We all know that music education offers a lot benefits. That’s a fact. Another fact is that when it comes to music training, regularity is very important: weekly lessons and practice – even in small increments – will ensure steady improvement. That’s because for a musician, progress is all about familiarity and repetition.

And yet, when it comes to NOT practicing, kids come up with most convoluted excuses. We compiled, for your enjoyment, a partial list, though it obviously doesn’t cover all the clever fibs that are hatched in children’s minds.

Seriously?

One of the most brilliant people in history, Albert Einstein, once said, “Every child is born a genius.” He probably didn’t intend it to mean that very often kids use their ingenuity to say the darndest things. These are real excuses that music teachers have had from their young students. Be ready to be amused! “I couldn’t practice because: We moved to new a house and I couldn’t find the piano. My dog gets sick whenever I play the clarinet. Some aliens from outer space abducted my guitar. My mom put the washing machine on top of the piano. I was kidnapped by terrorists and they only just let me go, so I didn’t have time to play the cello. My house is being fumigated and I don’t want to go in there and suffocate just to get my violin. I put the flute in the safe, but lost the combination. I got soap in my eyes and was blinded for the rest of the day. I dropped my flute in the toilet accidentally and it got flushed. I had radon poisoning. A big bird flew in the window, stole my violin, and flew away. My dad told me I didn’t have to practice because I’d never be another Mozart. My little sister used my sheet music to line the canary’s cage. As we said, this list is just a drop in the bucket of sneaky excuses. But really, you have to love the kids for their creativity!

No excuses – please!

Okay, let’s get serious for a moment: despite the often-used saying, practice won’t make your children perfect. But it will more than likely make them better musicians, even if they do not end up in Carnegie Hall! We recommend between 30 and 60 minutes of practice each week, which can be broken into short daily sessions. Even the busiest of kids or parents can spare 10 minutes a day to play their instrument! And our lessons are tailored to your and the children’s schedule. We make it easy and convenient because we come right to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office, so your child doesn’t have to waste valuable time commuting to meet the teacher. Our teachers make no silly excuses – and neither should your kids!

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You know by now that our teachers make house calls in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Riverdale. But here’s a question: what kind of learning environment have you created in your home in preparation for your music training? Does it foster creativity and productivity or, to the contrary, are there too many distractions around you, preventing you from concentrating?

Trying to master an instrument is not that different from any other kind of learning. Your surroundings are a big factor in how well you are able to absorb the information at hand. If things around you are chaotic – say your cat is jumping on your instrument and your dog is chewing your notes (just as n example), you’ll be too distracted to pay attention to your lesson. Now, before, we tackle some of the ways to “clean up” your learning space, let’s look at why it is important to have an environment that’s conducive to your music lessons.

Noises off!

It has been scientifically proven that too much stimuli in our environment, such as disorder or noise, will diminish our learning capacity. These factors create bad study habits; your mind is distracted and “all over the place,” instead of concentrating on the most essential tasks. That’s why it is important to develop a one-track mind! Your attention should not be diverted by things that are unrelated to music. When you lose your focus, you might as well pack up your instrument.

Get ready!

We know that living in New York – the city that never sleeps – is not always conducive to a learning-friendly environment. Plus, apartment walls are often paper-thin, so noises from the neighbors trickle into our own living space. What’s a city dweller to do? It’s true that you can’t eliminate all the distractions around you, though you can certainly minimize them. Focus on things that you can – and should – control. For instance:

• Location, location, location: Pick a quiet room in your apartment where you feel most comfortable and relaxed.
• Clean up and organize your space: You may think that clutter doesn’t affect your learning capacity but it does, because the mess around you creates a distraction. You don’t need a large room to practice your music, but you do need a tidy space.
• Disconnect yourself: During your lesson or practice session, turn off your computer and cell phone. Incoming calls, tweets, texts, etc. are sure to interfere with your lesson.

Make your lesson count

The above are some of the suggestions for creating an environment that is pleasant and conducive to music learning. But there are other things you should do as well, which should be obvious but we are going to reiterate them anyway: no matter what you play – whether it’s the guitar, violin, or any other instrument, please be prepared. In other words, when your teacher rings the doorbell, you and your instrument should be ready to go. Preparedness is a lesson worth learning!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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“I see trees of green, red roses, too, I see them bloom, for me and you. And I think to myself What a wonderful world.” What better way than Louis Armstrong’s famous tune to remind you that in a couple of days, on April 22, we will be celebrating the Earth Day – an annual event that brings global attention to the importance of protecting all our natural resources.

Chances are that, like most people, you care about certain issues more than about others. But we all have a vested interest – and a role to play – in preserving and improving our environment. There are countless ways in which everyone can contribute to a “greener” and more sustainable lifestyle – even those of us who live in a notoriously polluted city like New York. Although written in 2008, this article outlines how each individual can make a positive and meaningful difference on the environment. Having said that, we’d like to commemorate the Earth Day in a way that is befitting a music school – by bringing you Mother Nature’s own music. What does She sound like? The answer, my friend is blowin’ in the wind – literally!

Earthly sounds

When we think of music, we think of man-made melodies. Many of us are not attuned – so to speak – to the sounds of nature. For instance, the chirping of the birds – though raw and unscripted – is truly amazing. Then there is the sound of the wind rustling through the trees and waves crashing against the shore . Many people don’t take the time to listen to and enjoy this “natural” music, and that’s a pity. But here’s something you may not have known: natural phenomena like the wind, waves, and even rock formations, produce beautiful music of their own. Take the soothing sounds of a wind chime , for example – how cool is that? You might say that a wind chime is a “natural” musical instrument, in the sense that it needs no human intervention – just the forces of nature – to produce sound. But it’s not the only one. For example, over in Croatia, there’s an organ that is played by the sea – its pipes are under the water’s surface, so the waves and wind create random – but beautiful – harmonic sounds . Another organ, which, by the way, is the world’s largest musical instrument, is located deep under the ground in Luray Caverns in Virginia. Called the Great Stalacpipe Organ, it produces music when its rubber-tipped mallets tap the cave’s natural mineral deposits. And what about the aforementioned musical rock formations? This geological phenomenon occurs at Ring Rocks State Park in Pennsylvania. When struck by a hammer , these “magic” stones make some real …“rock music!” These are just a few examples of what Mother Earth is capable of. Isn’t She marvelous?

Worldly music

Like every holiday, Earth Day comes and goes, but we believe it’s important – crucial really –to take care of our natural resources each day of the year. How can you and your family celebrate Mother Nature with music? You could learn to play a woodwind instrument of your choice – the flute or recorder, for instance. But any music on any kind of instrument will be a fitting tribute because music is – in one form or another – everywhere in our environment. One of our teachers will be happy to come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home and office and give you or your child fantastic lessons. After all, teaching music is …second nature to us!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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Did you know that March marks the International Women’s Month, not only in this country, but also all over the world?

There are numerous reasons to honor women past and present, because they have made significant contributions to arts, humanities, sciences, politics, as well as many other areas. And not just the famous ones, mind you, but also the so-called “unsung heroines” who, through their efforts and dedication, have made a meaningful impact on our lives.

We at Hey Joe Guitar would like to celebrate the women of the world by honoring female composers. Yes, you heard it right – FEMALE COMPOSERS. If you think that composition is strictly a man’s domain, prepare to be surprised!

Out of the shadows

We know that there are many women songwriters, but, throughout the centuries, there had also been women composers of classical music. They are not as well known as their male counterparts (historically, women always had to struggle for recognition),
but their contributions to music have been remarkable.

Obviously, we can’t list all of them here, but we are pleased to introduce you to several who had composed beautiful pieces of music that remain largely unknown. We think this is a great opportunity to present some of these gifted women who have lived in the shadow of male composers far too long.

Lack of recognition

The names Mendelsshon and Schumann are familiar to music lovers, but we are not talking about Felix and Robert, respectively. Rather, we are referring to Felix’s sister Fanny and Robert’s wife Clara.

Let’s start with Fanny (1805-1847). Although she showed musical aptitude from an early age, she did not get as much encouragement and support as her brother did. In fact, in an 1820 letter to her, Fanny’s father wrote: “Music will perhaps become his [i.e. Felix’s] profession, while for you it can and must be only an ornament.”

In her short life (she died at 42 from a stroke), Fanny composed 460 pieces of music, many of which were published under Felix’s name. To those who had an opportunity to hear her work , there’s no doubt that Fanny was a talented composer in her own right.

What about Clara Schumann (1819 – 1896)? A child prodigy who performed recitals around Europe from an early age, Clara’s deftness at the piano won her an admiration of composers like Frederic Chopin and Niccolo Paganini, among others. Her most fervent admirer, however, was a man who would become her husband, Robert Schumann.

While Clara was a successful pianist, she was not widely recognized as a composer, even though she composed a number of piano concertos and other pieces of music . As she once explained, “Composing gives me great pleasure… there is nothing that surpasses the joy of creation, if only because through it one wins hours of self-forgetfulness, when one lives in a world of sound.”

However, since Clara never received any popular acclaim for her works (even though her husband was supportive), she eventually gave up composing. “I once believed that I possessed creative talent, but I have given up this idea,” she said. “A woman must not desire to compose—there has never yet been one able to do it. Should I expect to be the one?”

Sadly, Clara’s music, like that of so many other women composers of her time, had never been taken seriously.

Prolific composers of yore

Of course there had been many other women composers throughout history, and most of them had no family ties to male musicians. Marianne Martinez and Louise Farrenc were among them.

Marianne (1744 – 1812) frequently performed with Mozart (they were both Austrian) and worked in the shadows of famous male composers of that era. However, she went down in history as the creator of the only symphony written by a woman during the Classical period.

Louise (1804- 1875) was a French composer who wrote music not only for the piano, but for chamber ensembles and orchestras as well.

To know them is to love them

At our NYC music school we are happy to honor women composers, songwriters, and musicians in general – past and present. In fact, we are open to all kinds of music, even to the works that have been little known by general public.

Our excellent teachers will be happy to come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office and give you or your child music lessons on an instrument of your choice – whatever gender (or age) you are.

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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How many times have you heard people say that no words can express how they feel? Or maybe, at one time or another, you have found yourself at a loss when trying to verbally convey your thoughts and emotions?

Fortunately, as Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen noted, “where words fail, music speaks.” It’s true: music not only has a profound effect on our emotions – lifting our spirits when we are blue and relaxing us when we are stressed out – but it also has an amazing ability to give us hope, inspire and motivate us. We call it the “feel-good” or simply “happy” music.

As John Lennon sang in “Intuition:”

As I play the game of life
I try to make it better each and every day.
And when I struggle in the night
The magic of the music seems to light the way.

Creative expression

Fact is, we can’t listen to music without feeling some kind of emotional feedback. Even if we play it in the background while working or doing other activities, the sounds we hear affect us in many ways.

Studies show that playing or listening to “happy” music will have a positive impact on our thoughts, feelings, and general outlook on life.

The key – no pun intended – is to choose pieces that are upbeat and uplifting. Generally speaking, the more up-tempo the music, the more happy emotions it will generate. The same holds true for lyrics – a sad song will bring us down, while a cheerful one will make us feel good.

That’s the magic of music!

Happiness playlist

What pieces of music will make you feel positive and optimistic? We can’t answer this question unequivocally because personal tastes and preferences vary. However, we feel pretty confident about the following choices – they are cheerful and upbeat enough to put most people in a good mood:

Ninth Symphony “Ode to Joy,” Beethoven (By the way, one of the most eloquent descriptions of feelings evoked by this piece came from the famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. A listener, he said, “might feel that he is floating above the earth in a starry dome, with the dream of immortality in his heart; all the stars seem to glimmer around him, and the earth seems to sink ever deeper downwards.”)

“Happy,” Pharrell Williams

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” Bobby McFerrin

“Call Me Maybe,” Carly Rae Jepsen

“Dancing Queen,” Abba

“Soul” music

Just as listening to music is a deeply emotional experience, so is playing an instrument or singing a song. Very few people (we personally don’t know any) can detach themselves from the music they are making and remain “neutral.” We can only imagine that this kind of rendition would be totally flat and lifeless.

Being a good musician – even if you are just starting out – means that you can convey your own musical emotions to your listeners. That’s an art, but the kind of art you can certainly master.

That’s where our wonderful teachers come in. Accomplished musicians in their own right, they will teach you or your child not only the right techniques, but also how to convey your feelings through music (and yes, even children have the ability to connect with their audience on a deeply emotional level). It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for guitar or piano lessons (or any other instrument), just contact us and we’ll send an emotionally aware teacher to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office.

And here is another quote to inspire you on your “emotional” musical journey. It comes from Plato: “Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.”

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

The post At New York Music School, You can “Feel” the Difference appeared first on Hey Joe Guitar.

Here in New York, when we think of Christmas, we visualize snow – and lots of it. In fact, all the traditional depictions of the holiday season in the city almost invariably portray powdery and glistening snow blanketing the sidewalks, buildings, and red-cheeked children. (Interestingly, the tableau never shows blizzards, sleet or slush).

On the East Coast and in much of the country, that’s how we want our Christmas to be – a white and magical winter wonderland. But have you given any thought to other places in the world, where Christmas is celebrated in a hot and sometimes even sweltering weather? Can you imagine Santa wearing shorts and sunglasses? And what about this: instead of roasting chestnuts on an open fire and drinking hot cocoa, people cozy up under a palm tree and sip a margarita ?

We personally know some people in Florida, who not only have no idea what real snow looks and feels like, but also can’t imagine shivering on Christmas Day in thick coats, hats, and gloves.

“Hot” music

Obviously, in Florida Christmas is celebrated pretty much the same way as it is here up north – minus the cold – but in other parts of the world, the ambience is much more tropical.

In Hawaii, for example, Christmas is “green and bright” . In the Southern Hemisphere, where December 25 is smack in the middle of summer, barbeque, ice cream and cool drinks are more common than our traditional Christmas fare. And in Polynesia, families often hang out around a lagoon on Christmas Day, roasting a pig for dinner.

What about the Christmas music popular in those tropical climes? It has a totally different beat and vibe than the sounds we are accustomed to. Just listen to some of them:

“Reggae Christmas” – Bob Marley

“Calypso Christmas” – Mark Knauss

“Drink a Rum” – The Merrymen

“Polynesian Christmas” – Tupulaga

Warm up to our teachers!

As mentioned, New York is not exactly a tropical paradise during Christmas, so we are pretty sure that when our music teachers go to give lessons in the dead of winter, they won’t be wearing a Hawaiian hula costume. Their instruments – guitars, saxophones, and such – will also be well protected from the elements in sturdy cases.

However, you can be sure that when a teacher of ours shows up at your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office, he or she will radiate warmth and good cheer even in the coldest weather!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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During the holidays, a magical, fairylike aura envelops New York – from downtown to uptown, from East River to the Hudson, the city sparkles and glows.

NYC has many cherished holiday traditions: Santa’s arrival at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the NYC Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” at Lincoln Center, the train show at the Botanical Gardens, and lots of others.

But among the best-known NYC holiday traditions are those that take place around Rockefeller Center – the lighting of the gigantic Christmas tree and Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas show.

Oh, Christmas tree

Every December for the past 83 years, a giant Christmas tree has been overlooking Rockefeller Center, its tens of thousands of lights twinkling amid snow flurries.

A symbol of holiday joy, the tree was actually borne out of grim circumstances: on Christmas Eve 1931, in the midst of Great Depression, a group of construction workers put up a 20-ft. tree on the muddy site of what would soon become one of the city’s best-known landmarks: the Rockefeller Center.

Over the years, through good times and bad, the tree has morphed from a humble fir to a magnificent Norwegian spruce that reaches the heights of between 70 and 100 feet. From the first days of December to the first week in January, the tree – which, these days, is decorated with energy-efficient LED lights – is a symbol of what a NYC Christmas is all about: joy, hope, and goodwill.

Christmas extravaganza

Just around the corner is another landmark associated with a cherished holiday tradition: Radio City Music Hall’s annual Christmas show.

Just as the tree, the theater too was erected during the Depression and opened for its first show on December 1932. (Interestingly enough, the area around the Radio City and Rockefeller Center, now a prime piece of real estate, was known back then as “the speakeasy belt”).

Today, it is the largest indoor theatre in the world – its marquee is a city-block long, its auditorium measures 160 feet from back to stage, and the ceiling reaches a height of 84 feet.

Since the day it opened, Radio City became home to the legendary Rockettes and its “Christmas Spectacular” extravaganza, a mega-show attended by more than 1 million people annually. Some elements of the production have remained the same since the beginning, such as Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and the Living Nativity scene .

Festive music lessons – all year round!

As New Yorkers we are really lucky to be surrounded by all this holiday spirit. Likewise, we should not take for granted all the wonderful concerts and other performances our city has to offer – at Christmas and year round.

We at Hey Joe Guitar are happy to be part of New York’s vibrant music scene and to have such talented teachers of the guitar, piano, and many other instruments in our midst. We love sending just the right teacher and instrument to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office, and spreading good cheer all year round!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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December is filled with numerous festivities. But some of these events have nothing to do with the holiday season, and everything to do with beautiful music. We are talking about the National Violin Day, which is celebrated every year on December 13. (Interestingly enough, Dec. 13 also marks the National Cocoa Day and the National Day of the Horse – but while we like both cocoa and horses, we are focusing solely on the violin here!)

We don’t really know how or when the idea for a day dedicated to the violin began, but we are glad it did. Such a smooth and graceful string instrument capable of making sweet, mellow, and passionate music surely deserves to be celebrated!

From the 16th century Italy, where the first “vitula” (as this instrument was then called) was created, to the present day, the violin has been the smallest, highest-pitched member of the string family, which also includes the viola and cello.

For big or small, a great fit!

“A sandwich and a cup of coffee, and then off to violin-land, where all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The famous detective was a violin player and often performed for his sidekick, Dr. Watson. But many famous (non-fictional) people were fiddlers as well: presidents Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, physicist Albert Einstein, and actress Marlena Dietrich, among many others.

They may or may not have realized it, but aside from the beautiful music, playing the violin offers several other advantages: increased arm strength and flexibility, improved posture, as well as better coordination and motor skills.

However, you don’t have to be big and strong to love the violin. Because of its size, it is one of the most popular string instruments for children – certainly easier to handle for small hands than a huge and heavy instrument.

The ease with which kids “take to” the violin is demonstrated by these child prodigies: a 7-year-old and an 11-year-old who are, despite their young age, true virtuosos.

Let’s fiddle together!

Obviously, this kind of proficiency doesn’t just happen overnight. As with every endeavor – musical or otherwise – achieving success requires practice and patience. When it comes to mastering the violin (or any other instrument for that matter) you or your child can benefit from the guidance of an excellent music teacher.

An instructor will come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office for a private lesson. And while learning to play the violin is certainly a great idea, we also offer guitar and piano lessons, as well as many other instruments.

So this December 13 celebrate the violin – and, if you want, the cocoa and the horse as well!

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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Can you imagine the holiday season without the music? We can’t! Fact is that music makes Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations all the more special and meaningful.

Of course, when we listen to the holiday music, we love to hear the sound of different instruments. You may not have given it much thought, but certain instruments are very prominent in Christmas and Hanukkah festivities. Some of them have roots in religion and history, while others are borne out of tradition, art, and even pop culture.

Then and now

In Renaissance art, some of the Nativity paintings depict musical instruments. One such 17th century piece of art, “The Adoration of the Shepherds” by Italian artist Domenico Zampieri features a shepherd playing his bagpipes for the Infant Jesus. In another, by Piero de la Francesca, musicians standing over newborn Christ play guitar-like instruments. Other Nativity paintings of the era feature harps, tambourines, as well as instruments that resemble violins and flutes.

All of the above instruments are still widely used today, in one form or another. Others, however, are mostly relegated to history – or perhaps a museum. For instance, at Christmas time, families in the 18th century America gathered around the piano-like spinet and the hammer dulcimer . And modern-day re-enactments of the colonial era show the popularity of fife and drums .

Some still-popular Christmas songs, like “12 Days of Christmas” (which includes “Eleven Pipers Piping”) was written during the colonial times as well, while another instrument –related song, “The Little Drummer Boy” was composed much later, in the 1940s.

Need other examples of “Christmas-y” instruments? Look no further than the Rockefeller Plaza and its dozen trumpet-playing sculpture angels – wonderful symbol of Christmas in our city.

And as this musically versatile family demonstrates , several different instruments can be included in a Christmas celebration.

Festival of lights

What about the Hanukkah? First, let’s go back to ancient times and the instruments musicians used during religious observances. The Temple orchestra consisted of 12 instruments, including the lyre, harp, trumpet, three varieties of pipe, cymbal, as well as ram’s horn called the “shofar.”

Modern-day renditions of traditional Hanukkah songs often feature a regular piano ,
a guitar , or a medley of instruments for the less traditional (but inspiring nevertheless) songs.

(Your) home for the holidays

At Hey Joe Guitar, we love all the instruments and teach many of the ones mentioned above – and then some: guitar, piano, drums, trumpet, trombone, brass, reeds, saxophone, clarinet flute, violin, viola, cello, strings, accordion, ukulele, banjo, recorder, mandolin, and voice.

Just think about all the beautiful music you can make with any of these instruments – during the holiday season and all year round.

Not sure how to strike the right note? That’s not a problem: one of our awesome teachers will be happy to come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office and give you or your child lessons.

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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Music is good for human beings –it makes us calmer, smarter, more emotionally balanced, and happier. We are not exactly reinventing the wheel here because the beneficial effects of music are well known.

But wait – let’s take this one step farther. Did you also know that non-humans enjoy playing music as well? This news comes from an unlikely (at least in this context) institution – Smithsonian’s National ZOO in Washington D.C, which has its animals playing various musical instruments.

Now, this may sound like monkey business, but the zoo’s management explained in a statement that musical activities “allow animals to demonstrate their species-typical behavior, to allow them to exercise control or choice over their environment, and to enhance their well-being.” The zoo concedes that while animals wouldn’t necessarily encounter a keyboard or the harmonica in the wild, “the activity engages their sight, touch and hearing senses.”

What this means is that ALL creatures large and small, and not just humans, draw benefit from music.

The zoo is alive with the sound of music

In all fairness, the zoo doesn’t claim that its animals are virtuoso musicians. As these videos demonstrate, at very best they could be categorized as beginners, but they should certainly get applauded for being curious and enthusiastic – the very same qualities that human musicians should have.

Having said that, otters could very well be an exception. The zoo gave them a keyboard and reports that the mammals have mastered the music of “Chopsticks” (also known as – even more appropriately – “The Flea Waltz”) and advanced “to something bolder, more expressive and individualistic”.

Here are more “awww” moments: an orangutan playing the xylophone and a bear blowing into the harmonica . We are not quite sure what melody the bear cub is playing but we’d like to think it is, fittingly enough,  “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

Not a dog and pony show

At Hey Joe Guitar, we are animal lovers. However, we will not give music lessons to your pets – whether you own a dog, cat, zebra, or an orangutan. Our teachers are well trained and highly qualified, but their experience is limited to humans (we are not saying animals can’t be taught to play, but we are not the ones to teach them!)  Just like a leopard can’t change his spots, we can’t make a horse play the guitar either!

But if you, your child, or another (two-legged) family member would like to learn an instrument, we’ll come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale (Bronx) home or office to give you lessons. We won’t even mind if your animal sits in on the lesson – talk about the proverbial elephant in the room!

Photo by Christina Quinn

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Remember when your mom used to tell you to sit straight? We hope you listened to her because good posture – the body’s alignment in relation to the force of gravity – is very important.

Maybe you’ve never thought about it, but gravity overstresses your muscles, joints, and ligaments. If you constantly slouch or stoop, chances are you’ll end up with chronic aches and pains. But correct posture will distribute the force of gravity evenly throughout your body, preventing soreness and other discomfort.

You might be wondering why in the world we are talking about posture in a music blog. Just sit straight and read on!

Yes, mother knows best!

Whatever instrument you play, regardless of whether it’s small and light like the harmonica or big like the upright bass, certain muscles of your body will be working overtime because of the repetitive motion required for playing.

Repetitive stress injuries like tendonitis, bursitis, as well as back, neck and shoulder pain could strike a musician just as they sometimes happen to athletes. But yes, you can prepare your body to resist these pesky and painful inconveniences.

We don’t mean to sound like your mother, but this merits repeating: correct body posture and movement – called “body mechanics” – while holding your instrument is very important for any musician. It will not only prevent physical discomfort but a poor performance as well!

Fit as a fiddle

If you play your instrument sitting down, remember to sit with a tall, straight back near the front of the chair, with your feet flat on the floor – your center of gravity should be on your feet and “sit bones,” rather than on your back or neck.

What if you play standing up? Your body must be balanced, with the weight evenly distributed between the two feet, which should be placed in a V position, not too close or too far apart.

And, it goes without saying that you should stand tall and not slouch, stoop or bend, so you can hold and position your instrument properly.

Whip yourself into shape

Clearly, we can’t teach you all about proper posture and weight distribution right here and now (but our Manhattan music lessons instructors who come to your home or office, will!)

Just to give you some practical ideas, these tips will help you “ache-proof” your body so you can handle your instrument like a pro:

Stretch before playing. These exercises will help you become more flexible and “fluid.” Strengthen your wrists, hands and arms, since they are essential “tools” while you play. Simple exercises like squeezing a tennis ball or lifting a dumbbell will be useful. Building up the core strength of your diaphragm trunk muscles is very important, especially if you play a woodwind or brass instrument.

These are just several of many exercises that will, if practiced regularly, improve your posture – in music and in life.

But even the best exercises will not prevent soreness if you don’t know how to hold your instrument correctly, so ask your Manhattan music lessons teacher to show you. He or she will be happy to come to your NYC home (Brooklyn and Riverdale in the Bronx included) and …set you straight!

Photo by Enrique Pellejer

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