The Young Musicians Survival Guide

Nathan offers advice on learning to play a musical instrument, including tips from teenage musicians about practicing, performing, and buying equipment. Illustrations.

Learning to play an instrument can be fun and, at times, frustrating. This lively, accessible book helps young people cope with the difficulties involved in learning a new instrument and remaining dedicated to playing and practicing. Teens from renowned music programs - including the Juilliard School's Pre-College Program and Boston University's Tanglewood Institute - join pro musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Paula Robison, and James Galway in offering practical answers to questions from what instrument to play to where the musical road may lead. In this revised and expanded edition, Amy Nathan has updated the book to address today's more technologically-minded young musician. Expanded sections cover the various ways students can use technology to assist in mastering an instrument and in making practice time more productive, from using the Internet to download pieces to be learned and playing along with downloaded tunes to practicing with computer-based practice programs, CDs, and videos/DVDs of musical performances. She also addresses concerns of young composers and conductors, two groups not mentioned in the original edition. The book's updated Resource Guide suggests where to get additional help, both online and off.

Learning to play an instrument can be fun and, at times, frustrating. This lively, accessible book helps young people cope with the difficulties involved in learning a new instrument and remaining dedicated to playing and practicing. Teens from renowned music programs - including the Juilliard School's Pre-College Program and Boston University's Tanglewood Institute - join pro musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Paula Robison, and James Galway in offering practical answers to questions from what instrument to play to where the musical road may lead. In this revised and expanded edition, Amy Nathan has updated the book to address today's more technologically-minded young musician. Expanded sections cover the various ways students can use technology to assist in mastering an instrument and in making practice time more productive, from using the Internet to download pieces to be learned and playing along with downloaded tunes to practicing with computer-based practice programs, CDs, and videos/DVDs of musical performances. She also addresses concerns of young composers and conductors, two groups not mentioned in the original edition. The book's updated Resource Guide suggests where to get additional help, both online and off.

This book of parent-to-parent advice aims to encourage, support, and bolster the morale of one of music's most important back-up sections: music parents. Within these pages, more than 150 veteran music parents contribute their experiences, reflections, warnings, and helpful suggestions for how to walk the music-parenting tightrope: how to be supportive but not overbearing, and how to encourage excellence without becoming bogged down in frustration. Among those offering advice are the parents of several top musicians, including the mother of violinist Joshua Bell, the father of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the parents of cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and those of violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. The book also features advice from music educators and more than forty professional musicians, including Paula Robison, Sarah Chang, Anthony McGill, Jennifer Koh, Jonathan Biss, Toyin Spellman-Diaz, Marin Alsop, Christian McBride, Miguel Zen?n, Stephanie Blythe, Lawrence Brownlee, Kelli O'Hara, as well as Joshua Bell, Alisa Weilerstein, Wynton Marsalis, Anne Akiko Meyers, and others. The topics they discuss span a wide range of issues faced by the parents of both instrumentalists and singers, from how to get started and encourage effective practice habits, to how to weather the rough spots, cope with the cost of music training, deal with college and career concerns, and help young musicians discover the role that music can play in their lives. The parents who speak here reach a unanimous and overwhelming conclusion that music parenting is well worth the effort, and the experiences that come with it - from sitting in on early lessons and watching their kids perform onstage to tagging along at music conventions as their youngsters try out instruments at exhibitors' booths - enrich family life with a unique joy in music.

The musicians of the New York Philharmonic were kids once too! How does a kid who just wants to play baseball make the transition to creating beautiful music? Musicians from many different sections of the New York Philharmonic share how they became involved in music as kids and how their careers have progressed since then. They also have some helpful advice, such as • break down pieces you're learning into small, reachable goals • play it as beautifully as you can, even if it's just a scale • make up words to go with the melody you're studying to learn it faster With exclusive interviews, helpful hints, and a kid-friendly approach, this book is an all-access guide to the world of classical music. Meet the Musicians is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

The Indie Band Survival Guide (2008 edition) is a tremendous resource for musicians looking to record, distribute, market, and sell their music for less than most rock stars spend on green M&M's. Musicians and web gurus Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan cover every step of the process. With nothing but creative talent and the Web, they've gotten tens of thousands of fans for their band, in addition to being hired to write music for film, television, theater, and other media.

This book aims to give you all the information you need to survive life on the road, including detailed advice on how to cope with everything from van breakdowns, lost passports, gear crushed in transit, surviving, terrible sound systems and more.

An all-access pass to what goes on backstage, onstage, and on the way to the stage. What's a tour bus like? What are the band members saying to each other on stage? Exactly how much sex, how many drugs, how much rock 'n' roll are we talking here? The Musician's Guide to the Road answers all these questions and many, many, many more. Both a valuable primer designed to prepare young musicians for life on the road and an entertaining memoir of the touring life written by a seasoned musician, this is the book that reveals the scene behind the scenes. Chapters focus on preparing to tour, touring by van and bus, the day of the show, the afternoon before the show, the night of the show, and the morning after, life on the road, and the end of the road.

Ever wondered why some talented musicians never seem to get that far, yet another average musician seems to be getting all the breaks? This is no coincidence; those that know how to handle themselves in the music industry will generally do much better then those that don't.Being a successful independent musician isn't just about how talented you are. You could be one of the best singers or rappers in the world, but if you don't handle yourself and your music career correctly, you won't get very far at all. Thankfully, those traits needed to do well are ones that can be learned.In this guide, I aim to give you the tools needed to do well as an independent musician. This includes help on the mentality you need to adopt, and the knowledge of what not to do. This is not a guide on how to market your music or how to improve your talent, this is something much more, yet just as important. Have a look at the table of contents to see exactly what you get in this guide.If you want to do well in the music industry and avoid the common mistakes most independent musicians make, The Independent Musicians Survival Guide is for you. Pick up a copy right now.Additional Notes:This book is suitable for all musicians, no matter what genre of music you make.By the end of this book, you will have a good sense of what it takes to do well in your music career, you will know how much money you can really make as an independent musician, and you will hopefully have the motivation to go out and make things work for you.This music industry guide is written by Shaun Letang, owner of Music Industry How To. Other people that have contributed to this music business book include Christine Infanger at Thirty Roses, Chris Rockett at Music Marketing Classroom, and some of the Music Industry How To insider members.

Are you a former music-maker who yearns to return to music, but aren't sure where to begin? Or are you a person who never played music as a child but you are now curious about trying? You're not alone. Many adults who used to play an instrument haven't touched it in years because either they can't find the time to practice, are afraid their skills are too rusty, or are unsure of what kind of group they could join. Others are afraid to sing or start playing an instrument because they received negative feedback from childhood experiences. Performing, practicing, and composing music may seem like unattainable goals with insurmountable obstacles for busy adults with non-musical careers. Making Time for Making Music can help adults find ways to make music part of their lives. The first book of its kind, it is filled with real-life success stories from more than 350 adults who manage to fit music-making into their jam-packed schedules. They polished rusty skills, found musical groups to join, and are having a great time. Their testimonies prove that you are never too old to learn to make music, and that there are numerous musical paths to explore. Featuring advice from dozens of music educators, health care professionals, and music researchers who point out that making music can even be good for your health as well as an extensive resource list of websites, organizations, and summer programs, this book offers inspiration and tried-and-true strategies for anyone who wishes to return to music-making or begin as an adult.