From Carnegie Hall, A Youth Orchestra That’s A National First

It’s a hot summer afternoon and the recital hall at Purchase College is abuzz with excitement and nervous energy. One hundred and twenty teenagers, from 42 states, are about to embark on an extraordinary musical and personal journey. Clive Gillinson, executive director of Carnegie Hall, steps up to the podium to greet them. “Welcome to […]

Getting Kids To Practice Music — Without Tears Or Tantrums

When friends learn that my nearly six-year-old has been playing violin for three years, their voices shift a bit, especially if they also have a child learning an instrument. Two questions come in quick succession: “Does she like it?” and “How do you get her to practice?” There’s a nervous energy to their queries, and […]

10 Easy Ways To Optimize Your Music Practice

Last summer, we published a week-long series called “The Young Person’s Guide to Making Music” in collaboration with our colleagues at the radio program From The Top. The idea was to provide guidance and suggestions for parents and kids just starting out in music, with ideas for everything from finding a great teacher to reducing audition anxiety. Deceptive Cadence […]

40 Great Games That Teach Straight Bowing (Violin)

Playing a string instrument is one of the most complicated skills known to mankind. Kids can easily get frustrated and discouraged when learning, especially when they find that they can’t make the lovely sound they expected. Learning good bow control is fundamental but tricky. From the start, the bow has a mind of its own. […]

A Tribute To Lalgudi Jayaraman By His Granddaughter, To Thatha, With Love

Lalgudi Jayaraman’s grand-daughter-disciple SAMYUKTHA KRISHNAN remembers … “Lalgudi Thatha. That’s how I addressed this Colossus of music at home. He was my grandfather, but first and foremost, he was my Guru. Nearly every second spent with him was a ‘music moment’. This is because his all-consuming love for his art made him play, sing, discuss and […]

Indian Music Is More Than Bollywood Music, A. R. Rahman’s KM Music College

At raaagabox we are thrilled to see this new development from A.R. Rahman and the Ambani brothers. This is definitely commendable, of course execution matters. Previously Illayaraja had similar ideas to establish a music school in Tirupati area but it never materialized. We are happy that bigwigs are joining what we started a long time […]

50 Greatest Voices Of The World

Have you wondered who are the greatist singers this world has been fortunate to witness and hear. Wouldn’t it be nice to hear their hits, their thoughts on their musical journey, then wait no further. NPR has produced this beautiful compilation of the world’s 50 best voices – enjoy! Source : http://www.npr.org/series/122287224/50-great-voices

What Makes A Musician – John Sloboda

As I was searching on the web for prior articles on what really makes a music student successful, what differentiates her from others, I found this nice writeup by John Sloboda on the European Guitar Teachers Association. Read it when you have time, it tries to separate the myth from the fact and sheds some […]

Teachers Who Made A Difference: Joyce DiDonato’s Seeds Of Confidence

“My teacher yelled at me for nothing”, “She said I was fiddling with my toes in the class”, “He talks too loud, scares me” we hear these words from school going toddlers. It is unfortunate that some teachers don’t have a clue how to teach, forget inspiring, they are not sure why they are teachers! […]

The Music Drug

Music is of course like a drug, a calming drug, an inspiring drug, a sleep producing drug, a giving you high drug, you name it, there is a tune/melody/raaga that takes care of your need. Enjoy this writeup by NPR columnist Tom Huizenga Who Needs Drugs When You’ve Got Music? here at – http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/01/16/169551061/who-needs-drugs-when-you-ve-got-musical-ecstasy