Vivace Vocal Coaching

Replacing or upgrading your violin’s strings can have a major effect on the overall tonal quality of your instrument. Strings that have a nylon or synthetic core typically make a warmer tone and are ideal for beginners.

Taking guitar lessons is a sure way to sharpen your concentration. Learning about pitch, tone, tempo, rhythm, note duration, and more demands a strong focus. In addition, learning to hear music as well as hear yourself playing the music is all about concentration.

Have you ever noticed that when you hear soft, soothing music, you feel more relaxed? Playing an instrument can have this same effect. Music helps calm the mind and relieve stress, which helps you perform better in other aspects of your life.

“When you play a violin piece, you are a storyteller.” – Joshua Bell. Let us help you learn how to tell a story through a violin. Contact us for more information.

The most common woodwinds share the need for a reed to make their sound. In fact, there are two different types of reeds that are used- a round (double) version for the oboe and bassoon and a flat (single) reed for the sax or clarinet.

Learning to play any instrument can take a while- but the piano can be one of the easier instruments to learn, and it’s accessible for almost everyone. Whether you start on a simple electric keyboard or a grand piano, the most important thing is to start.

Many studies show that playing a guitar is an effective way to relieve stress and anxiety. A few simple chords can help ease the mind and release endorphins in the body which are the natural feel-good hormones.

These days, school budgets are often getting smaller and smaller, which means music programs are getting cut, or at least streamlined. Drum lessons mean a student can get the attention they need on the instrument they want, even if it's not offered by the school.

Instruments that we use today were being imagined and created early in history. In Egypt, harps and flutes were developed by 4000 BCE. After 500 years, clarinets with double reeds were developed.

It’s not a crime to enjoy a piece of gum or candy, but for the sake of your woodwind instrument, save it for after practice. Sugar and saliva can build up and get caught in the pads and create a sticky substance that can make the instrument difficult to play.

To maximize the effectiveness of your guitar practice, it’s recommended that you practice in small, bite-sized chunks. Spend a few minutes focusing on a particular technique, then move on to something else, ensuring that you are engaged and not distracted.

Some people say the only difference between a violin and a "fiddle" is that when you're done playing them, you put the violin in a case while you hang the fiddle on the wall.

Did you know that the modern violin comprises of more than 70 different pieces of wood? The ribs, neck, back, scroll and bridge are often made of maple, while the sound post and the belly are often made of spruce.

If your child is taking music lessons, they likely have been assigned a certain amount of practice time to do at home. You can help make their weekly practice fun by creating a reward chart, where practicing regularly earns them something they want, like a toy or a trip to get ice cream.

Phrasing in music is much as it is with the written word. A musical phrase refers to one line of music, or a musical sentence. Phrasing can be important when singing or playing music as you take breaths in between phrases.

Music lessons are often used as a form of therapy to complement other forms of medicine. Studies have shown that singing or learning a musical instrument can aid relaxation by lowering blood pressure and heart rate.

Singing (or vocal) lessons typically involve learning how to stand (or sit) and breathe, as well as how to position the chest, head, and mouth for good vocal tone.

Singing voices are classified by their pitch and range. Female singers typically sing (from highest to lowest) soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. Male singers usually sing (from highest to lowest) countertenor, tenor, baritone, or bass.

Music lessons can provide amateur instruction as well as professional training. Amateur lessons teach basic techniques and help students improve their singing or playing skills. Professional lessons are more structured, and can take place in music conservatories or university programs.

Music lessons have been shown to increase memory in young children. A study of kids between the ages of 3 and 4 ½ concluded that a group given keyboard lessons and then asked to perform memory tests performed significantly better than one group given singing lessons and a third group given no lessons.

In music, a crescendo is when you go from playing or singing softy to playing or singing more loudly. A decrescendo is when you take the volume level of your musical instrument or voice down.

Many a treasured memory can be made around a piano bench. Whether it’s singing with your mom or grandma, or taking your first steps learning to play yourself- maybe even playing with your favorite pianist one day- you will always hold those memories close, and they begin with taking lessons.

The Monastery of Fuda opened more than 100 years after the Schola Cantarum was built. This singing school widened the interest creating vocal styles in music. By 790, interest spread and resulted in subsidiaries of the school in Paris, Metz, and Cologne.

Did you know that singing, chanting and rhythmic play can increase your child's vocabulary? Encouraging children to make up songs about daily activities can help transform chores into a fun musical activity.

When taking beginning guitar lessons, there are several techniques you will start off learning. This includes techniques such as legato, string bends, speed drills, picking, strumming, and chord changes.

Giuseppe Guarneri, an Italian luthier, made the world’s most expensive violin in 1741. The stunning instrument was appraised for $18 million. I wonder what Giuseppe would think about his creation being valued at that high of a price tag?