Tuesday 30 October 2018

4 Reasons Why Performance is a Vital Part Of Music Education


When you hear ‘Music Education’ or ‘Music Classes’, we automatically think of those complicated music sheets, music theory, warm up exercises and learning to play songs. However, the best motivation you can derive is only through performing the music and techniques you learn.

Based on our experience as musicians and educators, we have listed 4 reasons why Performance is a Vital part of Music Education.


1. Builds Confidence by Tackling Stage Fright
Everyone gets jitters before a show or a performance, it is just about how you handle it. Some can break under the tension while some might thrive under pressure, but one can only feel confident about their performance when they have faced it multiple times. It’s never easy to keep your composure in front of an audience but with numerous performances under your belt, you will get more confidence that will guide you to put out the best of your talent. Learning the instrument is one thing but to handle yourself on stage comes only with experience.


2. Builds Discipline by regular Practice for Performance
It always helps a student when there is a goal for all the practice and hard-work they’ve been doing to learn their instrument. If all the practice sessions lead to nothing, they might not see the use of it, especially the young students. Once they are aware that they must showcase their skill at a performance, they will get more involved with their instrument as nobody wants to put on a bad show in front of people. It will encourage more regular practice and they will learn to execute ideas on their instrument with intent and more concentration.



3.Builds Teamwork by working with Different Band Members
Most of the performances through music schools will be group-based acts. It is very essential to understand the process of playing in a band. The group must act with compatibility, respecting each member’s part in the song to do justice to any song. In a group-based performance, every one of them plays an important part. Everyone in a band should understand their role, do their best and realize the importance of teamwork to get the best performance out of all. Such performances encourage the students to understand teamwork and trusting your band member which, effectively helps you be more informed and well-rehearsed in life.


4. Builds Flexibility by Adapting to Stage Dynamics
Performing on a stage deals with various factors. (For e.g.; A vocalist should know how to use the microphone, A guitarist should understand the volume regulation or tones required, if everyone in a band can hear each other on the stage, etc.) One can be guided through all these musicianship factors, but it is an important learning curve when you first experience it. It is completely different than someone practicing at home or in a jam-room. There are various dynamics to performing on a stage which is crucial in getting the best sound out to the audience. There is no written rule book for this, it can be only learnt by experience through performance.

More often you perform, the more confident you will be in executing your talents in front of an audience. Performances teach you the skills and give you tools to execute all your learning which is one of the most vital part in music education.

So, the next time you see someone performing on a stage, cheer and support them, now you know what is has taken for them to get up there and perform!




BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio based out of Whitefield, Bangalore, India. BlueTimbre also provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.






Tuesday 23 October 2018

5 Ways to Prepare Before Entering the Recording Studio


In this era of technology, there are various options that lets you record and work on your own compositions or piece. It is a cheaper option, however, it doesn't produce very good quality. You can clearly hear the difference in the tracks recorded at home studio versus tracks recorded in a professional commercial studio. It is very important to get other’s perspective, and if you want your song to sound really good, there’s no better perspective than a quality sound engineer. While you are paying for his/her expertise, but you are also ensuring high quality standards to your project which is vital to make it successful. But before all that, one must understand there is a structure and a process when recording in a studio. Here are some of the tips you should use to ensure productive, quality studio recording time.

1. Time management

Studio time is precious. Time is money in the studio. Have a rough idea about how things work at the studio before booking a slot. Talk to the engineer, on how he would be recording and then come up with a plan to execute every part of the song that is to be recorded within the time frame you had decided. Have a clear idea about what you want to do and how you want it before you step inside the studio, this will help you map your actions against time which will save you a lot of energy and a lot of money while recording.

2. Practice

It is very important that you know your parts clearly. There shouldn’t be a practice session or 'figuring out a part' session during recording at a studio. You should be very well rehearsed and ready to go. So practice all your parts and have a satisfying command over those before you  enter a studio, it will save your money and keep the required flow needed to get the best out of your creativity. If you have a home studio or basic DAWs you can work with, do a mock recording and see how you sound. Be well informed about your gadgets, instrument and your part(s) in the whole project.


3. Avoid heavy meals

It is necessary to keep your energy levels up, so, plan your meals if you are going for a long studio sessions. However, it is also important that you avoid a heavy meal 1-2 hours before you go into recording. If you are really hungry, have something light and nutritious that will help you to always stay sharp, fresh and charged.

4. Basic Studio Etiquette

As we discussed earlier, time is money in studio. Every professional engineer would want you to follow basic etiquette such as punctuality, sobriety, respecting the process and of course, being prepared with your parts (including knowing the tempo of a song, the scale to be played on, any backing tracks etc.). Many amateur bands and artists make the mistake of wasting a lot of time with these things once they are at the studio, which consumes their precious time and disrupts the flow of creativity and spontaneity and adding to their costs. Everyone should understand their gear, also bring the required instruments and gadgets that you might need to get the sound you are looking for.

5. Brief Idea about Track to Sound Engineer

Another common mistake inexperienced artist(s) and bands do is that they kind of leave the job, of making their song sound good, to the Sound Engineer. It is important to understand that the engineers are there to guide and shape your originality and creativity. They would happily mix your recording into what they love, however they expect you to have some idea about how you would like your song to sound (or at least have a reference track), that way you will achieve a much better and more satisfying output. 

So before you enter the studio, make sure you plan your time, practice and get your parts ready and then convey the idea behind your song and how it should be presented to the Sound Engineer. Brief the Engineer about how you would like the recording to sound, which will ensure that work is been done under mutual understanding, thus ensuring better and more cost-effective result that you will be happy with.


BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in Whitefield, Bangalore, India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.


References :


Tuesday 16 October 2018

4 Reasons You Should Play the Drums


Everyone has a sense of rhythm, it is instinctive to tap and respond to a rhythm of a song. Drums is a very accessible instrument where anyone can just sit down and tap just any rhythm, on any surface, that comes to mind. It is fun, always a happy experience and the perfect workout for one’s intellectual, social and creative development.

1. Improves motor and cognitive skills:
Yes, Playing the drums can make you smarter and better coordinated. Drums is one of those instruments where all our limbs are used during the activity. Thus, it requires certain concentration towards co-ordination of those movement to create a rhythm. As the rhythms gets complicated, so does the co-ordination. All these valuable skills effectively give the left and right side of your brain a complete workout i.e. it can enhance the capacity of a human brain and enable one to perceive and tackle complicated analysis with relative ease. Also, some drum rhythms require independency in all your limbs which will help improve your cognitive skills as well as boost your brain power.

2. Reduces stress and frustration
There is no better instrument to let go of all your frustration and stress than the drums. It has an incomparable capability to boost your mood and helps you take a breather from all your scheduled hectic activities. If you’re going through the stress and pressure from school related activities or you’re stressed from hectic deadlines at work, just a couple minutes of hitting and playing the drums can give you the relaxation you really need. So, if you ever feel like bursting out of your dull routine, just find a drum and beat the heck out of it.



3. Develops Confidence
In any band, the drummer plays a vital role. The drumming forms the base and is the backbone of the whole ensemble. It carries the rhythm, in fact it carries the song, it is the beat to which the whole band plays. So, the rhythm of drums has to be played with confidence and lot of dynamics(feel). Although, confidence comes with practice and concentration, drums can really bring the best out of you as it can provide instant feedback.

4. Health and Fitness:
‘Playing a three-hour Rush show is like running a marathon’, Neil Peart, Drummer of the band Rush. Playing drums is one of the most physically demanding activity among all the other instruments as it requires a lot of energy to use all your limbs and keep up with all the movements required to play the drums. It is easily a full body workout for all your limbs. A study suggests that by “Just using hand drums and moving to the beat, people burn an average of 270.4 calories in half an hour”. So, if you are looking for fun workout for your body, playing drums is the activity for you!

One of the most common issues that’s scares people away from playing the drums is that they are too loud and noisy. However, there are numerous solutions, for instance, you can use an electronic drum kit which can be plugged to an amplifier or a monitor or even headphones and the sound can be controlled. For a regular acoustic drum kit, dampening materials like mute pads, dampening ring, etc. will reduce the noise from the kit significantly. If you have the budget, you can soundproof your room as well or if you want to make do with small budget, just put a blanket over your drum kit and start your stress-free fun experience. Inspiration can arrive at any point of the day, and if its late night, with these quick fixes, you never have to worry about playing the drums!



BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in Whitefield, Bangalore, India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.




References:



Wednesday 3 October 2018

4 Benefits Of Having Multiple Music Classes In A Week

You have just begun your musical journey with an instrument and you want to learn quick and progress at a rate so that you can discover the artist in you in couple of months. Most of you have questions whether one class per week is enough to acquire the growth you are expecting or if multiple classes will disturb your practice sessions? This article emphasizes on the benefits and the reasons why as a beginning music student, you should attend multiple classes in a week.

1. Frequent Revising of Lessons and Feedback

Every student progresses at a different rate. It depends on how the student reconciles concepts of pitch, rhythm and executes co-ordination alongside their curiosity towards music. But, beside the rate of progress, it is very important for a student to retain the information and lessons taught in class. If you are a beginner student, then you will benefit from attending multiple classes in a week as the lessons will be revised and touched-upon more often and coming across a topic repetitively will help you remember and retain the information better. Also, Frequent Classes would mean that you are in touch with your instrument more often and getting effective feedback from the teacher to help you to progress in the right direction.

2. Better Focus as Gaps Between Lessons are Shorter

The gap between lessons is meant for practice for the student. When the student comes to the next lesson, he/she should have a satisfactory command over the previous lesson. However, for absolute beginners, it could be challenging, thus it is important that they utilize the gap between lessons so that the mentor can help them focus on the lesson as well as progress with new information little by little. This helps the student to have a fresher perspective towards the instrument and avoid mundane practice sessions for too long.


3. Preventing Bad Habits with more Oversight

The beginner student tends to adopt whatever works best for them, and in process, sometimes they break some very basic rules that needs to be applied to the instrument or voice. With a longer pause between lessons, student might develop a bad habit (posture etc.) which in turn hinders their progress. With frequent observation and mentoring from the teacher, students can be corrected as they learn, develop the right habits and the necessary progress in their playing. Learning the right way will benefit their skills towards instrument or voice in the long term.

4. Faster Learning

With keeping all the above points in mind, it is safe to say that they will learn the instrument faster. For complete beginners, it might be challenging to grasp new topics, but with multiple classes which will encourage focus, correct basics and repetitive information, a student gets familiar with the instrument which builds up their confidence and hence their learning progress. Every beginner should be encouraged to take up two-three classes in a week until they reach a level in technicality where it requires more practice time than getting acquainted with the instrument.

While these points may seem obvious, just look at the example of a school. In a school, in the early stages, every subject is covered everyday or every alternate day. All of the reasons listed in this article apply to learning in schools. Simply put, multiple classes a week helps you learn with better recall, understanding, faster and correctly.



BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in Whitefield, Bangalore, India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.


References:

  1. http://drkevguitar.com/2013/09/03/how-often-should-i-take-guitar-lessons/
  1. https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/07/29/once-week-not-enough