West Music’s Music Therapy Program Gives Back to Veteran
Coralville, IA – November 6, 2017 – KALA radio held a Fourth of July broadcast about Charles Harper, a Vietnam veteran who was invited to their station to transfer his old recordings into a digital format. As a young man, Harper was a proficient musician and received...
Proper Posture Is the Key to Playing for Life
Almost every instrument requires some repetitive motion and therefore can lead to injury over time. Even young players can injure themselves over the course of just a few months. The good news is that there is one sure-fire way to protect your child from strain and...
Starting a Ukulele Program in Your Classroom: Part 2 of 6
What Size Ukulele? In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the many benefits of bringing ukuleles into the classroom. In part two we go over the four sizes of ukuleles available and which might be best for your students. The first thing to know is that there are 4...
How Much Should Kids Practice Their Instrument?
Everybody knows that musicians improve by practicing. But the question of how much time your kids should spend practicing isn’t as simple as “the more, the better.” Finding the Sweet Spot The right practice routine is one that ensures enough progress to keep kids...
It’s Science! Basic Acoustics: Frequency, Wavelength & Pitch
It’s Science! Basic Acoustics: Frequency, Wavelength & Pitch Music is the wondrous meeting place of art and science. Part One of “It’s Science!”explained how the volume of a sound is determined by the amplitude of the sound wave. Sound waves have many other...
Starting a Ukulele Program in Your Classroom: Part 1 of 6
Why Teach Ukulele? Are you looking to start a ukulele program in your school but not sure where to start? You don’t need to be an accomplished guitar/ukulele player or have a big budget to add ukulele to your curriculum. Here is what you need to know if you are...
How Parents Can Help Their Young Musician
How Parents Can Help Their Young Musician Learning a musical instrument often represents a child’s first opportunity to discover how a routine of individual practice leads to ever-increasing rewards. For parents, it’s a rare chance to help their child discover a love...
How Music Helps Kids Excel in School
The opportunity to learn to play music is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. Even if your child has no desire to become a professional musician, learning music gives them self-confidence and a lifetime of satisfaction. There’s another, also extremely...
Practice Tips for Young Musicians
It’s been said a trillion times, and for good reason: practice is absolutely essential for growth as a musician. You can never expect to grow if you don’t understand the value of a good practice session. Marathon runners exercise every day in order to be prepared to...
It’s Science! Basic Acoustics for Musicians and Music Lovers
Part 1: Amplitude and Volume Playing and listening to music raises all sorts of fascinating questions about how sound works: How can six cellos match the volume of 20 violins? Why is it that when a band is playing at the far end of the park, all I can hear are the...
Walenta Elected Chair of National Association of Music Merchants
Coralville, IA – July 25, 2017 – West Music President & CEO, Robin Walenta, has been named Chair of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Executive Committee. Walenta’s appointment was confirmed by unanimous vote at the industry’s annual mid-year...
First Time Percussion Players
Congratulations on choosing to play percussion! Percussionists play some of the most dynamic and exciting pieces of a musical performance. Percussion instruments range from enormous bass drums to tiny finger cymbals, but the three most common percussion instruments in...