Stuck on what to get your loved one for Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and everyone buys the typical flowers, chocolate and jewelry.  Music lessons may be the perfect gift for your significant other who loves to sing in the shower, or your son who plays the air guitar along to the radio.  Valentine’s Day is the day to give gifts to show people they are special to you, and music lessons could be that perfect gift.

This Valentine’s Day, show your loved ones that you think outside the box and give them the gift of music!

Music lessons with Lesson Match are easy and convenient because our instructors come to your home on your time. To have a Valentine’s Day gift card sent to that special someone, or to schedule music lessons, contact Lesson Match. Our Lesson Coordinator does all the work, so you just need to let us know when you’re available and what lesson you want to learn, and we take care of the rest.

This year give a Valentine’s Day gift that will stay with someone for a lifetime!

Children love learning about new things, it’s part of being a kid.

Parents can effortlessly introduce their children to music in a way that makes it fun for them.

Here are a few things to try as a family, to introduce children to the world of music.

1. Listen to music in the car.  Help shape your child’s music tastes by playing different types of music around them (including classical).  Play a different type of music each time you’re in the car.  Eventually they will grow to love all kinds of music.

2. Take them to concerts.  Children love adventures and new things, so take them to a concert for the time and make it a big deal.  Get dressed up and go to dinner before, maybe explaining the premise of the concert/musical.  Then stop on the way home after the concert for a snack and see what your child thought of the performance.  What was their favorite piece?  Was there anything they really liked or didn’t like?  Many student and community groups put on free concerts, so this doesn’t have to be a costly event.

3. Have your child play in front of people.  At holidays or other events, have your child play something they are confident playing.  Everyone loves entertainment and this will give your child a great confidence boost and help him/her overcome any stage fright.

4. Have a musical movie night.  Go out and rent one of your favorite musicals and introduce it to your family.  Then make some popcorn and get the whole family together for a movie night.  This will create the sense that music is family time and will introduce your children to a whole new kind of cinema.

There are tons of other ways to introduce children to music, just make it fun!

Check out our other posts about introducing children to music
Introducing Children to Classical Music
Introduce Music to Young Children

Eating before a performance (not right before) is definitely necessary. You don’t want to be on stage hungry under hot bright lights and get lightheaded.

However, there are definitely a few food and drinks to avoid a few hours (or the day) before a performance.

1. Milk! Milk tops the list of drinks to not consume before a performance because milk is thick. Milk causes phlegm and mucus in your throat, which will lead to coughing and clearing your throat while on stage.

2. Carbonated beverages. Stick clear of carbonation right before a performance because carbonation fills your stomach with air and irritates it. Most singers stick with water before, during and after a performance.

3. Citrus fruit or juices. Citrus fruit is highly acidic which can not only cause un upset stomach, but will dry your throat out. Have you ever had orange juice when you had a sore throat and felt the burn? That is definitely not good for vocal cords.

4. Anything ice-cold. Most people know that heat expands and cold contracts and this goes for your body too. If you drink a glass of ice water right before a performance, it can constrict your throat making it difficult to sing and have a great performance.

5. Spicy foods. Spicy foods are a throat and stomach irritants.

6. Alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates your body and your throat. You wont be able to perform to the best of your abilities if you’re dehydrated. That’s why performers always have water with them during a performance.

7. Heavy food. Heavy foods are ones that make you feel full, like high carbohydrate fobs because they will make breathing techniques more difficult to do.

8. Caffeinated drinks. Caffeine dries out your throat and mouth and should be avoided before a performance.

9. Peanut butter or any other dry foods. Like I said above, hydration is vital to a great singing performance. Peanut butter and crackers are dry foods and will only dry out your mouth and throat.

10. You know your body, so stay away from food that irritate, dehydrate or upset your throat and body.

For more tips on a great vocal performance, contact Lesson Match.

Parents interested in signing their children up for music lessons, may have a difficult decision to make as to whether or not to travel to a studio for lessons or to have in home music lessons.

Here are some of the benefits of in home music lessons.

1.  Probably the most obvious benefit is convenience.  It’s incredibly convenient to have an instructor come to your home for a half hour (or however long the lesson is) to teach a lesson and then leave.  In home music lessons can be squeezed in right after school before homework, or between homework and dinner, the possibilities are ended.  In home music lessons are ideal for busy parents that don’t have the time to waste 20+ minutes driving to and from lessons.

2.  Parents can become involved.  Typically in a studio, the student and teacher are the only people in the room.  With in home music lessons, parents can observe and learn tips to help their child practice.

3.  Students retain information better when they are able to practice and have lessons in the same designated area.  That way they are able to visualize the lesson and revert to that during practice time.

4.  Students are always prepared for in home music lessons.  Think about all the times you are rushing to get somewhere and you forget something.  This happens all the time with studio lessons.  Parents and students are rushing to get to the lesson and a lesson book or part of the instrument is forgotten at home.  This would never happen with in home music lessons because all the materials are at the lesson area.

5.  In home music lessons may seem more expensive, but are they really?  Think about the time and gas money it takes to drive to the studio, drop off your student, drive around until the lesson is finished (unless you’d like to wait bored at the studio for the duration of the lesson), then drive back to the studio to pick up the student and finally drive home.  In home lessons cost a little more in the beginning, but think about the gas money you’ll be saving by not having to drive anywhere  (especially if you drive an SUV).

For information on private in home music lessons with Lesson Match, call now!

At one point in most people’s lives, they’ll be forced to get up at an event and sing karaoke.

For some people this is an incredibly enjoyable activity—usually for the people who either don’t care what others think or have an awesome singing voice (that’s where singing lessons come in).  For other, karaoke is a terrifying experience and they would prefer to sit on the sidelines and watch (click for some performance tips).  The main question people will ask about karaoke is, “how was my singing?”, most people don’t even think to ask if karaoke is bad for them?

Here are some ways to be sure karaoke does not damage your singing voice.

1.  Warm up!  A professional singer would never go to a gig, let alone practice, without warming up first.  Performers must practice before singing or serious damage can occur to their vocal cords.  If you aren’t able to warm up at the club, take a few minutes before leaving for the night and warm up your singing voice.  A quick pre-outing warm up would be working on breathing techniques and then singing through some scales.

2.  Keep hydrated!  Drink plenty of water the day of your karaoke outing as well as at the event.  Water is the best way to keep yourself hydrated and your vocal cords need the liquid to keep lubricated in order to sing.  It’s fine to drink alcohol during a karaoke event, but make sure to keep a glass of water near by (remember alcohol dehydrates you).

3.  Rest!  Take a break between songs and listen to the other performers.  Resist the urge to hoot and holler at the other performers.  Yelling and even talking after a performance is not advised, as your voice needs a rest.

For more karaoke or singing tips, call Lesson Match to speak with a vocal instructor.

Whether you’re new to the guitar or are stuck in a musical rut, here are some tips to help you become a better musician.

1.Always try to learn something new every day! Learning a new chord or technique will help expand your musical ability and range.

2.Go dancing! Good dancers have excellent rhythm, which is also necessary for musicians.

3.When you hear a song you like, first try to play it before looking it up on a search engine. The more you do this, the better your musical ear will become and eventually you’ll be able to tab a song in no time.

4.Relax! Stress isn’t good for any situation. Try to stay calm and focused when practicing or playing a gig.

5.Experiment with different guitars. Just because you’re still playing the first guitar you ever picked up, doesn’t mean that it’s the best guitar for you. Try a few different guitars and see if a different one calls to you.

6.Toughen up your fingers! This can’t happen in one day; all you’ll do then is injure your fingers. Take some time and work on creating calluses and toughening up your fingers. This will make it possible for you to play longer.

7.Experiment with different types of guitars as well. If you play the acoustic, try an electric. Similarly if you play an electric, try an acoustic. You’ll become a much more versatile guitar player if you can play both.

8.Learn new songs. Pick new songs that have something a little different about them; try to expand your range.

9.Take proper care of your instrument. Change the strings when they are worn out, always ensure your instrument is properly tuned etc.

10.Talk to other guitar players and see if they have any insights. All guitar players have methods that work best for them. Maybe someone you know has a new approach you’ve never thought about. It’s always good to converse with other players and swap stories. You never know what you may learn.

To talk to a guitar instructor from Lesson Match or to enroll in lessons, contact Lesson Match today!

Learn how to practice your instrument when you don’t have it with you! Learning an instrument and becoming a musician is as much mental as it is physical (if not more). 

That means you can “practice your instrument” wherever you are.

Concepts and Techniques.  In music, there are many concepts and techniques that need to be memorized, and this is possible to master without using your instrument.
•    Ear training
•    Rhythm
•    Harmony

Visualize.  Whenever you’re bored or have some downtime (and you don’t have your instrument), mentally visualize your instrument and play it.  Try to visualize your fingers actually pushing down the notes or plucking the guitar strings.  This may sound silly, but it can be an effective technique if you’re serious about it.

Remembering to Practice.  Remembering to mentally practice can be difficult, especially at first.  Try to pick something you do often throughout the day (taking a drink of water, doing a specific task etc.) and use that to remind yourself to practice.  If you pick one simple thing to practice (humming a note, visualizing a chord etc.) every time you hang up your phone for a week, eventually you’ll have mastered it.

Listen.  Music surrounds us in our daily lives; it’s everywhere from grocery stores to elevators.  Listen to the music playing and study it.  Try to listen for a concept you’ve been working on or find the harmony.  This will fine tune your musical ear and enhance your playing.

These simple tips get rid of any excuses you might have about how you’re too busy to practice.

There’s a reason many piano students quit before learning the basics of piano; they become bored and uninterested.

Here are a few common mistakes piano students make when practicing.

1. Not actually practicing.  This is a common mistake because practicing the piano may not seem high on your or your children’s lists of things to do.  If your kids are also involved in sports practices, school clubs and have homework, practicing the piano may not seem feasible.  It may be a struggle to find time for your kids to practice at first, but once they begin to really enjoy playing, they will make time to practice.

2. Practicing what you already know.  It may be fun to play through songs or chords you are already familiar with, but what are you really learning?  This habit is common because students get excited with the result of progress with the piano and continue to play what they just learned.  This is often followed by boredom and discouragement.  Make it your goal to try something new during each practice session to keep things interesting.

3. Learning parts of a piece well and not the rest.  This mistake is common because as students try to play through a piece of music, they will stumble towards the middle and start over.  Eventually you have the beginning of the piece down, but are continuing to make the same mistakes in the middle.  Instead of always starting at the beginning of a piano piece, work on parts that you’re having trouble with.

4. Practice isn’t fun.  When learning something new there is always a certain amount of effort required, this goes for musical instruments as well.  Instead of trying to squeeze practice time in, set aside specific time for it.  Create a comfortable practice space and use it as relaxation time.  Keep in your mind that as the more you practice, the better you will get and the more fun practicing and playing will be.

For some tips and tricks on how to avoid these mistakes, contact Lesson Match to enroll in piano lessons!

Performing in front of an audience can be nerve-wracking, but the rush felt after a performance, during the applause is unbeatable.  The key to a great performance is confidence.

If you’re nervous about a performance, here are a few tips to fake confidence.

1. Eye Contact.  Maintaining eye contact with the audience helps the performer to appear more confident.  In everyday life, when you’re nervous, it’s difficult to maintain eye contact with someone you’re nervous around.  There’s also nothing worse for the audience than watching a nervous performer staring at the floor.

2. Enunciate.  Do you ever listed to a song at a concert and realize you have no idea what they’re saying.  It’s difficult to enunciate every word on stage, especially when you’re nervous, but the audience loves to hear lyrics.  If the lyrics are audible, then by the end of the song, the audience might be singing along with you.

3. Convey Emotion.  Performing in front of an audience is a lot like acting. Actors wouldn’t smile the whole time if they were acting in drama or tragedy. Similarly, if you’re performing a dark and somber song, try to convey the emotion to the audience.  The best performances are the ones the audience can feel and relate to.

4. High Energy.  Last summer, I went to two concerts; the first artist stood behind the microphone and sang beautifully, the second had back up dancers and was moving around as much as possible (without being distracting).  While I prefer the first artist’s music on the radio, in person the second concert was much more fun.  I loved the energy the artist was conveying.  You could tell she was enjoying performing and fed off the audience.

Even if you are nervous during the performance, the audience can help you out.  Try to appear confident and the audience will respond.  Eventually you won’t be pretending to be confident, you actually will be.

All of our vocal instructors at Lesson Match have amazing stage presence and great performance tips.

Contact Lesson Match today to receive some great performance tips from one of our qualified voice instructors!

James Whatton has studied both Guitar and Bass at Music Tech, where he received many accolades for his knowledge in music theory and performance.  Continuing his education, he has been studying privately with various renowned teachers over the past 13 years, including the likes of Anthony Cox, Bobby Stanton and Scott Fraser.  After Graduating from Music Tech, he moved out to Portland, Oregon and started playing in the rock band Slow Bus.  After playing numerous venues and festivals out west and a short stint in San Francisco playing in an acoustic duo, he headed back to the Midwest where he has called home for the past 10 years.  Once back in Minneapolis, he played in well-received Minneapolis bands (Boku Maru, Triage, Hallaballoo and Gypsy Rogues) as well as his current band Bitter Roots, in which he plays guitar and sings.  Bitter Roots can be seen playing at such places as The Whiskey Junction and The Cabooze.  You can also see him playing bass in the band Shirts and Skins at numerous venues in the area.

He has been teaching Guitar and Bass lessons for over a decade and is a creative music teacher with experience in developing a student’s interest and abilities in music through creating a supportive environment in which each individual can learn. His passion is music; he found this out at a young age and you can see it in his playing.  It’s his desire to help others with the same passion to find their voice in music.