“There is one thing I should say, and it’s important: Young Broadway singers and anybody who is an orator of any kind – lawyers who have to speak in court or pastors or anyone who has a lot of stress on their vocal cords: You should do the maintenance. You should do whatever it takes to feel fresh and good.” – Julie Andrews, Actress & Singer Each time you use your voice, you place strain on your body. This is something you should take into consideration before giving a lengthy speech or singing. It is highly recommended that you…
This year we began teaching online lessons over ZOOM, first by necessity, and now as an option for all students when needed. This has been invaluable, as students who would otherwise miss lessons due to any number of reasons; a cold, bad roads, or quarantine purposes, have still been able to ‘attend’ their lesson online and continue their music learning. As well, students who live in more remote communities are able to access high-quality music education! There have been a number of true benefits! Another benefit to ZOOM is that students and teachers are able to share videos and…
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice.” – Vladimir Horowitz, Classical Pianist We’ve heard it a million times: practice makes perfect. It is true that practicing is a key component of improving and applies to basically any activity; this includes learning an instrument. At Crescendo Music Studios, we often say these final words to the student as they walk out the door: “don’t forget to practice!” We hold this as a high value at our studio! The famous adage ‘practice makes perfect’ is said for a reason; however, at Crescendo Music Studios our preferred quotes are these: practice makes…
“I enjoy reading about the lives of musicians, and find many similarities in their ideas of preparation and their utter devotion to this great eternal language: music.” – Jessye Norman, Opera Singer ‘Tis the season of performing! Students around our studio are preparing pieces for upcoming events like exams, festivals, showcases, coffee house nights, and our spring recital! Previously, we have written on the subject of “the benefit of performing”. Performing allows students to set goals, conquer challenges, and grow exponentially as musicians. While all of this remains true, there is a huge part of the performance aspect that we…
“The true beauty of music is that it connects people. It carries a message, and we, the musicians, are the messengers.” – Roy Ayers, Jazz Composer At Crescendo Music Studios we believe performing is a very important part of the music learning journey. Throughout the year we strive to provide a wide variety of performance opportunities, from Crescendo recitals to the Sherwood Park Music Festival and local coffee house nights. Performing is a skill unto itself, and it is one that takes practice and repetition, the same as any other skill. Although not every student enjoys performing (and that’s okay,…
English writer Aldous Huxley was quoted as saying: “Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right.” Huxley was talking about the process of setting goals, attaining them, then setting new goals on the strength of what was already achieved. This “stepped” approach to skill development works because it allows us to celebrate the achievement of smaller, attainable accomplishments as we work towards larger, long term goals. Because of this, most music instruction series are “levelled,” allowing a student to “graduate” from one book to the next, celebrating the…
A NOTE FOR PARENTS Parents and students, we would like to welcome you to fantastic year of music making! We look forward to partnering with you to achieve success and a sense of accomplishment in your son or daughter’s music learning journey! Practice is SO critical to learning any instrument (and yes, this applies to our voice students as well)! Don’t forget, “practice makes permanent.” But there is more to this…smart practice should always be your goal (good use of time and well planned out practice)! As a general guide, if you practice three times a week, you will retain…
We welcome students of all ages at Crescendo Music Studios, including adult students! We have a proven track record with our valued adult students. With flexible lesson options and a variety of instruments to choose from we are your ‘one-stop shop’ for music lessons. Still unsure? Here is a great article from one of our publishers to help you assess whether or not your “reasons for not taking lessons” are valid as an adult student! We hope this will encourage you to take the plunge and give music lessons a try at Crescendo Music Studios. ALFRED’s TOP 5 CHALLENGES…