I stumbled upon a really helpful website the other night while looking for sites relating to music education. The night pasted quickly as I surfed through their large amount of content. The site is artistshousemusic.org.
The unique aspect of this site is that it features a ton of videos relating to all kinds of music topics. In the end, I think I watched a dozen videos or more. They range in length from a couple of minutes all the way to 30 minutes or more. A few of the videos I watched were interviews of a guy who started an internet marketing company to help bands manage and build their fan clubs. He was working on stuff that I’d never even heard of (not that that means too much!). They also have videos on other topics such as music production, careers in music, and music education. Not only are there vidoes, but they also have articles, music news, discussion forums and more. Beware, you can spend a lot of time on this site.
Anyway, I learned quite a bit of new stuff just from watching a handful of videos. If you have some spare time, you might want to check it out. If you do, I’d love to hear what you thought of it.
Thanks for stopping by and please tell your friends about yogomusic.com!
Noah
The best part about operating a website like yogomusic.com is that you get to network with some really talented and incredible people. Recently I’ve become acquianted with the Professional Drum Teachers Guild based out of Southern California and run by Martin Fullard. Marty has been a professional drum educator for years as well as a performing drummer. The PDTG site provides a wealth of information for drummers, and I think it is a valuable resource.
The guild works hard to promote community among professional drum educators. So if you are a drum educator and you aren’t aware of the guild, you might want to check it out. On the other hand, if you are looking for quality drum instruction advice you might also want to check it out.
If you get a chance to look at it, please drop me a line and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from some of you.
Thanks for stopping by and please tell a friend about yogomusic.com!
Noah
When I was younger, I had a music teacher, an excellent teacher. He was so good, in fact, that most of his serious students went on to play music at universities, orchestras, etc. I, however, went off to college to study math and science, and it was strange for my teacher. He had to reason with the idea that I wasn’t going to pursue some kind of life in music. Then, he said some very true words: “You might not go on to study music in college, but you have learned something very valuable. I think this is something that you will always do and always enjoy.” He was right.
Last weekend, I roasted a whole pig for fifty of my closest friends and family, and as always, there was music. There were people playing music and friends that I met while playing music. Even my dad got out his dobro and played a few songs. There was a point when I had a chance to catch my breath when I realized how different things would be if I never picked up a mandolin. Most of my friends are somehow tied to music or someone else who plays. Now, I’m not the greatest musician. I’ll never play at Carnegie Hall. But my life is definitely better for it.
yogomusic.com is built on the idea that to best enjoy music you need to listen to music, then learn to play music and finally live through the experience of music. A great way to listen to music is to go to a live concert. Music has become a more personalized, mobile experience through the use of iPods and other MP3 type devices, but nothing replaces experiencing music in a live setting. I’ve always enjoyed going to a professional concert or even sitting around listening to friends play music.
I found a great article on MakeUseof.com that discusses a few internet tools for finding great concerts in your area. A couple of the online tools work in perfect harmony with iTunes. I would encourage you to take a moment to read the article and try out the tools. Let me know what you think if you try any of them.
Thanks for stopping by and please tell a friend!
Noah
I play music, but I’m also a very technically minded person - hence, the website. Since I know a lot of musicians, I’ve found it strange how simple and complex a musician’s life can be at the same time. The most talented the musician often have the largest gap between the simple and complex with very little left in the middle. The complex side is the music: creativity, melody, technique, imagination, charisma, style. The simple side is the business: dedication, marketing, logic, finance. (Now, here you’ll notice that I’ve listed all of the simple things as the items that musicians typically cannot do. I only call them “simple” because they seem simple to me.) I’ve met plenty of talented musicians who are at the top of their game, but they never make it because they can’t master the business side of music.
Now, having said all of that, I was talking to a friend of mine last weekend who happens to be a great mandolinist and a business man, and we were discussing the paradox that occurs when the most accomplished musicians are often the least heard. He expressed his interest is starting a non-profit organization in the Cincinnati area to help promote local music. One of his ideas was to develop a point system where bands would be given a rating, and they could use that rating to help market and secure quality shows. His idea has some concerns, but it is an interesting thought. So, I’m going to throw it back to you: Is there a way to help poor, under appreciated starving artist, the true talent that is seldom even heard? If you go to some dingy coffee house in your home town, will you find someone playing at open mic night who has more talent than some of the musicians who fill up stadiums? If you’ve got suggestions, I’d love to hear them…