Blogs

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Eight Outstanding Australian Music Ensembles
Australia is blessed with oodles of outstanding music groups that play across styles and genres. Many go hand-in-hand with the fresh and lively music that Australian composers create. These eight ensembles highlight what is best about Australia and its diverse
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Reeds – What’s All the Fuss About?
Fewer words strike equal amounts of fear and frustration into the heart of wind players than the word ‘reed’. This seemingly simple piece of cane we attach to our mouthpiece can be the make or break between a beautiful sound
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Khachaturian – Piano Works / Iyad Sughayer
The young Jordanian-Palestinian pianist Iyad Sughayer makes an excellent case for the piano music of Aram Khachaturian in this impressive debut album. His interest in this music developed at a young age – he played the Toccata when he was
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My Beethoven by Frances
I can’t remember how old I was when I first encountered the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, but I probably first heard his music on the record player in my paternal grandfather’s front room, a space which was used only
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Is There a Keith Jarrett Blueprint?
The following article is a rewrite and condensation of a university dissertation written in 2015. Approached quite ingenuously at the time, I later came to realise that this writing had prematurely exposed what is to become my primary approach to
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Whole Body Learning
A Complete Approach to Learning Music Whole Body Learning (WBL) or kinaesthetic learning is a way of teaching and learning music which engages body, mind and emotions, drawing on the principles and approaches of early 20th-century educators such as Orff,
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Stuck at Home With Your Kids, and Losing Your Mind?
Music-Making Ideas During COVID-19
With our kids at home, many of us are at a loss as to how to continue their music education while also finding time to practice or get other work done ourselves! There are certain prerequisites before beginning music lessons.
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Orchestral Hints – Parts and Marking Up
It may sound strange if I told you I get warned on a regular basis at work – but it might not be for the reasons you would think. I’m talking about the world of orchestral parts; often well-used, dog-eared
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