Another Tournament Update – Bach and Mozart
The other two brackets have completed their games so it’s time to get the results. If you missed the other results, you can see them here. Will there be any big upsets like the Stravinsky bracket provided? Will Mozart and Bach have the same drama as the other brackets? Let’s find out. Bach Bracket –…
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violinguy
Tournament Update – Beethoven and Stravinsky Brackets
The games are afoot, so to speak, in the Tournament of Classical Music! Here is the first update and results post. Now, this year I’m determining the results on my own. In future years, with more readers, I will probably put it to a vote. As far as this year is concerned, I am going…
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violinguy
Tournament of Classical Music – The Brackets
March is here, and with it comes the madness. March Madness to be exact. My version of March Madness is The Tournament of Classical Music. This post announces the brackets and the play-in game winners. For an overview and explanation of the rules, you can read this post. Finally, don’t forget that this list includes…
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violinguy
The Tournament of Classical Music – Overview
I’ve been wanting to do something like this for many years. The Tournament of Classical Music. The NCAA basketball tournament is one of my favorite 3 weeks in sports and it’s coming soon. Sixty-four teams (not including the play-in games) compete for the national championship. There is a bracket which works its way down to…
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violinguy
5 Actors Who Deserve an Oscar But Don’t Have One
Oscar season is upon us, and that means talking about films and actors. This post is certainly off-topic for my site, but I am quite a movie buff so I enjoy talking (writing) about films. Every year, a bunch of actors/actresses are nominated and ultimately win Oscars. There are several who, for whatever reason have…
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violinguy
How to Learn Your Music Without Your Instrument
Surely one can’t actually learn music without practicing it on the instrument in a practice room. Well, that is only partly true. Yes, you have to have your instrument and you have to practice with it to learn music, but there are so many things that can be done with only your sheet music and…
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violinguy
Parents and Violin Lessons – How to Help
No matter what method is being taught to a child, the parents still play a key role in that child’s success. As a teacher, I teach Suzuki method with my youngest and beginning students. I stress the parents’ role from the beginning. One or both parents must be involved in a child’s musical development from…
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violinguy
The 5 Most Terrifying Violin Passages in Orchestral Music
Next month I am performing a terrific but horrifically difficult symphony, Shostakovitch’s 10th. This symphony has arguably the most terrifying four minutes in all of the standard repertoire. Often, these scary passages appear on audition lists, but sometimes they take you by surprise. You won’t know them until you come across them in your music. …
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violinguy
Lesser Known Masterpieces of John Williams
John Williams is arguably the finest film composer who ever lived, and he is still working right now (on Star Wars ep. VIII and eventually ep. IX). I have known his music since I was a child and spent hours listening to the 4-LP set of the original Star Wars (now titled “A New Hope”). …
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violinguy
5 Pieces for Holiday Gigs String Players Should Know
Ah, the holidays. Christmastime is here again (cue Vince Guaraldi). This is when many string players make a nice chunk o’ change. In order to be successful, you need to know the standard repertoire of holiday performances, and below are the 5 you should definitely know and know well. I’ll also include some “honorable mentions”…
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violinguy
5 Music Collections Every Advanced Student Needs
As a violin student goes from cute-for-playing-for-neighbors-and-relatives to serious advanced student, the music he or she needs increases. Below, I give you the five absolutely essential sheet music collections that every serious violin student needs. There are no elite violinists in the world that haven’t studied these works or learned these etudes. If you want…
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violinguy
Arranging Music for Any Ensemble
With the advent of music editing software like Sibelius or Finale, I have had a renewed interest in composing over the last 10-15 years. Composing is more of a hobby for me, but arranging music has become more than that. I have started making serious money by arranging different music for different ensembles and now…
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