Archive for Music Lessons
How Musicians Can Change Lives
Posted by: | CommentsI think that one of the wonderful things about many musicians is their willingness
to help others in a time of need.
Brian Roman, a Toronto Vocalist, is trying to help out a little boy, Justin Grant, who’s going through a very bad time.
Justin has cancer, and if that wasn’t bad enough, his father died just months ago.
Brian Roman heard about Justin and decided to do a benefit concert to raise funds for him and his mom. It looks like the concert will be a sell-out and they could raise as much as $100,000.00.
What a wonderful story to share with our music students. Sure, it’s great that the’re learning to play an instrument for their own enjoyment, or perhaps, they have higher goals. But imagine what our music students can accomplish when they understand how they can actually help people who really need it through their musical talents.
I’ve never met Brian, but he’s obviously a guy with a huge heart.
I hope you’ll join me in applauding his effort to help Justin and if you’re so inclined, you might want to contribute to the Justin Grant benefit. Here’s the story; Justin Needs Our Help.
The Brian Roman Story is a must-read for every music student. You can read it here; Brian Roman.
Brian, if you ever read this I want you to know that you are a credit to the music industry, and I sincerely hope that young musicians everywhere will pay attention not only to your incredible personal story, but to the selfless manner in which you share your talent to benefit those in time of need.
Anne
P.S. I hope everyone who reads this will pass it on to others. You can help Justin by simply letting others know about this story.
One More Time for Dexter!
Posted by: | CommentsThe popularity of the Dexter Guitar video was absolutely overwhelming. If you haven’t seen the video as yet, you can click on this link: Dexter Video.
As luck would have it, Murray, from our web design company, (yes that’s a plug), happened to be in the studio today taping some video for our website when Dexter came in for his lesson. I was showing Dexter all of the wonderful comments that he received from his video.
Well, here’s Dexter’s response…
[flvplugin flv=http://rysons.s3.amazonaws.com/Dexterresponse.flv player=17-Bonus_Player_7 buffer=5 autoplay=false loop=false border=true preload=false redirect=]
Hey Dexter, it’s us who are thanking you. It’s moments like this that remind us at Ryson’s what music lessons are all about. Study, yes. Practice, yes. FUN, YES…YES…YES.
Please feel welcome to keep the comments coming in. And if you really want to share Dexter with the world, be sure to click on one of the social bookmarking icons below this post.
Anne.
Rysons Music Student Loves His Guitar Lessons
Posted by: | CommentsOur music students really do enjoy their music lessons. Here’s an example;
Dexter, of the Golden Hammers wanted to do a school presentation like his brother was however he couldn’t because of his age.
Well that didn’t stop Dexter. He wrote his project on guitars and then proceeded to tell us about it at the store. We just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to video the session. This may be hard to believe but he really did write all of this himself! By the way, the Beaver Creek Guitar people were so impressed that they told us they’re going to put Dexter on their website. We’ll let you know when that happens.
In the meantime…..Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeer’s Dexter!
Remember while you’re watching this…
He’s 8 years old!
“All music lessons should be FUN!“
Ryson’s Christmas Concert: Music Elves Make Merry Dec.21st
Posted by: | CommentsRyson’s Christmas Concert
will be held on December 21st at the Silver Spire Church, formerly St.Paul United 
Church.
We hope you’ll join us as musicians of all ages showcase their talents through the seaonal sounds of Christmas Music.
Santa Claus himself is expected to arrive for the young ones around 12:30pm, and the Christmas Show will begin at 1:00pm.
This year our Christmas Concert will feature Christmas Carol Choirs, our own Christmas Band, The Golden Hammers with Natalie Vurro and Nikki Kent, and lots more soloists and instrumentalists.
Tickets are $10.00 per family and are available at Ryson’s Studio during the week. There will also be tickets at the door the day of the performance.
All proceeds go to “Out of the Cold”, a charity for the needy.
To get into the Christmas Season, the Downtown St.Catharines Association has provided Rysons’ with a supply of their Christmas pewter ornaments. These will be available at the Silver Spire as well on the day of the Christmas Concert.
For Christmas Carols, traditional Christmas music, and Cool Santa, come and be part of our 71st annual Christmas Concert. Meet and greet our professional music teachers and inquire about our music lessons. Who knows, you too could be performing at next year’s Christmas Concert.
Music Lessons: It’s Begining to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in Niagara. Frosted window panes, dancing snowflakes, beautiful music, flashing decorative lights, colourful decorations, and children smiling with anticipation of the arrival of Santa. There are many Santa Claus parades in the Niagara and surrounding areas. They are as follows:
- Toronto November 16
- Pen Centre St. Catharines November 2
- Niagara Falls November, 29
- St. Catharines, Nov. 30
- Grimsby December 6 starting at 5.30
- Niagara On The Lake, December 13
- Thorold December13 at 5.30
And don’t forget the Golden Hammers. This time the boys will be performing in the food court at the Pen Centre in St.Catharines. The date is December 5th at 7.00 P.M.
Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Pere Noel and Kris Kringle are a few of the names given over the years to this jolly man. The popular image of Santa Claus was created by German -American cartoonist Thomas Nast (l840-1902) who drew a new image annually. By l880, Santa evolved into the form we now recognize.
Christmas sheet music and music books have arrived at Ryson’s Music Studio. We now have a great selection of Christmas music; some of which include Cds.
Many of our music students are now playing and singing Christmas songs for their music lessons.
Our Christmas concert will be Dec. 21, 2008 at Silver Spire with all proceeds going to the “Out of the Cold” fundraising. Tickets are $l0.00 per family. Come one, Come all! Join our CHRISTMAS Festivities and meet Santa. Take pictures of your children with Santa in a beautiful yuletide setting.
Please remember Santa’s favourite cookies are frosted sugar cookies with a drink of milk or egg nog. Don’t forget carrots for the reindeer and please leave a note. Sometimes, if Santa’s not busy, he will write back.
Christmas movies will also be shown and advertised as well.
Our movies include A Christmas Carol, The Nut Cracker, Polar Express, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, White Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and many more!
For those little drummer boys, we have a craft for you! Here are instructions on how to make a drum:
Here’s what you’ll need:
- an empty oatmeal box with a cover
- yarn
- pen
- two pencils
- 2 spools
- construction paper
- crayons
Before you start, to make your musical drum, you can decorate oatmeal box with construction paper, crayons to make a colourful effect.
Place the cover on the box, and use a pen to make a hole in the center of the cover and the center of the bottom. Through these holes pull the yarn long enough to hang around the child’s neck and down to the waist. For the drum sticks, place the spools at the end of the pencil and secure with glue if necessary. Drum away!! If you want cymbals, two matching pot covers, yarn and ribbon. Tie the ribbon or yarn around the handles of the pot covers. Strike together to play.
Happy Holidays, and have a Musical Christmas. Remember our concert for “Out of the Cold” December 21, 2008 at 1pm, at the Silver Spire and visit Santa.
Beatles: Still Popular With Music Students
Posted by: | CommentsAlmost 30 years following the break-up of the Beatles, they are still having an influence on music lessons and continue to be popular with young music students.
The Beatles were formed officially in 1960 in Liverpool England. At first they were called Quarrymen, then John Lennon was inspired by Buddy Holly whose very popular band was called the Crickets. From this he came up with Silver Beetles and then the ‘beet’ became The Beatles. Popularity of the Beatles is still very prominent today amongst music students and musicians alike.
The Beatles made their first appearance in America on Feb. 9, 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show. The show was viewed by 74 million people and caused quite a stir. Music stores couldn’t keep musical instruments on the shelf in the sixties; order waiting lists would be about six months for guitars or ‘Beatle’ basses. Movies that the Beatles made were A Hard Day’s Night, Help, Yellow Submarine, and Let it Be.
Can’t Buy Me Love was the fourth United Kingdom single record in 1964. This song was unusual for The Beatles and musicians for it was based on twelve-bar blues, begins with the chorus and features only one singer (Paul). On the ‘B’ side of the record was You Can’t Do That. This song was written in Paris on a Grand Piano. Can’t Buy Me Love reached number one ratings in both the U.K. and the U.S. The Beatles held all top 5 slots on the billboard chart which had never been done before.
1) Can’t Buy Me love
2) Twist and Shout
3) She Loves You
4) I Want To Hold Your Hand
5) Please Please Me.
Can’t Buy Me Love was featured in the movie A Hard Days Night. Musicians credited with the Beatles were John Lennon [acoustic rhythm guitar] [Paul McCartney Double tracked vocal and bass, [George Harrison-electric rhythm guitar] and Ringo Starr the drummer.
To many young music students over the years and even to-day the Beatles music is still very popular to play. There are even tribute bands that spend a lot of time and money to dress and play like the Beatles. The Beatles broke up as a group Dec. 31 1979, but continued to perform solo and to set their own records of success.
Here’s a video featuring a young group called the Golden Hammers whose members have been taking music lessons at Rysons Music.
They have been playing for one year and were formed as a group in May of this year for the Kiwanis Music Festival.
The members of the Niagara group who range in age from eight to ten years old are;
Evan Dim: Lead guitar and vocals
Dexter Sonier: Rhythm guitar and vocals
Lucas Venneri: Drums
Tyson Spiering: Guitar
Trent Gilmour: Rhythm guitar
Jared Gilmour: Bass
Natalie Vurro: Lead Singer
The Beatles increased the sale of musical instruments and amplifiers, here in Niagara, and around the world during their reign, and helped thousands of young people gain an interest in taking music lessons.
Their impact on the music industry can still be felt.
I’m thankful that the Beatles were around during my lifetime and enjoy watching our music students as they keep “Beatlemania” alive.
Musical Instruments:History of the Saxophone
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The Saxophone.
Music and music lessons have become very popular and one of the musical instruments that has gained a lot of call for is the saxophone.
Saxophones vary in size and are named as follows: soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone, which are most commonly used, but their is also Bass, C melody,
C soprano, F mezzo soprano, Conn-o sax, and F baritone.
The Soprano sax musically has the highest pitched key (B flat) and is gaining popularity for background music. A Soprano sax can have a curved or straight bell.
Music students will come into contact with the Alto Sax at school bands. This musical instrument has range up to an E flat and has a curved bell.
Tenor Sax is larger than the Alto and Soprano Sax and has a larger mouthpiece, rods and tone holes. The tenor is most often used for jazz.
The largest of the commonly used Saxophones is the Baritone; a very expensive musical instrument often used for bass and countermelody.
Where did the saxophone originate?
In 1840 a man named Adolphe Sax was working at his father’s shop in Brussels. Adolphe combined the brass body of ophiclude (large conical bass instrument similar to a woodwind), the conical bore of the oboe and fingering of the flute with single reed mouthpiece like a clarinet. He applied for a patent for l5 years which covered 14 versions of the design from soprano to contrabass. After the patent was finished improved designed were formed such as adding one more key to extend the range downwards and the extension of the bell. A substantial advancement in saxophone key work for music students was the development of a method by which both tone holes are operated by a single octave vent to assist in playing of the upper register just as modern instruments do.
Although many composers have written solos for the saxophone their late invention leaves a great void in literature. For many years the Saxophone was confined to military bands and occasionally the orchestra. Saxophone didn’t become a solo instrument until the l920′s and most of its solo literature has been composed since then. Music students who wish to perform Classical and Romantic periods must turn to
transcriptions.
When Adolphe Sax built the saxophone symphony orchestras were already well established; Mozart had died 50 years earlier, Haydn 32 years and Beethoven l4 years. Musicians were none too eager to accept new instruments. The clarinet had come in a century and half before the sax and had been well established in the orchestra. Fortunately, the instrument was eventually accepted and today, we are the beneficiaries of a beautiful sounding instrument for orchestras, jazz groups, rock groups and all types of enjoyable music at our disposal.
Once you have chosen the saxophone that you wish to play, you need to assemble it. Remove the reed from the case and put it in your mouth to soak.
Put the neck strap around your neck, lubricate the cork on the neck with cork grease, remove your instrument from case put the strap on it, remove end plug, put the neck into the top of instrument, tighten neck screw, gently twist on the mouthpiece so that half of the cork is covered and align the flat side of the mouthpiece with the octave key. Now rest the saxophone on your knee, place the ligature on the mouthpiece, slide the reed behind the ligature, keeping the flat side of the reed against the flat side of the mouthpiece. Centre the reed on the mouthpiece and position it so that a hairline of black mouthpiece can be seen above the reed and gently tighten the ligature screw.
How to hold your sax – Place your right thumb under right thumb rest, place your left thumb diagonally on left thumb rest to operate octave key lever and place the fleshy part of your fingertips on the keys.
Forming the embouchure- Open your mouth so that your teeth are 3/8 of an inch apart and cover your bottom teeth by rolling your lower lip over your teeth. Place the mouthpiece in your mouth where the reed separates from the mouthpiece. Ask your music teacher to check this position. Now your music teacher will instruct you with air games to produce proper musical sounds. You are now on your way to learning how to play the saxophone. Who knows, you could be a musician, lawyer, or president of the USA like Bill Clinton. Have fun and treat your musical instruments carefully.
Before putting the instrument back in the case remove the reed, wipe off moisture, remove the mouthpiece and neck. Put the soft end of the neck cleaner into the large end of the neck, draw it back and forth to wipe the inside of the sax. Drop weight of swab into the bell and pull it out of the other end. NEVER USE METAL POLISH ON YOUR SAX.
Please practice and get ready for your next music lesson.
Niagara Music Drum Tips
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Niagara Music award winner for Jazz Group of the year and Rysons drum teacher Tim Popek shares some music tips for students.
Music Lessons in Niagara: Drummers are cool. Drummers are usually the focal point of a musical group. Knowledge for new drums students: If you want to be a good drummer don’t talk about it, don’t think about it, don’t read about it. Find a drum teacher for private music lessons in Niagara, put the sticks on the drums and let the fun begin.
“Sticks” What about sticks? Names on sticks can be confusing like 5B, 7A or 2S. Long ago, size A was for orchestra, B was for band and S was for marching. A sticks were smaller and lighter, B were thicker and S sticks were like small baseball bats. Nowadays drum sticks are labelled jazz, funk, rock, and powerhouse etc.
Beginning music students are usually advised by private music teachers to start with 5A, which is middle of the road. For example, Lucas Venneri of the Golden Hammers uses 5A, so does his teacher Tim. Heavy sticks can cause tiredness, cut practice time and can cause damaged muscles if you’re not careful. Thin sticks may cause cramps because you have to squeeze harder. Niagara music teachers who are professionals will always advise you to choose the sticks that will enrich your playing.
Drum sticks are made of hickory, maple and oak. Hickory is more flexible and will absorb shock whereas maple is harder but doesn’t flex as well. Oak stands up to harder play but doesn’t absorb shock. Synthetic sticks are designed to withstand breakage, but shock can be transferred to wrist or arm; sometimes if you’re doing a rimshot, it’s better to break an inexpensive stick than hurt yourself.
Drumsticks also have different beads or tips such as acorn, teardrop, oval, round or barrel. Acorn beads on sticks are more versatile; by angeling the sticks you can obtain different sounds from your ride cymbals. Nylon tips rebound better than wood, so they are favoured by musicians who employ a lot of double strokes or buzz rolls. Furthermore, Nylon tips won’t wear down or splinter like wood tips, but can sometimes become unglued.
Point of interest – the neck is the portion right below the bead; the thinest part of the stick. If you play hard and loud, choose a stick with a thick neck.
Always ask the music store owner and your music teacher for advice as you progress as they may recommend drum brushes, mallets, coloured sticks and other items to enjoy the gift of music. Your sticks will soon become part of your hands, allowing you to get every possible sound out of your instrument .
Now that you have proper knowledge of sticks, your teacher will take you through matched grips, traditional grips and making the strokes to play on your drum kit.
Thanks for stopping by. If we can help you just visit the store.
Musical Instruments: How To Choose Wisely
Posted by: | CommentsNow that you’ve decided to take music lessons, let’s talk about some points to keep in mind when choosing a musical instrument.
Choose an instrument of good quality. Cheap musical instruments are normally harder to play, won’t last as long, and won’t provide the playability or sound results you want to achieve.
It is always best to choose a musical instrument that you have an interest in. This will increase your learning ability and long term interest.
Make sure that the instrument fits you properly. A violin, as an example is available in 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full sizes. The proper size depends on the length of your arm. Seeking professional advice from your teacher or a qualified music store is wise.
If you’re interested in guitar, what type of guitar? Classical, acoustic, electric? What kind of music do you want to play? Again, a qualified music teacher, and music store can advise you on these decisions and explain the differences.
Know the qualifications of the music store you’re buying from. It’s important that you get the right advice when buying the instrument, which means that the store needs to understand their product and know how to properly fit you with the right instrument. But it doesn’t stop there. After sales service for your musical instrument is vital to your long term pleasure. So you want to find a music store that is an established business, with qualified staff, a variety of instruments, and experience and knowlege of product. Be sure that the music store will provide you with a guarantee on the instrument. And what will they cover? In addition, make sure the music store properly sets up the instrument so that it will play properly and stay in tune.
What accessories are important to you? Buying a musical instrument is only the beginning. There are certain accessories that you will need right away, and others that can wait till later.
Accessories you need for guitar: a protective case, guitar strap, and a tuner. You can also get a variety of guitar pedals for electric guitars that will provide several different sounds which will enhance your playing. These can wait till later as well.
Violins require a good protective case, a properly fitted shoulder rest, and rosin.
If you’re taking piano, obviously you’ll need an instrument to practice on. If there’s a piano at home, it should be properly tuned. A metronome is a great idea as well.
Woodwind instruments need reeds and cleaning rods. Pofessional advice on buyng the right ones for you is wise.
If you’re buying drums, you will need cymbals. They don’t always come with the set. Be careful here. All in one kits at a cheap price are not usually of good quality in terms of durability and sound. You’ll also need drumsticks and perhaps brushes. A metronome is a must for drum lessons.
Now you knew that I wasn’t going to leave out the part where I tell you that Ryson’s provides all of the above for you. We’ve been in the music business for 70 years and we are the home of Ryson’s exclusive 2 year warranty.
I hope this information is helpful.
Anne.
Music Lessons: Steps to Successful Music Lessons
Posted by: | CommentsMusic Lessons can be educational, fun, enjoyable and a lifetime experience. When choosing music lessons you receive an invitation to the world of Fine Art.
Here are some guidelines to help you or your child succeed;
- Choose the musical instrument according to your size and ability. For example a young child will not be able to play brass and woodwinds such as a flute, clarinet, tuba , or saxophone as they can hyperventilate-also they do not have their permanent teeth. Avoiding these instruments prior to permanent teeth will save you the expense of braces. It only takes about 4 years for a student to reach creditability with the Royal Conservatory of Music, for brass and woodwind instruments. As an alternative, students may choose Classical Violin, Piano, Voice,or Guitar until they become of age. Sound or appearance of the instrument may influence interest but common sense must rule to provide safe and productive music lessons. Once the student has interviewed with the studio, and teacher, study course is chosen, the student has the instrument, then the lessons begin.
- Private music lessons require practice time of 30 minutes a day. Parent support is vital to the success of the student. Flash card reviews, and progress reviews with teacher on a weekly basis go a long way toward success.
- Please don’t use practice as a punishment. Practicing needs to be regarded as a positive activity which eventually will lead to success. Taking away T.V., computer, or other priviledges can make the student resentful of practice time and perhaps even the music lessons themselves.
- It’s important to keep the musical instrument in good working condition. An instrument in need of adjustment or repair is not going to provide the results that the student may be capable of.
Musical instrument repair is done right here at Ryson’s. Most of the time simple adjustments are
all that’s required. These are very inexpensive, and take little time to do.
At Ryson’s, goals are set by music teachers for the student to be successful. We try to both encourage the student while at the same time challenge them to progress. Of course by now you know that this is all done in a fun atmosphere.
One final piece of advice for successful music lessons;
If you practice you will succeed.