Why Is Music Theory So Important?

“Do everything you can to learn your craft. Score student films for free, attend conferences, learn music theory – do anything and everything you can.”       – John Keltonic  When learning an instrument, you have probably been encouraged to work on your music theory as well. Music theory is an incredibly important part of any music learning journey. Some call it the “grammar of music” because it provides the rules by which music works. Learning music theory will help a student understand the different written elements that make up a piece of music including; note reading, note values,…

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Top 5 Challenges for Adult Students

Top 5 Challenges for Adult Students “There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.”       – Jiddu Krishnamurti Starting to learn an instrument as an adult can be daunting. Children tend to have no fear of the unknown, and no recognition of their limits; whereas, adults usually recognize immediately how challenging mastering an instrument can be, and are somewhat more self-conscious of their progress or…

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Setting Goals in Music

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…

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Parents – How to Help Your Child Practice

Tips and Tricks for Practicing “The most crucial ingredient by far for success in music is… what happens in the practice room.”       – William Westney, Concert Pianist. We hear it time and again: “how do I help my child practice?” especially from parents who don’t play or read music. It can be a daunting task, trying to help your child practice properly in something you may not have any instruction in! At Crescendo we believe our parents are a critical part of students learning journey — our teachers aim to partner with the parents to provide the…

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