Everybody Speaks Music

Welcome to Episode 108!

In this episode, we are joined by special guest Drum Instructor Ricky Sanderson. Join us as we dive into various topics related to drumming and gain valuable insights to enhance your drumming journey.

- Developing Timing and Rhythm: Our guest shares their expertise on how to develop timing and rhythm, even for those who feel they have limited knowledge in this area.

- Teaching and Learning Different Styles: We explore their approach to teaching different styles of drumming, ranging from jazz to metal and everything in between. Discover how to expand your musical horizons and embrace diverse drumming styles.

- Overcoming Perfectionism: Ricky identifies perfectionism as a significant obstacle for many students. Learn why letting go of perfectionism is crucial for growth and improvement as a drummer.

- Playing with Other Instruments: Discover the value of playing with other instruments and how it can enhance your drumming skills. Our guest emphasizes the importance of diversifying your training by collaborating with fellow musicians.

- Improvisation and Musicality: We delve into the art of improvisation and discuss strategies to enhance your musicality on the drums. Our guest offers practical tips to explore your creative side and elevate your drumming to new heights.

- Fulcrum and Molar Technique: Understand the differences between these drumming techniques and their respective advantages. Ricky breaks down the mechanics of each approach and highlights their unique applications.

- Demystifying the Paradiddle: Ever wondered what a paradiddle is? Ricky sheds light on this fundamental drumming rudiment and explains its significance in building dexterity and coordination.

Join us for this enlightening episode where we unlock the secrets of drumming, whether you're just starting your drum journey or have been playing for decades. Gain valuable insights and take your drumming skills to the next level!

In this episode, Kris and Mojo sit down with Teresa Marie Chang, a voice instructor from Horizon School of Music. Teresa's passion lies in helping her students develop their singing skills and connecting with them at every stage of their musical journey. Join us as we delve into topics such as vocal technique, warmups, stage nerves, and overcoming performance anxiety. We also explore how unlocking different parts of our brains can be crucial in developing our natural singing voice. Additionally, Teresa recalls her personal experiences as a student and how being pushed by her teachers was essential to her growth.

Whether you're an aspiring singer or a music enthusiast, this episode offers practical tips and inspiration to enhance your vocal abilities.

Teresa Performs Cheek To Cheek🎶

https://youtu.be/nhOCVNAW2CM

In today's episode, we cover the final chapters (7-13)of our 13 chapter series aiming to understand the reasons behind students quitting music lessons.
We also recommend a resource that inspired today's episode, offering a deeper dive into the subject.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272886402_Students_who_quit_music_lessons_recent_research_and_recommendations_for_teachers
7:Teacher Characteristics 
8:Family Socioeconomic Status
9: Parental Support & Home Environment 
10: Self-Efficacy, and Self-perception
11: Practicing and Achievement
12: Research Based Recommendations for Teachers 
13: Additional Ways To Support A Positive Outcome For Music Students 

Part 7:Teacher Characteristics 

• Adults who quit lessons as children or teenagers often mention not getting along with the teacher or having a bad experience with a teacher who did not relate well to them.
• A 1984 study of 22 outstanding pianists found that different types of teachers were important at different instructional stages: a warm and stimulating teacher for the first stage, and more structured and strict teachers for the next two stages.
• It is important to match teacher characteristics to the changing requirements of learners as they reach higher levels of musical expertise, with a focus on establishing a relaxed and friendly relationship in early stages and increasing emphasis on professional dimensions at later stages.

Part 8:Family Socioeconomic Status

• Families with lower socio-economic levels are often unable to support their children's musical endeavors due to lack of time or resources.
• Studies have found that a family's socio-economic level can accurately predict high school students' retention in music programs, with students from lower socio-economic levels being less likely to re-enroll.
• Despite the challenges posed by lower socio-economic status, building a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment for these students can lead to transformative and positive experiences for both the student and teacher.
• Teachers who take extra time to listen and connect with struggling students can impact their lives in profound ways.

Part 9: Parental Support & Home Environment 

• Parental involvement and attitudes towards music have a significant impact on students' music achievement, motivation, and attitude towards learning.
• Continuous parental involvement, which is supportive without being interfering, has a positive impact on students' progress and attitude towards music.
• Providing a structured home environment for practice, communicating with the teacher, and remaining an interested audience can enhance learning outcomes such as enjoyment, motivation, satisfaction, and self-concept. 

Part 10: Self-Efficacy, and Self-perception

• Students who possess a low sense of self-efficacy or have low self-perception and self-esteem are more prone to quit.
• Self-efficacy is defined as people's judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances.

Part 11: Practicing and Achievement

• The students who continued, interestingly, were not “perfect practicers” either. Their commitment to practicing varied during their 20-month period, but in general, they showed a stronger commitment to practicing, higher levels of reflection and self-evaluation during practice, more awareness of their progress, and a better understanding of the purpose and importance of practice than the others.

In today's episode, we cover chapters 5-6 of our 13 chapter series aiming to understand the reasons behind students quitting music lessons.
We also recommend a resource that inspired today's episode, offering a deeper dive into the subject.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272886402_Students_who_quit_music_lessons_recent_research_and_recommendations_for_teachers
Our goal is to inspire individuals to continue growing as musicians in a way that best suits their needs, tastes, and artistic desires.
Todays episode covers sections 4-6
4: Teachers Point Of View
5: Students Point Of View
6: Motives and Motivation
 Future episodes in this series will cover:
7:Teacher Characteristics 
8:Family Socioeconomic Status
9: Parental Support & Home Environment 
10: Self-Efficacy, and Self-perception
11: Practicing and Achievement
12: Research Based Recommendations for Teachers 
13: Additional Ways To Support A Positive Outcome For Music Students 

Part 4: Teachers Point Of View 

• Teachers often identify loss of interest, lack of perseverance, unwillingness, or lack of time to practice, scheduled demands, and parental attitudes as important factors for quitting.
• Teachers also believe that valuing of music and personal interest in lessons are significant determinants of lesson retention.
• Dropouts frequently underestimate their ability and possess low self-confidence.
• Despite close contact with students, teachers may not be aware of other important environmental, social, motivational, and personality factors that can influence the decision to stop lessons.

Part 5: Students Point Of View 

• Studies have focused on the students' perspective to understand reasons for attrition in music lessons.
• Students enrolled in lessons for personal enjoyment and for attainment of skill.
• Loss of interest and not liking the practice had the strongest impact on withdrawal, 
• Adults who quit lessons as children cited not getting along with the teacher, dissatisfaction with the music studied, lack of fun, and lack of interest in practice as reasons for quitting.
• Enjoyment of music and supportive teachers were cited as reasons for lesson satisfaction among adults who had only taken piano as children.
• Demands of other activities and interests were important factors for discontinuing lessons, affecting equally those students who rated themselves as less and more skilled at the keyboard.
• Further studies have tried to look at deeper aspects underlying these general causes by focusing on motivation, self-concept, social environment, parental support, and parenting style.

Part 6: Motives and Motivation

• Premature attrition in music lessons can be linked to the motives that prompt students to begin lessons.
• The presence of "the wrong type" of initial or continuing motivation can lead to more dropouts.
• Intrinsic motivation (doing something for the pleasure of the action) is found to be favorable and leads to fewer dropouts in music lessons.
• Extrinsic motivation (doing something for an external reaction) is linked to more dropouts in music lessons.
• Studies suggest that students who rely on extrinsic motives for initiation and continuation of music lessons are more likely to stop.
•  those who quit music lessons had extrinsic reasons for starting (such as to join friends), with limited enjoyment beyond getting approval from others. 

In today's episode, we cover the first three chapters of our 13-chapter series, aiming to understand the reasons behind students quitting music lessons.
We also recommend a resource that inspired today's episode, offering a deeper dive into the subject.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272886402_Students_who_quit_music_lessons_recent_research_and_recommendations_for_teachers
Our goal is to inspire individuals to continue growing as musicians in a way that best suits their needs, tastes, and artistic desires.

Todays episode covers sections 1-3

 1: Why Do Students Quit Music Lessons
 2: The evidence
 3:Benefits Of Music Lessons

Future episodes in this series will cover:
4: Teachers Point Of View 
5: Students Point Of View 
6: Motives and Motivation
7:Teacher Characteristics 
8:Family Socioeconomic Status
9: Parental Support & Home Environment 
10: Self-Efficacy, and Self-perception
11: Practicing and Achievement
12: Research Based Recommendations for Teachers 
13: Additional Ways To Support A Positive Outcome For Music Students 

1: Why Do Students Quit Music Lessons

• Music teachers recognize that most students will eventually stop taking music lessons.
• Reasons for stopping can include achieving primary goals or quitting prematurely.
• Premature dropouts can have financial implications for the teaching profession and prevent students from experiencing the full benefits of music learning.
  • Researchers have identified several factors that contribute to student dropouts, including:
  • Initial and continuing motivation
  • Practicing habits and strategies
  • Teacher and family characteristics
  • Parenting styles
  • Students' self-concept and expectations for success.
• The article aims to review research studies on why students quit music lessons prematurely and how teachers can identify at-risk students and prevent attrition in their studios.

2: The evidence 

• Two large-scale studies conducted more than 20 years ago documented a clear trend in student dropouts as they grow older.
• One study conducted by Daniel Stino gathered information from hundreds of independent music teachers and reported a sharp drop in students taking private lessons as they grow older.
• Another study conducted by Music Teachers National Association in 1990 documented a large decline in studio enrollment between elementary and secondary school.
• While there are no recent large-scale studies on lesson dropout rates, anecdotal evidence suggests that this trend still exists today.
• It is important for music teachers to be aware of this trend and consider strategies to retain students as they grow older.

3: Benefits Of Music Lessons

• Prematurely dropping music lessons prevents students from reaping the benefits of music study, which have been researched and found to be numerous.
• Personal benefits of studying music include skill acquisition and development, personal growth, fulfilling a dream, and personal pleasure.
• Children and parents perceive benefits such as development of discipline, concentration, and self-esteem from music study.
• Studies have shown academic achievement, civic engagement, and personal benefits of music study for children and young people.
• Arts and music education in childhood predicts the rate of participation and attendance of cultural events in adulthood, making it a vital element in the sustainability of a healthy and diverse cultural ecosystem in the nation.

Welcome to another episode of Everybody Speaks Music! In today's episode Mojo & Kris interview the top guitar instructor from Horizon, Danny Baruffa.
Danny shares with us his passion for igniting his students' creativity and being the spark that drives their learning and growth process.

During the interview, Danny reveals how he rebuilt his entire arsenal of techniques over 18 years of learning, and outlines some of the ups and downs of going to post-secondary education for music. He also touches on how he overcame carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition that plagues many musicians.

This episode is sure to inspire and motivate all music lovers out there. So, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your favorite episodes with others who can benefit from the power of music. Thank you for tuning in to Everybody Speaks Music!

What is the curse of the intermediate guitarist, you ask? 

The curse of the intermediate guitarist refers to the common habits and beliefs that hinder the progress of guitar players in the intermediate stage. These habits include learning many songs but struggling to perform them in public, taking lessons from multiple teachers without committing to one approach, avoiding jamming with others, blaming gear for lack of progress, relying too heavily on apps and tutorials, and believing that musical ability is innate rather than developed through practice.
And most importantly, having unrealistic expectations.

How to break the Curse.

If you're an intermediate guitarist and you've hit a wall in your progress, you're not alone. Many guitarists find themselves in this frustrating position. However, there are steps you can take to ensure you reach your goal of becoming a musical guitarist. Here are some ideas to help you break the curse of the intermediate guitarist:

•Follow the Old Zen Adage

The old Zen proverb states, "Master one thing, master 10,000 things." This means instead of focusing on 100 songs or 100 different skills, narrow your focus down to one song. Focus on that one song until you have mastered it, until it becomes a part of you. This will teach you musicality and the skills you learn from this one song will be invaluable when you play other music.

•Pause Or Stop Reading About Music theory Focus on actually practicing What You've Already Learned

Stop buying books and learning different scales and things. Focus on the things you've already learned until you've mastered them. In this case, less is more. One scale properly utilized is infinitely more valuable than 20 scales where the player has no idea how to implement them. 

•Play Everything Slowly

Playing slowly at a speed that allows the fingers to find their place is critical. When intermediate guitar players play too fast, they often create gaps between the transitions. These gaps are referred to as tailgating. It's equivalent to watching someone weave through traffic at rush hour, hoping that their excessive tailgating will forge a path ahead of all the other drivers so they can get where they're going faster. But, more often than not, this type of player slams on the brakes because they're going too fast and creates a whole bunch of problems. Tailgating is the enemy and it must be avoided at all costs. Play with a metronome, drummer, sheen or some form of rhythm device at a slower tempo until you gradually scale your playing up to the appropriate pace

•Consider Learning Other Instruments

Intermediate guitarists should also consider learning other instruments. Taking drum lessons for a month and learning how to read eighth notes, 16th notes, and triplets would enhance your guitar rhythm abilities. Sitting down at the piano for a month and learning how harmony works, or picking up a bass guitar so you can learn how arpeggios work, or taking a singing lesson so you can understand what melody really is and how to breathe properly are all great ideas. Learning other instruments will enhance your musicality and make you a better overall musician.

•Improvise

Don't forget how important it is to improvise. It could quite possibly be the single most important thing you do to enhance your musicality. Improvising is about feeling the music and expressing yourself. It's about letting go of inhibitions and playing with passion.

Remember, there are no shortcuts to becoming a great guitarist. However, by following these steps, you can have a great time, a productive time, and an efficient time. Stay away from the snake oil salesman and focus on things you love to play. Play them every single day and watch as you break the curse of the intermediate guitarist.

In this episode of "Everybody Speaks Music", host Kris Schulz shares his experiences and discoveries at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. He talks about the importance of inclusivity and education in the music industry, particularly in light of the pandemic and other challenges. Kris also highlights the work of Guitars in the Classroom, an organization that has trained over 17,000 teachers, provided over $5 million worth of guitars and ukulele supplies to classrooms around North America, and reached over 1 million students. He also discusses several adaptive musical technologies, including the Re-corder and the EKWE music app, that are making it easier for people of all abilities to enjoy music. Kris encourages listeners to explore these resources and embrace music as a tool for reducing stress and enhancing creativity.

https://guitarsintheclassroom.corsizio.com/

https://www.ekwe.app/

https://artiphon.com/products/orba2

https://candomusos.com/

https://open.spotify.com/track/52iXiVQpP19BWWIroANNv0?si=Xc1XJd2wRCaTTWONIP528A&dd=1

Sugarfoot on Drumeo
https://youtu.be/gFbZiIjFmz8

https://www.namm.org/

We're celebrating a huge milestone today as we’ve hit 100 episodes, and decided to do it in style by recording live at Horizon School of Music.

In this special episode, Kris and Mojo give their listeners a sneak peek behind the scenes of the podcast, explaining what type of gear they use including microphones, preamps, and computers. They also share how they record their guests remotely, giving you an inside look at the magic that goes into producing each episode.

But it's not all tech-talk and explanations! Kris and Mojo also take a moment to thank their listeners, without whom this podcast would not be possible. They give a big shoutout to everyone who has supported them on this journey, making this milestone all the more special.

To keep the celebratory vibe going, they also do some live blues jamming that is sure to get your toes tapping! And if that's not enough, they also talk about where they're going next with the show, promising even more great content to come.

So sit back, relax, and join in the celebration as Kris and Mojo toast to 100 episodes and look forward to the next 100. Cheers!

Gear We Use

Mojo’s gear 

Shure MV7
USB cable 
Audacity 
PC

Kris’ Gear 

Heil PR-40
Focusrite Scarlette Solo
Garageband OS & IOS
Macbook & Ipad Pro

Our online guest platform 
Riverside.fm

Our hosting site
Buzzsprout

Today, we are thrilled to introduce you to Sarah Keller, who has had a remarkable journey from a karaoke singer to the best music liaison our music school could ever hope for!

Over the years, Sarah has worked tirelessly to create meaningful connections between the students and our school, and her hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to Horizon have helped to foster a thriving music community at the school. We are excited to share her inspiring story with you.