by Katie Senn | Jul 16, 2018 | Band & Orchestra
CodaBow is the original carbon fiber bow. Formed in the 1990’s by an aerospace engineer, materials expert, and master bow maker: these pioneers set out to find the perfect synthetic alternative to Pernambuco. Pernambuco is the hardwood considered the ideal bow-making...
by Katie Senn | Jun 8, 2018 | Band & Orchestra, Music Education
Top 10 Must-Know Musical Terms Learn the ten most common musical terms in this short video. Make sure to have your volume turned on to hear the demonstrations! https://youtu.be/BBtDSncxOwc Learning to read music is like understanding how to read a foreign...
by Aaron Hansen | Jun 2, 2018 | Band & Orchestra, Drums & Percussion
As beginning musicians quickly learn, playing percussion instruments is a lot more challenging than it looks. Learning proper technique will ensure that you sound better and avoid injuries to your hands or wrists. General Principles for Holding Drumsticks or Mallets...
by Aaron Hansen | May 25, 2018 | Band & Orchestra, Music Advocacy
No matter the age of your kid, by being engaged in your child’s school music program they are more likely to be engaged themselves. Plus, being involved is usually a lot of fun! For over 75 years, West Music has worked with local communities to bring band and...
by Katie Senn | Apr 19, 2018 | Band & Orchestra
Now that your student has learned the basics of rhythm, it’s time to talk about the next big idea in creating music: MELODY! What is Melody? Merriam-Webster defines melody as “a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds; a rhythmic succession of...
by Alex Beamer | Mar 7, 2018 | Band & Orchestra
You might have heard that with rhythm, you either have it or you don’t. Not only is that not true, rhythm is fundamental for beginner musicians to learn so that they can progress with their music. In this article, we cover the basics of rhythm and the best ways...
