A. You will have a significantly more focused and productive practice session. You want to warm up your body and mind.

There are 4 main points about the value of being warmed up.

— Because joints are stiff when not warmed up. When they are stiff, they move and feel different.

1. It’s important not to begin your practice sessions with something that is technically challenging because you will be “cold” and less capable of success and this will increase the likelihood of failed attempts. Your failed attempts at playing certain things will not only reinforce poor performance but it will lengthen the time it takes to consistently play something correct and will make your practice session much less efficient.

2. Your body will partially remember the additional effort it takes to complete many physical motions. For example shifting, vibrato, string crossings, achieving certain dynamics, finger placement etc. If you body is taught an abnormal amount of effort, it’ll make teaching your body the correct amount, even harder because once you are warmed up, you’ll have to re-teach your body how to feel. Therefore, teach your body music while you are in what would be considered a “normal” state. If you are practicing at least an hour, you will spend a lot more time playing warmed up then cold.

3. Avoid injury. If you practice quick and difficult passages without being warmed up, you risk injuring yourself. The most elastic and pliable your joints are, the less likely they are to rip and tear.

4. Also, you need to engage your musical mind. You will become more alert and sharp as you warm up. Once your mind is more engaged, you will have a tendency to play more in tune more consistently.

B. Your warm-up session is a valuable time that you can SAFELY improve certain abilities on your stringed instrument. You are playing slow, and playing the least difficult music, so you have ample opportunity to play correctly AND to stretch/warm-up your body.

You can work on such things as:

—Intonation. Play scales to learn good intonation. If you are a beginner, put tape on your violin for where your fingers go. Scales are an excellent opportunity for your mind to become adjusted to listening very intently to the pitch you are creating. This also gives your fingers a chance to warm up and stretch. Make sure to use the 4th finger as much as possible. You should always use 4th finger for your scales because using this digit greatly increases the speed at which you can warm up and helps increase your reach for everything else on the violin. You can also compare the 4th finger with your open string to check your intonation.

—Improving technique: Playing exercises in thirds or octaves, bowing exercises or vibrato.

—Learn easier music: You have some fun Bach, duets or orchestra music to practice? Do that before the really hard stuff!

The post The Importance of Warming Up appeared first on Education Center.

Hi everyone, today I give you 3 easy steps to practice, in order to make sight reading in auditions EASY!

The 3 steps are:

1. What is in your foot? Just look at the time signature and ask yourself if you have a quarter or 8th note in your foot.
2. What is in your hand? Practice at home memorizing the first hand pattern for up to 4 sharps and 4 flats. With minimal practice, you will be able to memorize these patterns very quickly.
3. Rehearse. Finger through the first 2 or 3 measures as many times as you can until they tell you to begin. Remember to ALWAYS, follow the beat in your foot!

Quick tips:

• Don’t start before they tell you to. Use all your time!
• Pick a slow tempo that will provide you time to think ahead.

Good luck and happy practicing!

The post How to Prepare for an Audition appeared first on Education Center.

It takes a long time to establish your reputation as a musician and performer in a new town. After living in Utah for six years, I felt so well connected to a great number of musical organizations, schools, teachers, orchestras, recording studios, and the like. I enjoyed playing regular gigs, teaching a steady number of bass students, and growing strong relationships with musicians and performing groups throughout the state…and then I moved.

My husband’s work brought us to Oregon, which meant starting from scratch as a stranger hoping to freelance a new music community. So the first thing I did in the months leading up to and following my move to the Portland area was contact absolutely every musical organization I could find. I made phone calls, sent e-mails with my performance resume attached, and inquired about upcoming auditions. During the summer before the move, I took extra lessons, practiced 20 hours a week, and performed a recital in preparation for auditions I hoped to take once arriving in Oregon.

The day after we pulled our moving truck into town I abandoned our unpacking efforts to attend a masterclass sponsored by the Portland Youth Philharmonic featuring Erik Harris, principal bassist of the St. Louis Symphony. Sure, I was a college grad, so what was I doing hanging out with the youth symphony members? I was also looking for connections.  As with most professions, the fastest way to find work is through effective networking and personal referrals. So my goal? Get connected!

Let me tell you, it doesn’t take much but confidence. You know you’re a good player, so put yourself out there! And if you don’t feel like a good enough player to get those gigs, try The Art of Effective Practicing. It takes a lot of work to be a marketable performer, but you can do it!

Here are a few ways to get connected with your local music community:

• Keep your chops up by performing regularly.Put on a house concert. Keep practicing. Find an open-mic night at a local venue to sing, fiddle, or do whatever you do. Play at your church or synagogue. Busk at the local farmers markets. There are endless opportunities to perform, and you can create those opportunities yourself.  Don’t wait for someone else to do what you can do on your own. You’d be surprised by how many restaurants, café’s, bookstores, and boutiques there are that would be so happy to have your live music in their space.
• Don’t demand paying gigs right away or all the time.Be generous in sharing your talents with others! You can do this while still maintaining your stance as a professional. Playing for free allows you to enjoy the opportunity to meet other musicians without stressing about money and union talk. You’ll be surprised how many connections you’ll make that can lead to future gigs. And come on, we all know the economy is tight, and if all musicians refused to play without pay our artistic community and musical culture would suffer tremendously.
• Participate in your local community orchestras! You don’t have to wait to win an audition with a semi-professional or professional orchestra to play the great orchestral works. Community orchestras are excellent for meeting teachers, performers, and conductors who can hook you up for future work—and they’re just plain fun. You can relax and play great music with a smile on your face. Sometimes when money is in the mix, musicians can become surly, bitter, or demanding individuals, losing sight of why they chose music as a career in the first place. Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t let the joy of playing be belittled by your pride or hunger for pay.
• Connect with local schools. I decided to call and e-mail local orchestra teachers offering to conduct a free masterclass for their bass sections. It turned into a very fruitful experience. Give it a try! And who knows, maybe they’ll even ask you to come back. Regardless, reaching out to the youth in school and community music programs is a great way to make a name for yourself as a teacher. Be sure to get your name on the list of private teachers the orchestra directors provide for their students.
• Don’t just teach lessons—take lessons. Even the most experienced professional musicians can benefit from taking lessons into their old age. Musicians can always benefit from the perspective of another performer with fresh ideas, techniques, and style.

It might be challenging to find the gig of your dreams. But don’t wait miserably for a Golden Ticket while throwing away the chance to enjoy that delicious Wonka Bar right in front of you. There is music to be played, players to meet, and stages on which to perform. So have at it! Make a connection! And keep us posted along the way.

The post How to Find Gigs: Musical Networking appeared first on Education Center.