey of struggling to figure out how to make a living with her music • The barriers and concerns that hold musicians back from getting their music out there and getting paid • And the sheer variety of options available today for getting your music heard, building up your presence as an artist and making some money with the music you love.   We also ask Bree something you might have wondered yourself on hearing the names of her projects a moment ago, which is why she is particularly passionate about helping female musicians specifically, and the advantages that come from focusing specifically on women in music.   This is a conversation which is sure to open some new doors in your mind and spark new inspiration about what your own musical life could look like, so please enjoy.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 084   Links and Resources • Female Entrepreneur Musician podcast • Bree Noble music • Female Musician Academy • Profitable Musician Summit • How To Go From Unknown Indie Artist To Profitable Professional Musician In 5 Steps     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 083   Links and Resources • Polyrhythm for Beginners • Playlist of songs with polyrhythm   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 musicality came from and how she goes about writing and recording her songs. Kendra is a perfect example of a musician that will be called "talented" and whose music will make you think she has gifts that make it all come easily. But as you'll hear in this interview, those abilities have come through dedication and very thoughtful pursuit of music-making, and the opportunities and projects she's enjoyed haven't been dropped in her lap by luck or fate, she's been out there putting in the time and efforts and making it happen.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Kendra's musical upbringing and the one pivotal experience that made it suddenly clear that she wanted to be a musical performer as a career • The process of recording her first album, Treat, and why it turned out to be such a wonderfully varied "buffet" of songs • Her recent artist residency in Big Sur, an incredible and unique experience that produced a new EP and helped inform who she's becoming as a musician   Kendra's album, Treat, really lives up to its name, as being a treat for your ears to enjoy, and this conversation was no different. It was fascinating to get to speak with Kendra and understand where this music has come from and what she has coming up next, so we hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 082   Links and Resources • Kendra’s website • Kendra’s Facebook • Kendra’s Instagram • Musical U’s interview with Kendra   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 081   Links and Resources • Interview with Sharon Mark-Teggart • Interview with Gerald Klickstein • Interview with Donna Schwartz • Gordon Institute of Music Learning • About Active Listening   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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, and be continually developing and improving throughout their teaching career. On the face of it you might think this interview is one for aspiring piano teachers only, or perhaps just music teachers. But we would strongly encourage you to take the kind of attitude Sharon talks about in this conversation: one of curiosity. She talks about how she would sometimes go along to training courses that didn't seem directly applicable to her, for example ones designed for classroom music teachers - but by being open-minded and curious she found she would always come away with a ton of new tools and inspiration to apply in her own teaching. In the same way we would encourage you to listen to this conversation and not just take it at face value. When we talk about teachers and students, try to consider how it all could apply not just to your own role in a student-teacher relationship, but also when studying resources online by yourself, or even when you sit and practice and you act as your own teacher. We think you'll find that all the insights Sharon shares in this conversation can be very relevant to you in one context or another in your own musical life.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The transformation Sharon went through in her own teaching, and why she is now so passionate about changing the status quo in piano teaching. • What it means to bring curiosity to your teaching and learning, and why that can be so powerful. • The teaching toolbox she has built up and now shares, including the surprising variety and power in the questions you can ask to accelerate learning.   We also talk a bit about the online course and teaching diploma training they have developed, and so if you're a teacher yourself or know somebody who is, you won't want to miss the details of that.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 080   Links and Resources • The Curious Piano Teachers • Online Teaching Diploma course • ”Let’s Play” course • Dr. Sally Cathcart’s website   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 079   Links and Resources • Interview with David Asher Brown • Interview with Jeremy Burns and Matthew Scott Phillips • Interview with Chris Owenby • Interview with Prof. Anders Ericsson • Interview with David Isaacs • Christopher’s interview on the Learn Jazz Standards podcast • Musical U Roadmaps   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 give our usual disclaimer that although David's the man behind Piano Cub, this conversation runs much broader than piano, and certainly has something to interest any type of musician.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The two big experiences that truly tested David's commitment to a life in music, and what helped him through. • How long it took him as a piano player to learn to play church organ when he was called in last minute for a gig in France. • How David’s website Piano Cub tackles possibly the biggest challenge in online learning, keeping the student motivated and engaged.   This conversation is packed with wisdom and insights from an experienced composer and innovative music educator, so there’s sure to be something that will add value to your own musical life.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 078                                                                                                                         Links and Resources • David’s composer website • David’s SoundCloud • David’s YouTube • Piano Cub • Yiddish Music Collective • About Good Music Habits   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 077   Links and Resources • About the Word “Tone” (Part One) • Interview with Donna Schwartz • Donna Schwartz’s course on saxophone tone • Series on Bass Tone • Tuning Your Instrument • Hearing Tone, Timbre, and Texture   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 extending your vocal range, through developing your singing style and even passing auditions.   Jeremy himself has had a fascinating career and one thing that made me particularly keen to have him on the show was that he was an instrumentalist first and foremost, and we think that’s given him a particular perspective on the musicality of singing that’s distinctive. The other component of that is definitely his focus on the science and analytical approach to how the human voice works and how to improve your singing.   There was a lot that we wanted to quiz Jeremy on and we had to hold ourselves back a bit so as not to produce an epic 5-hour podcast - but we still crammed a ton of interesting stuff in!   In this conversation we talk about:   • How his brain works as an expert sight-reader, and the process of learning to do the same thing yourself • The “Trombone exercise” that can help you learn to sing the right notes and land on them in tune. • And why wanting to help singers led to Jeremy discovering a love of having a camera stuck up his nose.   This is one of those episodes that packs a whole bunch of different subjects and a ton of expertise into a short conversation, so whether you’re an instrumentalist, a singer, or a bit of both, you’re going to take at least one - and probably several - really useful ideas or insights from this.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 076   Links and Resources • Vocal Process • This is a Voice Book • Vocal Process Webinars • Singing Express book series • How to Sing Legato eBook • One Minute Voice Warmup app • 7 ways to change your style without changing your sound • About the four stages of pitch matching • About the relationship between singing voice and speaking voice • Blog post: About onsets and offsets • Easy top notes - how to stretch your voice • Learning and memorizing lyrics and lines • Interview with Gerald Klickstein • Interview with Ben Parry • Podcast episode: About Your Voice Sounding Weird   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 075   Links and Resources • Interview with Andrew • The Lydian Scale: Seeking the Ultimate Mysteries of Music • The Lydian Chromatic Concept, by George Russell • Tension and Release in Music   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 represents just one small part of a long and fascinating career as a musician, composer, author and music educator. Andrew has performed and toured professionally in a number of bands, taught private instrument lessons, published a book and taught university courses in the US. He’s played a wide variety of instruments, from piano to accordion to flute and Native American flute to a recent new addition, the guitarrón. He’s played in styles as varied as classical, folk, reggae, jazz, Klezmer - and even a Pink Floyd tribute band.   In this conversation you’ll discover:   How he went from classical Chopin recitals on piano to touring the world playing flute in a reggae band. The one genre of music that resonated most deeply with him emotionally and caused him to focus on it for 15 years. Why the best way to learn to improvise might involve being taught how to go sit on a rock. This one runs long! And that was with us being very self-controlled and not diving into any one of several topics along the way which we would have loved to pick Andrew’s brains on further. After 90 minutes we felt like we’d barely scratched the surface, and there are a ton of interesting and useful insights packed into this conversation for you. You’ll see why we consider it an honour and a privilege to have Andrew on the Musical U team.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 074   Links and Resources • HeartWinds World of Music • Mariachi Flor de Missouri • How to Sit on a Rock • Napasha Music • Take lessons with Andrew • The Sound of Klezmer   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 073   Links and Resources • Interview with Chris Owenby • ”Start Playing by Ear” module preview • About Perfect Pitch • Interview with Professor Anders Ericsson • Roadmaps at Musical U   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 The Online Piano Course, which as you’ll be hearing in this episode is an interestingly different approach to learning piano, both in what is covered and the way it is taught online.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The unusual musical journey that led to him being equally comfortable in the worlds of sheet music and playing by ear • How to find patterns in the music you play, and why that's useful • The clever way Chris has managed to reconcile the importance of adapting teaching to fit each student with providing an online course for learning piano   We expected to focus mostly on practice tips and tricks in this interview but it turned out to be so rich in interesting ideas and advice about playing by ear, improvising, and finding your own way through music learning that we think we’ll have to invite Chris back for a part two in future!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 072   Links and Resources • PracticeHabits.co • Expedition Piano • The Online Piano Course • Free Piano Mini-Course • 5 Brilliant Practice Habits • About the I, IV, V, and vi Chords • Interview with Sara Campbell   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 071   Links and Resources • Interview with Jimmy Rotheram • Infographic: The Benefits of a Music Education • 20 Important Benefits of Music in our Schools • 9 Ways Learning an Instrument Strengthens Your Brain • Benefits of Learning a Musical Instrument After 50 • Fighting Dementia with Music • Singing Their Way through Retirement • Why Retirement Can Be an Excellent Time to Learn to Play an Instrument • Why You Should Learn a Musical Instrument as an Adult   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 has 98% student attendance and is in the top 1% of schools nationwide for student progress in reading, writing and mathematics. So why are we talking about this on the Musicality Podcast? Well, it turns out that a large part of their success is attributable to a greatly increased and improved music education programme for all students. We were so impressed with Jimmy’s story and the results that he and his colleagues at Feversham have managed, so we were excited to have the chance to speak with him. And as you’ll learn in this interview it wasn’t just “adding music” that made the difference. It was a particular kind of music education which focuses on developing the inner musicality of each child - and which can be equally powerful for adults too.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The specific kind of music education Jimmy adopted for use at Feversham • Why this kind of music education was initially a real struggle for Jimmy personally, given his own musical background, and why it's the exact opposite, a fun and easy experience, for his students • Whether it was the kind of music education or the increased amount that produced such amazing results   A couple of things we mention which we should probably explain in case you’re not familiar with the UK system: the “PGCE” qualification is the main teaching degree for UK primary and secondary schools, and “Ofsted” is the official body which evaluates schools in the UK.   This is a really interesting and inspiring story even if you don’t have a particular interest in childhood music education yourself, so whether you’re a parent, a teacher, or just a musician yourself, we know you’ll get a lot out of this one.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 070   Links and Resources • Feversham Primary Academy • Improving school results not with maths, but with music • Jimmy’s YouTube channel • British Kodály Academy • About Solfa • Jimmy’s Twitter   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 069 Links and Resources • Interview with Donna Schwartz • About Chord Tones • How Frequencies Work • About Whole Steps and Half Steps Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

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 Saxophone Tone”, “Practice Smarter” and “Jazz Improvisation Explained”. In this conversation we talk about: • how learning a second instrument helped Donna overcome crippling performance anxiety on her primary instrument • the revolutionary approach to teaching and learning music which really shouldn't be all that revolutionary and • the surprising key to producing a good tone that really projects This was one of those conversations where we had to keep holding ourselves back because we could have happily dived into any of several areas Donna touched on and spent hours just talking about that! So we know you’ll enjoy this and go away keen to explore Donna’s website, courses and podcast for more of her insights and expertise. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 068 Links and Resources • Donna Schwartz’s website • Donna’s online courses • The Everything Saxophone podcast • Gordon Institute for Music Learning • Learn and Sing: Your Way to Great Musicianship, with Donna Schwartz Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Musical U’s very own content editor and product manager Andrew Bishko discusses and demonstrates a variety of scale types, discussing the “flavor” of each one and how they’re put to good use in music.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 067   Links and Resources • Interview with Forrest Kinney • Module Preview: Major and Minor Scale Recognition • Hearing Key Changes • The Dorian Mode • The Lydian Mode • The Minor Pentatonic Scale   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re getting to speak with someone we’ve been hearing about for years, Forrest Kinney. He’s the author of the Pattern Play series of piano books which you might remember past guests Natalie Weber and Sara Campbell both mentioned as being fantastic for helping students get “off the page” and start to be more creative in their music-making.   He’s actually the author of 35 music learning books. He’s also a highly in-demand speaker, giving presentations on all the interesting things we’ll be talking about today, and still regularly performs, including dozens of private appearances at a certain billionaire’s house - stay tuned to hear about that.   In this conversation we talk about: • Forrest’s own musical beginnings and whether such a creative musician as himself credits talent for that creative success • The 4 Arts of Music that you can pick from and blend to find your own true identity as a musician • A creative way to think about music theory - and his opinion on scales that often gets him in trouble!   If you’ve ever felt like learning to play sheet music note by note just wasn’t the right fit for you as a musician, or you’ve felt the urge to create even though you don’t consider yourself “a creative”, you’re going to love this episode.   We should mention there were a couple of bits here where our connection got a bit patchy and you might hear a few short cut-outs - stick with it, they were very short sections and we don’t think they’ll affect how much you’ll get out of listening to this.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 066   Links and Resources • Forrest Kinney’s website • Forrest’s books - including Pattern Play    • Interview with Natalie Weber • Interview with Sara Campbell • Creating a Prepared Piano for the piece “Persia”   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Are you intimidated by the idea of sight-reading music, finding the skill to be intimidating and unattainable? This podcast episode explores how you can get started with learning this skill through musicality training, and the endless benefits that this ability yields.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 065   Links and Resources • Interview with Ben Parry • SightReadingMastery.com • Solfa and Relative Pitch • Speak Rhythms module preview   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re speaking with Ben Parry, the Artistic Director of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain - but as you’ll hear that’s just one of many musical roles he has, including formerly being a singer and arranger with the world-famous a cappella group The Swingle Singers, and directing the London Voices choir which has performed on many of the Hollywood film soundtracks that we all know and love.   We recently had the pleasure of attending a workshop Ben presented at the London A Cappella Festival and he had such a great way of getting people of all ability levels quickly singing some quite complex music, we knew we had to invite him onto the show to share his ideas with you.   In this conversation we discuss: • His own journey from classical church music to cabaret and a cappella, and how it’s all informed the way he helps people sing now. • Why having a choir get their tuning from a piano can be a really bad idea. • The pros and cons of using intervals versus using scale degrees (such as solfa or note numbers)   Ben is clearly a man who has thought deeply about singing in all forms and brings his unique experience and perspective to all his roles to the benefit of his singers. We loved having the opportunity to pick his brains, and whatever kind of singer you might be - whether you’re a vocal pro or just do karaoke at the pub, or you sing with your local choir or in a barbershop group, or you’re only willing to sing in the shower but you wish you could do more - we know you’re going to really enjoy this episode.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 064   Links and Resources • Ben’s website • Swingle Singers • Eton Choral Courses • Choir with No Name • The Choir of King’s College • National Youth Choirs of Great Britain   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You may be putting in the practice hours, but are you getting the results that your hard work deserves? In this episode, we take a look at the concepts of deliberate practice and purposeful practice, and how to integrate the two in order to make the most out of your practice time.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 063   Links and Resources • Interview with Professor Anders Ericsson • An Introduction to Solfa • Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (book)   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

This episode was a really exciting one for us because we got to speak with Professor Anders Ericsson, the leading academic researcher on the topic of “talent”. If you’ve been listening to the Musicality Podcast for a while, then you know we have a particular perspective on “talent”, and we're often asking our guests their opinion on how important talent is to become a great musician and learn the skills we associate with being a “natural” in music, like playing by ear, improvisation, song writing and more. So for a long time we’ve been wanting to speak with the man who’s done more serious research on this topic than probably anyone else. Professor Ericsson has been researching talent for over 30 years and has become famous for two things: the so-called “10,000 hour rule” for becoming an expert, and the idea of “deliberate practice”. We actually did a whole episode of this show on the 10,000 hour rule, and deliberate practice is an idea that runs through all of our teaching at Musical U. So you can imagine what a treat it was to get to talk to the man himself! He recently published a book titled Peak sharing the biggest findings from that research, co-authored with Robert Poole, and if you enjoy this episode then you must check it out, it is packed full of more information, explanation and examples of everything we talk about today. We were determined to make the most of this conversation and we asked Professor Ericsson the big questions we knew that you would be interested to hear the answers to...   Questions like:   • Is there such a thing as musical “talent”? • If you don’t have talent for music, will that affect what you’re able to accomplish? • Do you need perfect pitch to become an expert musician? • What’s the most effective way to spend your practice time - especially considering the vast abundance of tutorials and other resources available at our fingertips online these days?   His answers were just as fascinating as we’d hoped. We were looking forward to this interview for ages and it did not disappoint.   We should mention there’s a brief section towards the end where we have some noisiness on the audio. We apologise for that, we had real technical issues on this one but Professor Ericsson was really gracious and patient and in the end it turned out really well apart from that one glitchy section.   We hope you’ll enjoy this episode and feel encouraged and inspired by the proven truth about musical “talent” and what it really takes to develop your musical skills.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 062   Links and Resources • Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (book) • About the 10,000 Hour Rule - podcast episode • About Perfect Pitch - podcast episode • Making Music with Ease, with Gerald Glickstein - podcast episode • Talent vs. Practice in Music   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

With the seemingly endless fountain of resources available for the self-taught musician, it can be hard to weed out exactly how to approach your learning journey. In this episode, we discuss the idea of the musical roadmap, how it can lend structure to your learning, and how we use them here at Musical U to give members a way to keep themselves moving forwards in a way that is tailored to their musical goals.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 061   Links and Resources • Interview with Dave Isaacs • LearnJazzStandards podcast interview with Christopher Sutton       • Roadmaps at Musical U   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Dave Isaacs, a man known as the “Guitar Guru of Nashville”. Dave has been teaching music for over thirty years and provides online courses at JamPlay.com. Dave is also a performing artist, releasing ten CDs of his own and continuing to perform with an Americana trio called Renfree Isaacs. Dave wrote a terrific guest post on song writing and arranging for the Musical U website last year and we were keen to pick his brains on songwriting advice - but in this conversation we also go deep into his own journey as a musician, the interplay of theory, instrument skills and your musical ear, and how he discovered the improviser’s mindset.   Dave shares:   • The trick to breaking into improv if it’s always seemed intimidating, and how he discovered this almost by accident. • His two big tips for songwriters looking to improve. • What causes many musicians to stall or plateau after learning for a few years, and how you can best tackle that and get moving again.   Dave has had a particularly interesting journey as a musician and it’s left him with true wisdom when it comes to the right mindset for teaching and learning music. We hope you’ll find this conversation as enlightening and inspiring as we did.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 060   Links and Resources • Dave’s website • Dave’s blog       • Arranging for Songwriters, with Dave Isaacs • Dave Isaacs on JamPlay • About Active Listening • Making Music with Ease, with Gerald Klickstein   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Over the last eight episodes, we've covered a lot of ground: we first looked at the right mindset for improv, then dove right into how to use rhythm, scales, chords, harmony, structure, and form to really get your spontaneous playing off the ground. In this episode, we give you an overview of how you can approach the task at hand - learning to improvise!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 059   Links and Resources • About Improvising with Scales and Chords • About Improvising Rhythm • About Improvisation   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today as part of Improv Month we're speaking with Brenden Lowe, the man behind JazzPianoSchool.com and the Jazz Piano School Podcast. Jazz and piano can both be intimidating things for aspiring musicians and they put front and center their belief that “Anyone can learn”, as well as encouraging self-expression from the outset - so clearly a good match for our philosophy here at Musical U! Jazz Piano School has a unique approach to teaching and we were keen to hear more about how it works and how improvisation factors in.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The astonishing number of jazz tunes Brenden could play after $12,000 of traditional jazz piano lessons and why he was completely unsure how to improvise or be creative. • The “lego bricks” approach to improvising that makes it easy to learn, step by step. • The unique 4-step system they use at Jazz Piano School to connect theory, technique, improv and repertoire at every stage of learning.   This was a really fun conversation and Brenden has a great way of explaining things that cuts straight through that intimidation factor. Whether you have any interest in jazz or piano, we think you’re gonna dig this.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 058   Links and Resources • JazzPianoSchool.com • The Jazz Piano School podcast • ”My Jazz Freedom: What’s Helped and Hurt” • Interview with the creators of the Music Student 101 podcast   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

When speaking, we use phrasing to emphasize ideas, capture our listener's attention, and tell a story. The same holds true in music, and more specifically, in improvisation! Learn how to use phrasing to add structure, interest, and musicality to your improv.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 057   Links and Resources • About Improvisation • About Improvising Rhythm • About Improvising with Scales and Chords • How to “Just Play”, with Nick Mainella • How to Improvise for Real, with David Reed   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In this episode we're speaking with David Wallimann, who has one of the most popular guitar channels on YouTube with over 100,000 subscribers there. As always when we're interviewing an expert in a particular instrument, we recommend staying tuned even if you don’t play that instrument - because very little of what we cover is really instrument-specific. As well as his popularity as a guitar educator, David is a composer and recording artist who has collaborated with the likes of Dweezil Zappa. And as you’ll hear in this episode, he is just a lovely down-to-earth guy whose perspective on learning music and improvising is refreshing and seriously perceptive. David has his own guitar courses available at GuitarPlayback.com as well as a free Music Theory DNA course for guitarists at GuitarInfusion.com - something we suspect you’ll want to check out after hearing him describe it in this episode.   In our conversation we talk about:   • How to break free of fretboard patterns and “improvisation by numbers” with a counterintuitive exercise. • The big problem that puts people off music theory and the surprising impact it can have on your musical creativity. • The huge benefit you get from putting ego to one side and embracing your own uniqueness in music - both for improvisation, and for your musical life in general.   We loved chatting with David and are really glad to feature his unique perspective as part of Improv Month. As you’ll hear us say in this episode, we do think that guitar players tend to have a very particular relationship with music theory and with improvising - but David’s take on it all is something that would be valuable for any musician to take on board. We certainly hope you’ll enjoy hearing about it.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 056   Links and Resources • David’s website • David’s YouTube channel • ”Self-Taught Musicians Suck?” video • Courses on Guitar Playback • Free “Music Theory DNA” course • Note2Self: “I Love This!”, with Lisa McCormick • Doubling Down on Your Craft, with Brad Davis   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Many musicians stick exclusively to improvising with scales, leaving them feeling frustrated and creatively stunted. This episode reveals how to integrate the idea of chord tones and harmony into your improv to really tell a story with your playing!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 055   Links and Resources • Interview with Improvise For Real’s David Reed • About Improvisation • Patterns and Playgrounds • About Chord Tones • About Finding Chords in Scales   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're excited to welcome on to the show someone we were particularly hoping to feature as part of improv month: David Reed, the creator of Improvise For Real. You may have heard of this popular method for learning to improvise and it's one of the few we feel is totally aligned with the ear-led approach we recommend at Musical U and which we've been talking about on this podcast lately.   In this conversation we talk about:   • David's own musical beginnings and two big pivotal moments - one which let him finally really enjoy the learning process and the other which involved totally reframing his mindset about how music fit into his life. • We discuss the traditional approaches to music education and to learning improvisation - and the limitations these ultimately place on musicians. • And we talk about how learning to improvise the right way can be like the difference between blindly following directions versus using Google Maps to immerse yourself and explore the world you're navigating in rich, clear detail.   This episode's going to be particularly useful for two groups of people. Those who feel like improvisation is kind of a side-topic, and are not necessarily particularly interested in it. We think you're going to discover you may have dramatically underestimated how learning to improvise could help you in music.   And those who are interested to improvise, and have maybe tried one or two ways before - and found themselves a bit bewildered or disappointed by the experience. David does a fantastic job of describing how learning to improvise should be and how rewarding and straight-up fun it can be if you approach it in the right way.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 054   Links and Resources • Improvise For Real • The Rhythm of Success, with Steve Nixon • How to “Just Play”, with Nick Mainella • An Ear for Jazz, with Brent Vaartstra   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Rhythm is an under-appreciated component of music - and we're here to put it in the spotlight for improvisation month! Learn all about improvising a rhythm, how to do it, and the musicality benefits it yields.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 053   Links and Resources • About Improvisation • About Active Listening • More Ways of Knowing Music, with Jeremy Dittus • Ella Fitzgerald’s “One Note Samba”   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today, we have the first of our interview series for Improv Month here at Musical U. To celebrate the launch of our new improv Roadmap that helps you learn to improvise from scratch, we’ve put together a month packed full of material all about improv. In our first episode for improv month, we talked about how to approach learning to improvise and how it's something core and fundamental to any musician, it can take on many forms across many genres. At the same time improvisation is something that is most commonly associated with jazz music in particular. And so we were keen to kick off improv month talking to someone who's expert in how you learn to improvise jazz. Nick Mainella is the host of the "10 Minute Jazz Lesson" podcast which really lives up to its name! As a jazz fan but not a jazz musicians ourselves, we have been really enjoying listening to this show and we would highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in learning to play jazz. The way Nick discusses improv on his show was so well aligned with the way we teach it at Musical U we knew we had to have him on the show, and we wanted to start improv month with this interview because as you'll hear, so much of learning jazz improv is in fact applicable to any genre and style of improvising.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Nick's own upbringing and what he did to compensate for *not* having a natural ear for music. • The specific exercises he finds most useful for learning to improvise. • One powerful memory he has that helped set his mindset right for improvisation for years to come, and which he passes on to his students if they're at all shy or nervous about improvising. • And why someone who wants to play jazz might actually be best served by first studying the blues.   It was so much fun to talk to Nick about jazz and improv and he dropped several really valuable nuggets of wisdom in this conversation - simple things that you can go away and apply yourself and really benefit from.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 052   Links and Resources • The 10 Minute Jazz Lesson podcast • 60 Days to Crushing the Blues course • The Riff Everyone Plays Wrong • Donna Schwartz Music • About Active Listening podcast episode • About the Power of Solfa podcast episode • The 10 Minute Jazz Lesson podcast: Learning Vocabulary   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

March is Improvisation Month here at Musical U, and what better way to kick off than with a crash course in the subject? In this episode of the Musicality Podcast, we share how to (and how not to!) improvise, the far-reaching benefits of this skill, and how it ties into the creative essence of being a musician.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 051   Links and Resources • About Transcribing Music • About Chord Tones • Improvisational Playgrounds   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined on the show by Vincent James, who is the co-founder of an organisation called Keep Music Alive. They organise two big music holidays each year: Teach Music Week and Kids Music Day. In 2017 they partnered with over 600 music school and retail locations to help celebrate Teach Music Week and Kids Music Day by offering free music lessons and holding other community events including open houses, student performances and instrument donation drives. Vincent and his wife Joann are also authors of a book called "88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life" which features over 100 inspirational music stories from around the world, including a number of celebrities. And as if that wasn’t enough, Vincent is also the man behind LoveSongs.com, writing custom love songs on request.   In this conversation, we was keen to find out more about the musician behind these three fascinating and impressive projects. We talk about:   • The book “88+ Ways…” - what inspired him to take on such an ambitious project and how it came about. I also ask Vincent to share two of his favourite stories from the book. • His experience writing custom love songs for couples and his advice to all budding songwriters. • The two nationwide events he’s organised, partnering with over 600 music schools and stores across the US, to promote music learning.   And Vincent shares the biggest lesson that comes through all of these projects and successes which you can apply to your own musical life.   We've really loved reading a story or two from 88+ Ways each day recently, it’s a great way to stay aware of and inspired by the incredible power of music in our world. Between the stories Vincent shares in this conversation and the events he has coming up in 2018 that you can get involved in, you’re going to come away from this one feeling uplifted and inspired too.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 050   Links and Resources • KeepMusicAlive.org • KidsMusicDay.org • TeachMusicWeek.org • “So Many Things”, by Vincent James • 88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life • Interview with Sara Campbell     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Arranging music is not nearly as complex as its name may lead you to believe - if you've ever plunked out the chords to your favourite song on the piano and sang along, you've already done it! In this episode of the Musicality Podcast, we discuss the elements involved in arranging music, and why you (yes, you!) should take a whack at it.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 049   Links and Resources • Interview with Brad Davis • Arranging for Songwriters   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re talking with Brad Davis, a guitar icon in the world of country and bluegrass music. As you’ll hear on this episode, Brad has had an amazing career. As a go-to stage and session player in Nashville he’s played on Grammy-winning albums and worked with artists like Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Earl Scruggs, Emmy Lou Harris and Johnny Cash. He’s also an artist in his own right, recording critically-acclaimed albums under his own name and writing songs that have been recorded by well-known artists like Tim McGraw and Billy Bob Thornton. With that resumé you might be expecting a lot of swagger and pride - but Brad is one of the most down-to-earth and humble musicians we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. We found that really inspiring. This episode is a bit longer than most because there was just so much to learn from Brad. We talk about how he got started and what it took to rise rapidly through the ranks and perform with some of the biggest names in the world. How he was forging his own path from the beginning and how to do that without getting lost and stalling out like so many who try to go their own way do.   He also shared a lot of killer insights for the guitarists in our audience, like • How and why his "double down up" guitar technique can be like adding a second language alongside the traditional "down up" technique. Don’t miss the videos we’ll have in the shownotes to see this in action! • How he's able to hone in on exactly the right region of the strings for his right hand to bring out the best sound on any guitar. • Which of your two hands is the most important to train on technique - and even as a busy recording artist and record producer he's still doing this 15 minutes every day himself.   The conversation is quite a blend of guitar specifics and deep insights on career and collaboration in music - so if you’re not a guitarist yourself please don’t be put off - and in fact if you pay attention, a lot of Brad’s comments about guitar can be highly instructive for any musician.   Oh, and don’t miss Brad revealing the embarrassing nickname he earned around Nashville - and why!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 048   Links and Resources • Brad Davis’s website • The Rhythm Pick Pattern • The Double-Down Up Technique • The Brad Bender device • Brad’s bluegrass tribute to George Jones • Brad’s YouTube channel     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Rhythm is rarely random - instead, it follows an underlying structure to give the song a certain flow, a structure called meter. In meter, depending on which beats are emphasized in a bar, completely different rhythms and "flows" can be created. Let's look at how this works!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 047   Links and Resources • Interview with Jeremy Dittos • About Grid Notation • What is “the beat”? • Playlist to get you started with recognizing meter   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever heard of Dalcroze? It’s a remarkable and effective approach to music-learning that’s often discussed alongside Kodály or Orff. Today we're speaking with Dr. Jeremy Dittus, the founder and director of the Dalcroze School of the Rockies in Denver, one of the most prominent Dalcroze schools in the US, about his own experiences learning this approach and how (and why) he teaches it now. In this conversation we talk about:   - How “reading between the lines” of sheet music, Schenkerian analysis, and Dalcroze training all helped transform Jeremy into the musician and educator he is today - What exactly "Dalcroze" is and how each of its five components can benefit a musician - How and why Dalcroze uses both the fixed and movable do systems of solfege - How Dalcroze can enrich a musician who's learning in the traditional way, and why walking past a Dalcroze classroom typically means seeing a room full of adults smiling, moving and having fun.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 046   Links and Resources • The Dalcroze School of the Rockies • Videos of Plastique Animée • Video of Eurythmics class • Website: Dalcroze USA • Book: “The Perfect wrong note” by William Westney     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

If you sing, it's likely you've recorded and listened back to your voice. Chances are, you were surprised by what you heard, and thought "Is this really what I sound like?". In this episode of the Musicality Podcast, we explain why recordings of yourself sound different from what you're used to hearing, and how to get comfortable with listening to recordings of your own singing voice.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 045   Links and Resources • Interview with Judy Rodman • The Benefits of Recording Your Music Practice • HearFones, a tool for vocalists to hear themselves • How to Love Your Own Singing Voice   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're speaking with Judy Rodman of judyrodman.com and the All Things Vocal blog. Judy went from being a professional jingle singer in the 70s to getting a recording contract as a singer and having a Billboard #1 song, to writing songs and having one of them become a #1 hit for Leann Rimes, to now being an in-demand vocal coach in Nashville and the creator of the All Things Vocal blog and podcast. With that incredible career, it would be easy to assume Judy has a gift, or that she relied on natural talent. But as you'll learn in this conversation, it wasn't smooth sailing and it was a particular mindset that allowed Judy to have such success in so many different arenas in music. It's also abundantly clear from this conversation that Judy has soaked up an incredible amount of learning along the way and excels in sharing that expertise in a clear and valuable way for her students.   In this conversation we talk about: • What it was that let her succeed again and again as she pivoted her music career through the years • The two areas she recommends beginning singers to focus on and specific exercises to help with both • The number one most important thing to focus on as a singer if you want to improve and have a good-sounding voice • How studio singing differs from singing on stage • A clever device that can help you past that feeling of thinking you sound odd or bad when you hear yourself on a recording   There is a ton packed into this conversation and whether you've never sung before, you sing and want to get better, or you're already performing on stage and in the studio, there is going to be something valuable for you to take away, and we know you're going to want to immerse yourself more in everything Judy offers to help singers.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 044   Links and Resources • Judy Rodman’s website • All Things Vocal blog and podcast • Power, Path & Performance course • Singing in the Studio course • Hearfones as a singing tool • Here We Are, Judy’s album with her husband   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Without the 12-bar blues, we wouldn't have rock 'n' roll... or, come to think of it, much of the Western music we have today! In this episode of the Musicality Podcast, we'll look at the simple chord progression that comprises the 12-bar blues, how to play it in any key, and how the 12-bar blues can be used as a powerful songwriting tool (and not just by blues musicians!).   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 043   Links and Resources • Interview with Bill Hilton • About the I, IV, V, and vi Chords • Finding Chords in Scales • Playlist of songs that use the 12-bar blues • Introduction to Blues   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're talking with Bill Hilton, author of How to Really Play the Piano and the host of a hugely popular YouTube channel where over 120,000 people tune in to watch his video tutorials. As always when we have a guest who specialises in teaching a particular instrument, this episode is packed with tips and insights not just for that instrument, but for your musicality in general. In particular, Bill has great wisdom when it comes to the mindset that adult learners need.   In this conversation we talk about: • The missing pieces that hold pianists back from feeling creative and expressive on piano, and how to really learn to play • How becoming an amateur singer made him a better piano teacher • What defines “cocktail piano” and why this style is so popular and useful to learn • The surprising advantages that can actually make it easier for adults and retirees to learn an instrument than children   Bill’s attitude and his teaching really cut right to the heart of what really matters in making music. We know you’re going to enjoy this conversation.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 042   Links and Resources • Bill’s YouTube channel • Bill’s personal website • How to write a classic jazz song • Book: How to Really Play the Piano • Book: Cocktail Piano   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

We all know the "hook", if not by name. It's the catchiest, most memorable part of a song, and the culprit for getting the tune stuck in your head. In this podcast episode, learn what makes a hook, what differentiates it from the chorus, and how some famous artists have used it to elevate their songs from great to unforgettable.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 041   Instrumental hooks answers: • Queen - Under Pressure (or Vanilla Ice - Ice, Ice, Baby) • Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water • The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony • Don't Stop Believin' by Journey   Links and Resources • Interview with the HookTheory team • Musicality Means… Knowing the Slang • The genius of “Hook” by Blues Traveler   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're talking with Dave Carlton and Chris Anderson, two of the three creators of HookTheory - one of our favourite music-learning websites and one that can transform the way you understand melodies and harmony in the music you love. Ryan Miyakawa, the third team member, couldn’t be with us today but we’re hoping to have him on the show for a followup episode in future. HookTheory is one of a handful of websites that we are constantly recommending to people who are learning music and looking for easier ways to understand music theory. We’ve been continually impressed with their approach and the quality of the teaching they provide, and it was a real delight to immerse ourselves in the two HookTheory books last year. HookTheory is a new way of visualising notes and chords in music, as well as a very different and far more effective and interesting way of teaching core music theory concepts in songwriting.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The quite different musical backgrounds that the three HookTheory creators have and what they found a shared passion for that led to creating HookTheory together • What makes HookTheory different and why that might matter to you • Whether or not interactive tools like HookPad which make it easy to write music with computer assistance are removing the need for learning music theory yourself   If you’ve never been to HookTheory.com, we know this conversation will inspire you to go dive in, and if you’ve seen HookTheory in action, you’ll enjoy this peek behind the scenes of where such a cool project came from and what’s in store for the future.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 040   Links and Resources • HookTheory.com • Previous interview with Dave: an introduction to hook theory • The I-IV-V progression • The Kodály Method • The benefits of solfege   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Though hearing a rhythm in your head or tapping along to the beat comes naturally to many musicians, it can be trickier to understand rhythmic notation and put a beat to paper. Enter Groove Pizza, a simple, interactive tool to help you understand rhythms using a visual grid system that lets you see exactly how the beat is formed. In this episode, we're giving you a crash course on forming and tweaking some common beats with Groove Pizza!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 039   Links and Resources • Interview with Katie Wardrobe • Groove Pizza • Honing your sense of rhythm • Learning common beats   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're talking with Katie Wardrobe, the founder of Midnight Music - a site we’ve followed for several years because it is the go-to place to learn about cool new music tools and websites and insights on how they can be used in music education. Katie runs hands-on workshops, presents regularly at conferences in Australia and overseas and she offers online training and support to music teachers all over the world through her music technology professional development online community - the Midnight Music Community. She is also the author of Studio Sessions, a keyboard and technology program for middle school students and the host of the weekly Music Tech Teacher podcast. One thing we’ve always admired is how Katie is always able to find interesting and creative ways to use new music websites and apps for real practical teaching purposes. We loved having the chance to pick Katie’s brains on how to best use music tech in education, as well as learning a bit more about her own background and what led to her having such a creativity-focused perspective on technology in music education.   In this conversation we talk about:   • How growing up as the daughter of two music teacher parents impacted her early music education, and whether she believes it was nature or nurture that led to her becoming a music teacher herself. • Her opinion on whether easy music-making technology reduces (or even removes) the need for spending time learning music in the traditional way. • Her top suggestions for free online tools you can use today to develop your musicality in fun and interesting ways.   This conversation is packed with useful ideas for self-taught musicians and music teachers alike, and you’re going to come away with at least one (but probably several) cool new ideas for using technology in your musicality training.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 038   Links and Resources • Midnight Music • Music Tech Teacher Podcast • Book: Studio Sessions • Ultimate Free Music Tech Resources Guide 2017 • Groove Pizza online drum sequencer   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Many musicians shy away from singing. They think that they don't need it, or that it serves no purpose for them. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth - regardless of what instrument you play, learning to sing will improve your audiation skills, express musical ideas in a new way, write songs without needing to hash out the exact melody on your instrument, and fine-tune your sense of pitch.    Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 037   Links and Resources • Interview: Davin Youngs • Interview: Brent Vaartstra • Interview: George Bevan • Learning to Sing in Tune • Why Every Musician Should Sing • Learn to Sing with Musical U     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Can you imagine a room full of non-singers trying to sing, all together, completely improvised? You’re probably imagining total unmusical chaos, right? You might be surprised by what’s possible... Today we're talking with Davin Youngs, founder of Davin Youngs Voice, Chicago Circle Singing and the VOXUS Experience. Davin is a remarkable singing educator and although (as you’ll hear in this episode) he doesn’t much care about pedagogy for the sake of pedagogy, he does actually have a fascinating, unusual and in my opinion wonderful approach to helping people learn to sing and express themselves with their voice.   In this conversation we talk about: • How group improvised singing can work even if the participants aren’t trained to improvise - or sing! • Why focusing on what “sounds good” is not necessarily the right way to improve as a singer. • How someone who grew up as a natural singer ended up specialising in helping those who don’t feel natural at all to find their authentic voice and start expressing themselves through singing. We were really happy to have the chance to speak with Davin and learn more about his innovative projects. There were a ton of useful insights and ideas in this conversation, whether you consider yourself “a singer” or not.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 036   Links and Resources • Davin Youngs Voice • Circle Singing • VOXUS Experience • Jeanie LoVetri’s Somatic Voicework • Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesongs Workshop   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

What is "active listening" - and should you be doing it?   Musicians often make the mistake of thinking that "ear training" is just about specific concrete skills like recognising intervals or learning to adjust EQ bands on a mixer by ear.   But actually there's one big-picture skill that's possibly more important than all of those - as well as providing a great opportunity to put those skills to use. And that's active listening.   Learn more about what it is and a number of ways you can start doing it yourself, today, in this episode.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 035   Links and Resources • Interview: Why and How to Learn Music Theory, with Matthew Scott Phillips and Jeremy Burns • Article: How to hear more in the music you love • Article: Close your eyes to open your ears • Article: The #1 activity for every musician • Article: Audiation, the secret music practice skill     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on the Musicality Podcast, we have two guests joining us on the show: Matthew Scott Phillips and Jeremy Burns, who together host the Music Student 101 podcast, a terrific show that dives deep into music theory in a way that makes it easy to understand, as well as covering other topics like music careers, different instruments, and tips for bands.   Matthew and Jeremy are based in Birmingham, Alabama, and although they studied some of the same courses at university together, their musical lives have taken them in quite different directions. Matthew is the award-winning composer of over 70 instrumental and vocal works in a wide range of musical styles, and is now a professor of music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Jeremy runs Area 47 Sound, where he has recorded sound for commercials, documentary, film, national news, and prime time television. He’s also a bassist, performing live with three bands.   We're regular listeners of the Music Student 101 podcast and often recommend it to people who ask us how they can brush up on their music theory - so we were really delighted when they agreed to come on our podcast and share their own experiences and insights.   In this episode we talk about:   • How music theory and ear training have played a part in two quite different music careers - one into academia and composing, the other into performance and live sound recording • The big mindset shift you need to make learning music theory fun and successful • The core skill that underlies having a good ear, and bridges the gap between musical ear training and audio ear training   And we ask them the very blunt question: Is there a point to doing a music degree?   If you've ever questioned the usefulness of music theory or a music degree - or wondered if they're things you're missing out on, this conversation with Matthew and Jeremy is going to provide you with some real wisdom and insight.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 034   Links and Resources • MusicStudent101.com • Berklee Online • Who’s On Your Ear Training Team? • Active Listening Tutorial   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Chords sometimes referred to with numbers, and chord progressions as a series of numbers, such as I-IV-V or 1-4-5. Find out what these numbers mean, how to build chords on any note in any key, and how you can use this to write unforgettable songs!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 033   Links and Resources Turning Ordinary People into Musicians, with Casey McCann(interview) Note2Self: "I Love This!", with Lisa McCormick(interview) Making Ear Training Fun, with Steve Myers(interview) Finding the Notes Yourself, with Sara Campbell (interview) Seriously Enjoyable Music Learning, with Shelle Soelberg(interview) A Toolbox of Musical Understanding, with Scott Sharp(interview) I-IV-V Chords in Major Keys The vi-IV-I-V chord progression The Circle of Fifths Podcast Episode: The Power of Solfa   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're speaking with Casey McCann, founder of Eclectic Music and The Little Middle School in Atlanta. We had the pleasure of meeting Casey in person recently and found her to be such a kindred spirit in the way she thinks about music education and the importance of empowering musicians with ear skills and musicality from the outset.   Talking with her was so enjoyable that we knew we had to have her on the show, and share some of her ideas and insights with you too.   Casey is the founder of Eclectic Music which offers music lessons and classes to musicians of all ages, and The Little Middle School, a small private academic program for ages 11 to 14. Casey believes that anyone can learn anything, as long as they have the tools and guidance.   She especially enjoys working with students who have struggled in the past and helping them to find success. At Eclectic Music, they have the tagline of “Turning ordinary people into musicians”, which we love. And she’s also incorporated musicality training into The Little Middle School’s academic program, something we talk about in this conversation.   As always, we were keen to dig into Casey’s own early music experiences and how she developed her musicality before starting to help others to do the same. We talk about:   • The key insight about guitar and music theory that let her immediately have new freedom playing piano • How she was able to start playing songs by ear, even without formal ear training • Why at her school they let students pick each day what instrument they want to play rather than expecting them to pick one and stick with it for weeks or months   There are a few really key insights in this episode as well as a refreshing and powerful philosophy on approaching music learning in general. We loved having the chance to speak with Casey again and we think you’re going to really enjoy hearing her perspective and seeing how it can impact your own musical life.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 032   Links and Resources • Eclectic Music • The Little Middle School • Kodály: A Musical Language • The Benefits of Do-Re-Mi, also known as solfège   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Transcribing music ensures that it can be replicated again and again by different musicians while still maintaining its melody, rhythm, and dynamics. It's a beautiful thing, and picking up the skill of transcribing can do wonders for your musicianship! Here, we discuss how to tailor your transcription style to your instrument and your goals, and share some hidden benefits of learning to put music to paper!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 031   Links and Resources Steve Nixon interview episode FreeJazzLessons.com Learn transcription Tips for transcribing music     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're joined by Steve Nixon of FreeJazzLessons.com, one of (if not the) top websites for playing jazz piano - though actually it covers some non-jazz material too, and if you’re thinking that jazz means “advanced”, this episode is going to set you straight.   Although Steve specialises in piano, pretty much everything we talk about today applies across all instruments, and most of it is highly relevant outside of jazz too, so whatever instrument and genre you play, you’ll get a lot from this conversation.   Steve has an impressive background as a musician and music educator. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, he played over 1,800 gigs as a professional pianist in over 17 countries around the world, performing with Grammy Award-winning artists such as Koko Taylor and Buddy Guy.   He’s taught over 14,000 piano lessons and created FreeJazzLessons.com, the largest jazz piano education website in the world, which reaches over 60,000 students each month.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Steve’s opinion on the importance of musical talent versus hard work and how much each has contributed to his own enormous success • His philosophy on improvising - and a cool trick for how you can make your improvisation sound more interesting, even with just a single scale over a single chord • Plus the importance of rhythm skills and three great tips for how to develop your own sense of rhythm   And if you're starting to think about getting called on to play Christmas music this year, you won't want to miss what Steve shares about making the same-old Christmas tunes feel fresh and exciting for your audience.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 030   Links and Resources • FreeJazzLessons.com • Course: Zero to Hero • Course: Jazz Improvisation Super System • Preview videos for Jazz Improvisation Super System course • Course: The Christmas Jazz Piano Super System • Steve's Inner Circle program • Steve’s interview on the Learn Jazz Standards podcast • The Musicality Podcast: Finding Chords in Scales   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Approaching your music practice with the best goals, intentions, and instructions unfortunately isn't enough. If you want your practice to pay off, it's important to develop good practice habits and stick to them. On this episode of The Musicality Podcast, we start you off with four simple habits you can work into your routine!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 029   Links and Resources • Interview with David Andrew Wiebe • Music Entrepreneur HQ • New Music Industry podcast • Christopher Sutton’s interview on LearnJazzStandards.com • Music Student 101 podcast     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

On today's show, we're joined by David Andrew Wiebe. David's a man of many projects, and as well as writing on his site MusicEntrepreneurHQ.com and hosting the New Music Industry podcast, he is also a songwriter, performs regularly with two bands and has written a book, "The New Music Industry", soon to be followed by another all about the creative process, called "Flashes of Elation".   We discovered David's work when featuring a podcast episode of his "The Importance of Ongoing Self Education for Musicians" in an article on our website. And it's been a real pleasure to dive into his web and podcast archives and have this opportunity to speak with him on our show.   In this conversation we talk about:   • Why performing regularly was so important to his finding freedom of creative expression and tapping into his musical instinct on guitar • What he recommends to beginner song writers trying to find inspiration • The conflict between thinking about "passion" and "inspiration" versus just getting solid creative work done day after day • His number one tip for musicians collaborating in a band or other creative projects   One thing we love about David is his ability to balance the creative spirit with the down-to-earth practicalities of being a musician. It's fascinating to talk with him and hear his perspective and if you’ve ever struggled creatively, you’re going to really enjoy this conversation.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 028   Links and Resources • Music Entrepreneur HQ • New Music Industry podcast • Book: New Music Industry • Upcoming book: Flashes of Elation • Long John Lev, one of David’s bands • “There’s Only One Boss” rap track • Ultimate-Guitar.com   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Though you may think of scales and chords as two separate entities, they are very closely intertwined! In fact, chords are very easy to construct if you already have a scale in mind. In this episode of The Musicality Podcast, we discuss how to go from scales to chords with one simple trick, and the practical applications of this skill in playing by ear, songwriting, and improvisation.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 027   Links and Resources • The Musicality Podcast: Scott Sharp interview episode • Fretboard Toolbox • The Musicality Podcast: Sara Campbell interview episode • Solfa episode of The Musicality Podcast • Christopher Sutton’s interview on TimTopham.com • FreeJazzLessons.com     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we're talking with Scott Sharp, the creator of Fretboard Toolbox - an innovative way to explain the notes and chords in each key for guitar, bass, piano, banjo and more.   Interestingly, Scott started learning music later than you might expect and really didn't consider himself all that musical. But an impactful experience in his day job as a high school biology teacher unlocked music theory in a way that let him start improvising, playing by ear, and being creative and confident in music.   He built on that insight to create his "fretboard toolboxes" for a range of instruments, and provides them online at fretboard-toolbox.com. He’s also just released a very cool “Theory By Hand” eBook that makes it easy for you to figure out the scales and chords in any key.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The big theory insight that let him start playing by ear and improvising and led him to create a whole new way to show how music theory works • Why learning to play a whole bunch of instruments isn’t nearly as hard as you might imagine • And the advice Scott would have for anyone who fears they’re “unmusical”   Scott’s Fretboard Toolboxes are an amazing resource for any musician looking to explore the more creative side of music-making and give themselves a shortcut to sounding good and understanding what they’re doing with the notes they choose to play.   Please enjoy this conversation and come away inspired to explore this approach to theory yourself!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 026   Links and Resources • Fretboard Toolbox • Free jam tracks • Theory By Hand ebook • Online Lessons with Scott • The Circle of Fifths, an invaluable tool for understanding chords, scales, and more     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Mindfulness isn't just for buddhist monks; for musicians, mindset is just as important as your chops. Stewing on your mistakes and thinking pessimistically about your progress aren't just bad for your brain - they can have a real hindrance on your actual progress. In this episode, we discuss how mindfulness can help you ignore that negative little voice and focus on your playing.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 025   Links and Resources • Interview with Lisa McCormick • Meditation for Beginners, by Jack Cornfield • The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle • The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer • Calm.com - to aid your meditation and relaxation • The Headspace app, with guided meditations to get you started     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever felt frustrated because you keep getting something wrong in the music you’re learning? Or worried that there is just too much to learn and you’re coming to music too late to ever master it all?   Today we have the pleasure of interviewing Lisa McCormick, a successful singer-songwriter and the creator of the “Note2Self” methodology of music learning, which can help with exactly those kinds of mindset barriers, especially among adult musicians.   After several years as a successful artist, Lisa turned her attention to teaching and now specialises in helping adult beginners get going with guitar and ukulele. We first met Lisa several years ago after discovering an excellent course she created to help guitarists start playing chords by ear. As well as in person classes 1-on-1 and in groups around Brattleboro, Vermont, she provides courses through her website LisaMcCormick.com and is a senior faculty member at GuitarTricks.com.   What we love about Lisa’s approach is that she really focuses on the joy of making music from day one and strips away the complexity that can often make learning music frustrating for adults.   In this conversation we talk about:   • The emotional baggage that can make it difficult for adults to begin learning a new instrument and how to get around that • How she helps complete beginners play a song on ukulele in less than ten minutes - and play several songs by the end of the day • How the Note2Self methodology can equip musicians - particularly those who are self-taught or trying to make use of internet resources to learn - to get away from the negative self-talk and confusion that can hold them back, and instead learn faster by having effective and healthy mental habits   Lisa also shares the simple 3-word mantra from Note2Self that you can start using immediately - and honestly this alone could be transformative for how much you enjoy your musical journey...   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 024   Links and Resources • LisaMcCormick.com • The Sexy Secret of “One, Four, Five” • Getting Started with Guitar • Lisa’s Guitar Lessons, on GuitarTricks.com     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

"It takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert," states the 10,000 Hour Rule. Undoubtedly, working passionately and diligently towards your musical goals is a great formula for success, but what if musicians could get the results they want before hitting this numerical milestone? We discuss the truths and myths surrounding the 10,000 Hour Rule, and how to best allocate those hours to become a master musician.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 023   Links and Resources Interview with Ged Brockie Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell How Musicians Should Spend Their 10,000 Hours How to Get More out of Every Practice Session     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today on The Musicality Podcast, we're joined by Ged Brockie, founder of the Guitar and Music Institute, a website which provides original and curated content to help guitarists develop their skills - and, as you'll learn in this conversation, also provides insights and education useful to any musician.   Playing multiple instruments can both broaden and deepen your understanding of music, and is one of the best things you can do for your musicality. In that spirit, even if you're not a guitarist yourself you'll want to stay tuned, as Ged's story and perspective on learning music is still going to be very interesting and relevant for you.   Ged has been a professional musician for over thirty years, performing across the UK. He's helped develop courses for higher education, launched a summer school and a music festival, and composed original music for television, theatre, and film.   Somehow, amongst all of that he's also found the time to:   Publish the "Fastline" series of guitar tutor books teaching jazz, blues, rock and more Write a book with accompanying tutorial videos called Drop Two Voicings Uncovered Create a huge website at GuitarAndMusicInstitute.com Launch the GMI podcast earlier this year   Ged is a great storyteller, and in this conversation we talked a bit about his early beginnings in music, what it was like growing up as a musician in Scotland in the 80s, how things have changed in terms of learning music and performing, and his perspective on what's good and bad about the current status quo in music education.   He shared his opinion on whether there's such a thing as musical "talent" (and if so, how important it is), the most important thing you can do while studying music to turn you into a real musician, how learning music is like learning a language, and the connection between theory, technique and musicality.   We also talk about a man smashing a bus stop.   We hope you enjoy this wide-ranging and illuminating conversation with Ged!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 022   Links and Resources GMI: Guitar and Music Institute The GMI Podcast GMI Podcast Episode: Interview with Christopher Sutton, CEO of Musical U Drop Two Voicings Uncovered - The Must-Have Book for Guitarists Fastlines Blues Guitar Method and Jazz Guitar Method     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Learning and understanding chord tones will help you create memorable melodies with tension and release and solo over existing progressions. This in turn will help you play by ear, improvise, and write songs - enabling you to choose the notes that sound the best, rather than using trial-and-error to form your chords and melodies.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 021   Links and Resources • Interview with Meghan Nixon • Playing by Ear with Brad Mavin - Chord Tones • Chord Ear Training How-To: Chord Types • Practice I-IV-V Progressions     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Today we’re joined by Meghan Nixon, of HowToSingSmarter.com. You may be confused by the title: singers want to sing louder, higher, stronger, more confidently - but “smarter”?   As you’re going to discover in this conversation, singing smarter is perhaps the most important thing you can do to improve your experience and results as a singer.   During the course of her career in music, Meghan has helped hundreds of people become better singers and musicians. She works with voice and piano students of all ages, levels and genres in her busy private studio in Arvada, Colorado. She is a classically-trained vocalist with a degree in Jazz Performance from Michigan State University and has performed in Jazz, Rock, Funk, R&B, Bluegrass and Folk bands. She’s been teaching voice for 15 years and focuses on healthy singing technique, ear training and musicianship.   In this episode Meghan shares with us:   • The framework she puts in place with all her students that helps them approach new songs, sing the right notes, and even sight-sing music they’ve never seen before. • The truth about “tone deafness” and how she helps first-time singers to quickly get the hang of singing in tune, and • How she went from being too scared to even try improvising as a singer, to knowing clearly and confidently how to assemble the right notes at the right time.   We loved chatting with Meghan about what it means to “sing smarter” and how it can help all those of us who aren’t necessarily “natural singers” to feel just as confident and capable as those who are.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 020   Links and Resources • HowToSingSmarter.com • The Tone Deaf Test • Beginner Solfa Sight-Singing Practice Exercises     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Though you may be tempted to panic or freeze up after playing a bad note during your performance, your mistake is not the end of the world - far from it!   Learn four tips and tricks that will get you through those moments, with your audience being none the wiser.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 019   Links and Resources • Interview with Melody Payne • Get Confident module preview • Making Music with Ease, with Gerald Klickstein     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

On this episode, we are joined by Melody Payne, a.k.a. “The Plucky Pianista”. Melody has been writing online since 2012, sharing innovative and forward-thinking ideas for teaching music more effectively.   In this conversation, we talk a lot about getting “off book” - meaning being able to play even without the note-by-note sheet music in front of you.   Melody shares an impactful early experience with a performance that went wrong and how she eventually learned to handle musical mistakes with grace.   She found a great way to get started playing by ear and improvising with a friend, and that led on to wanting to equip her students with the tools needed to feel that freedom.   Melody teaches two particular skills and uses a special app to help her young students quickly start playing the songs they love in their own way without needing to learn them note-by-note.   One thing a lot of musicians struggle with is how to make their performances actually sound good - not just hitting the right notes at the right time, but actually moving the listener. Melody shares insights on her "Three Rules for a Magical, Musical, Moving, Performance".   If you’ve ever felt limited to playing just the notes that are put in front of you, you’re going to love this episode. Melody shares so openly and has real insights on getting “off book”.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 018   Links and Resources • MelodyPayne.com • iReal Pro app • 3 Rules for a Magical, Musical, Moving Performance • Accompanying 101: 10 Tips for Beginning Accompanists     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

The ear training journey is a long, yet immensely rewarding one. Along the way, there's a trap that 90% of students will fall into, leading them to think they aren't making progress and causing them to lose focus and motivation to develop their ear. Thankfully, one simple tip will prevent you from falling into this trap and will help you make the most out of your ear training practice.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 017   Links and Resources • An Ear for Jazz, with Brent Vaartstra • Learn Jazz Standards • Instrument Packs at Musical U     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

On the show today we're talking to Brent Vaartstra from LearnJazzStandards.com, one of the leading websites for people to learn to play jazz.   Now if you’re not into jazz you might already be thinking about skipping this episode - don’t!   This conversation tackles exactly that question of whether jazz has anything to offer musicians who aren’t necessarily dedicated to jazz. And also the core skills you can learn to help you find musical freedom in jazz - or any other genre.   Brent has been running Learn Jazz Standards since 2011, publishing new articles and podcast episodes every week. He also performs and teaches around New York and is the author of jazz books for Hal Leonard including “500 Jazz Licks” and “Visual Improvisation for Jazz Guitar”.   On today's podcast, we pick Brent's brains about what does (or doesn’t) make jazz unique as a genre, and ask him a few questions that frequently come up among Musical U followers and members on the topic of jazz.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 016   Links and Resources • Learn Jazz Standards • Learn Jazz Standards Podcast • Free resource: The Ultimate Ear Training Blueprint • The Jazz Ear Startup Guide: Five Master Tools (featuring Camden from LJS)     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Pentascales are a common type of scale used by pianists and singers but they can be interesting and useful to all musicians. Discover what a pentascale is, how it's different to a pentatonic scale, and how getting to know pentascales can help you in your musical life.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 015   Links and Resources • Interview with Sara Campbell • Improvisational Freedom Through Constraints • Pentatonic scales (different from pentascales!)     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you wished you could play music without needing to look at notes on a page? In this conversation with Sara Campbell, the Resident Pro for piano at Musical U, we explore a variety of ways you can learn to "find the notes yourself".   In this episode we dive deep into how to get started with playing by ear and improvisation. Sara shares insights and specific tips that can be applied on any instrument, not just piano.   She recommends one particular activity you can try today to get started improvising - and the essential warning you’ll need to hear if you want it to go well!   And she reveals a powerful way to flip your understanding of the piano keyboard and see it in a whole new way - something that’ll be useful for anyone who occasionally dabbles on keyboard, not just devoted piano players.     Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 014   Links and Resources • SarasMusicStudio.com • Upbeat Piano Teachers • Recommended: Tim Topham • Recommended: Andrea Dow • Recommended: Supersonics Piano • Free download: Celtic music improv • Free download: Pentascale piano charts • Instrument Packs at Musical U     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

  Today we're going to talk about finding "your note". This is an exercise which George Bevan from the Music@Monkton blog developed, to help people who think they can't sing to take their first steps to becoming a capable and confident singer.   If you've ever worried that you can't sing at all, or you have a friend who's convinced they're tone deaf, the exercise in this episode will be really useful for you..   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 013   Links and Resources Interview with George Bevan Music@Monkton blog SingTrue app     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever worried that you’re “tone deaf” or can’t sing? Or do you have a friend or family member who just can’t seem to sing in tune or in key? In today’s podcast episode we’re joined by a true expert who’s had some phenomenal results helping those who “can’t sing” to start singing in tune.   George was someone we reached out to when doing research a few years back for our Tone Deaf Test and SingTrue projects at Musical U.   A trained singer himself, George found himself repeatedly faced with students who just couldn’t seem to hold a tune and were reluctant to get involved in choir. He started “experimenting” with how to help them, and now with his “Music at Monkton” blog he regularly shares insights, techniques, and triumphs as he goes about his work teaching music and leading choirs at a secondary school in the United Kingdom.   In this episode George shares:   The most important lessons he learned from entering music contests as a child   What can sometimes be missing from choirs – and the power of putting it in place   How he helped just a couple – and then a whole horde – of shy teenagers to “calibrate” their voices and go from thinking they’re tone deaf to singing capably and confidently in front of people.   The specific three-part approach George uses to create this transformation.   If you’ve ever wondered if you’re tone deaf or thought you just “can’t sing” – or if you’re a teacher who has faced people who feel that way and wanted to help them – this episode is one not to be missed!   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 012   Links and Resources The Music@Monkton blog The Choir Who Can’t Sing The Choir Who Can’t Sing videos: 2015 Flashmob, You Raise Me Up (with 8 soloists) ToneDeafTest.com SingTrue app     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You’ve probably heard the advice that recording yourself during music practice can help you learn and improve faster. There are three big reasons to do it but recording your playing or singing can be scary! Fortunately, you can make it easy. Learn how in this episode. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 011 Links and Resources • Interview with Gerald Klickstein • Audacity recording software • Contact the show – record a quick message! Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Have you ever wondered if professional musicians have some special ability or received special teaching that helps them be creative, improve faster and be somehow immune to performance anxiety? It turns out there are “under the hood” techniques which any musician can use to gain these same abilities, and transform the experience of learning music into one of joy and ease. Today on the podcast we’re joined by Gerald Klickstein, author of a ground-breaking book which is widely respected in the world of music education: The Musician’s Way. Written as a handbook for the aspiring professional musician it’s packed with insights and strategies that can actually empower any musician. It tackles some of the most confusing and frustrating problems that musicians face, regardless of their instrument, musical style or career aspirations. Topics like: how to design your practice to actually achieve results quickly and consistently. How to gain confidence to perform, even if it terrifies you. And how to nurture your creativity and collaborate well with other musicians. The book reveals the hidden areas which professional musicians benefit from for learning, playing and performing – but which are generally left out of traditional instrument lessons. Gerald has extensive experience as a teacher including on the faculty of several US universities – but the book isn’t based only on his own ideas and opinions. It’s evidence-based, meaning he’s drawing on a wide body of research and sharing what has been proven to work.   In this conversation Gerald shares: • One unorthodox but incredibly valuable piece of advice on how to choose the exercises and pieces you work on. • A simple but effective way for anybody to overcome performance anxiety using a practical process, as well as a really useful framework for thinking about what’s causing your anxiety when it arises. • A great tip for anyone who’s wanted to record themselves playing but found it a really intimidating and stressful experience. • Plus how the experts take full advantage of their “musical autopilot” – but without leaving themselves prone to performance freeze-ups due to relying on it.   If you’ve ever struggled to make your practice time deliver real results, or you’ve had any anxiety around performing music then you’re going to love this episode and how it opens your mind in new and useful ways.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 010   Links and Resources • The Musicians Way book on Amazon • MusiciansWay.com companion website • Growth Mindset: Blog post by Gerald Klickstein, Mindset book by Carol Dweck • Deliberate Practice for Musicians   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Being able to name notes you hear can seem like a magical ability, and when you meet someone with "perfect pitch" it can be impressive and inspiring. But perfect pitch is not necessarily the road to take if you want to learn those skills yourself...   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 009   Links and Resources Interview with Steve Myers People can often sing songs from memory in the right key Learning some degree of perfect pitch is possible as an adult How to learn a "reference pitch" Learn more about relative pitch with intervals or solfa     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

  As musicians we know the power of ear training to gain the instinctive feel for notes, chords and rhythms in music that can enable us to play by ear, write music, transcribe, improvise and more. But ear training can be a slow, hard process, right? What if it didn't have to be... What if it could be a game?   In 2010 a new website appeared promising a range of ear training games... That website was Theta Music Trainer and over the last several years it’s gone from strength to strength. It now boasts a range of 50 ear training games covering a wide range of core topics including chords, rhythm, relative pitch, audio EQ, and more. The games are now available on iOS and Android as well as in your desktop web browser - and they’ve helped over 50,000 musicians worldwide.   Theta Music Trainer is something we’ve continually recommended since it launched, including to members of Musical U who find it’s a great addition to the training we provide.   Back in 2010 we interviewed Theta Music founder Steve Myers about the site and on the show today we catch up with Steve and learn more about Theta Music Trainer and how their ear training games have been helping musicians develop their core musicality.   In this episode you’ll learn about Steve’s own ear training journey and what made him see the potential for ear training games online.   He shares the surprising thing they learned about who it is that uses Theta Music Trainer the most - and how that’s actually different in their home country of Japan.   And Steve gives his top tips for getting started with ear training yourself.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 008   Links and Resources Theta Music Trainer Launch interview from 2010 Musical U's list of musicality skills     Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You’ve probably heard of solfa, solfège, or the “do re mi” system of music learning. But did you know it’s one of the most powerful ways for any musician to recognize notes easily by ear? In this episode, we introduce solfa and why learning it could have a powerful positive impact on your musical life.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 007   Links and Resources Interview with Shelle Soelberg Solfege: Why Do Re Mi isn’t just Child’s Play Scale Degree Recognition Resource Packs (Preview) Special offer for podcast listeners Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Solfege and chord theory as the two powerful tools. Theory doesn’t have to be dry! You can learn in a practical, useful, meaningful way Chord theory and solfege can reveal how music works when you listen to it, and connect what you hear with what you play - whether that’s Beatles or Mozart! Whether you’re young, an adult who’s new to music, or someone who’s been learning music but struggled with theory (or not even known why to bother), focusing on these fundamentals can equip you to feel true freedom and creativity in your musicality. Although solfege might be associated with children and is very useful for them, it’s equally powerful and possible for adults to learn - as Shelle herself is an example of! In fact, many of the core foundation skills taught to 4-8 year olds at Let’s Play Music are a great way for adult musicians to connect with their inner musical instinct and start to gain freedom and confidence in music-making. So the methodology of Let’s Play Music isn’t just a great option for young children to get off to a strong and versatile start in music - it’s a perfect example of how even adults can learn music in a fun, creative and empowering way, by focusing on the inner skills that let you go beyond just being an “instrument player” and in fact become a “musician”.  LPM Website Guest post on solfege https://www.musical-u.com/learn/guest-post-solfeggio-and-ear-training-shelle-soelberg/ Interview about LPM https://www.musical-u.com/learn/interview-with-gina-weibel-from-lets-play-music/

As a musician you might have heard of "whole" and "half" steps. Also known as "major and minor seconds" or "tones and semitones". These are the building blocks of melodies, chords and all the pitches you hear in music and getting to know them in detail yourself opens up all kinds of exciting musicality potential.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 005   Links and Resources Jermaine Griggs interview Interval ear training Music Student 101 daveconservatoire.org   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

Back in 2009 there really wasn’t much information online about ear training and developing your musicality. But one site which stood out then, and which continues to be among the top sites online for playing by ear was HearAndPlay.com.   On today's interview we're talking with Jermaine Griggs, who started Hear And Play back in 2000 and has had phenomenal success helping musicians around the world to learn to play music by ear. His success has led to him being a highly-sought after teacher and mentor in the entrepreneurial world, as well as a beloved teacher in the world of Gospel music - and even led to him being invited to the White House to meet President Obama.   Jermaine is a passionate educator with incredible insights into how learning to play by ear can be made simple and methodical - for anyone.   This conversation covers his own musical development and how he came to codify his methodology and launch HearAndPlay.com.   He shares what makes Gospel music unique, while also allowing it to be an amazing way to learn skills for all genres.   And there’s an inspiring example of one Hear And Play student who found great success despite a seemingly-huge personal limitation.   Jermaine also shares some nifty tips and tricks which you can apply right now to help you start playing by ear - as well as a bit of software that can make it dramatically easier.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 004   Links and Resources HearAndPlay.com SongTutor software Gospel Music Training Center vanBasco Karaoke   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

You’ve probably seen a chord chart or lead sheet: a simplified version of sheet music which provides just the minimal essentials to play the song. How do you go from that to a great-sounding arrangement? There are a few things to know…   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 003   Links and Resources Musicality Means… Playing from a Lead Sheet Interview with Natalie Weber from Music Matters Blog Music Matters Blog MelodyPayne.com   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

  Have you felt limited in music, or intimidated by creative tasks like playing by ear and improvisation? Have you wondered if the musicians who can do those things could always do them – or if they somehow learned? You might be surprised by the answer! In today’s episode we discover how a positive attitude and the right “toolkit” can equip you to find your own creative freedom in music. Today we’re joined by Natalie Weber, founder of the popular MusicMattersBlog.com, a site devoted to inspiring creativity in music education. Natalie has studied music since the age of 7 but it was only later on that she broke free of the sheet music and found the kind of creative freedom which she now shares with students of all ages and levels in her independent piano studio and with music teachers worldwide on Music Matters Blog. Natalie writes regularly to share lessons from her own piano studio and also keeps right up to date with all the interesting developments from other websites and music educators. Topics on the site range from highly practical guides and suggestions for covering topics like rhythm or ear training in lessons, through to app reviews and conference reports to share the latest goings-on in the world of music education. We interviewed Natalie for our site back in 2011 so it was high time we caught up again! In this episode we talk about Natalie’s own journey from being a note-reading pianist to finally breaking free of the sheet music. How that took a combination of practical techniques and a big mindset shift about what it means to make music. She shares two pivotal experiences that totally transformed how comfortable she felt making music out of nothing and now inspires the creative approach she takes in her own teaching and leadership of other music teachers around the world. You’re going to hear how important it was that she had a positive attitude in her own music learning – really inspiring if you want to expand your own musicality. Also: would you guess that Natalie’s new course on music theory and reading sheet music was actually created in partnership with two people who struggled with that the most… Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 002 Links and Resources Music Matters Blog 2011 Interview with Natalie For the Love of Music course – Special Offer! Save $10 with discount code MUSICALU Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review

In this first episode of the new Musicality Podcast, Musical U founder Christopher Sutton introduces the show and shares what you can expect. Learn how we define “Musicality” and how this podcast can help you to gain a natural freedom and confidence in music.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 001   Links and Resources • What is Musicality? • Get extra bonuses and behind-the-scenes exclusives with Podcast Insiders • If you enjoy the show please rate and review it! • Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners • Let us know what you think! Email: hello at musicalitypodcast.com   Enjoying the show? Please consider rating and reviewing it! Click here to rate and review