Whether you are a professional musician or just enjoy making melodies, music lessons can help you hone your skills. As you approach this year’s income tax deadline, you might ask, “Can I deduct the cost of my music lessons?” The short answer is, “Probably not.”...
Guitar lessons are transformative. Not only do they transform you into a nimble, quick-footed musician, but they turn mere mortal into superheroes. We are familiar with the notion of a “guitar hero,” but this idea is more than hype. Guitar players are true heroes in...
Over the years, we have seen and shared findings that connect musicianship with brain development. If you take piano lessons, math scores improve. Reading comprehension increases. Hand-eye coordination grows by leaps and bounds. This is all, of course, absolutely true. The growth of your brain...
Whether you are an adult, a teen, or a kid, there are steps you can take to get ready for your first guitar lesson. Playing the guitar will likely be different from what you might expect. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind....
New studies at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are showing that a single chemical messenger may have a dramatic impact on our ability to learn music – and language. Adenosine, a neuromodulator, is the subject of a study in the June 30 (2017) issue of...
Phone and tablet based apps are proving to be marvelously helpful to musicians – from beginners to seasoned professionals. “Fake books” – i.e. sets of staff-paper charts for jazz musicians to read “heads,” or melodies, of well-known jazz standards – used to be heavy tomes....
The mood elevation that can come from music is measurable. Learning it, performing it, and listening to it can help people with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s Disease. Researchers are gaining more insight into this phenomenon by the month, and as neuroscientific research continues to...
There are two subjects which are commonly referenced as “things that are easier to learn as a child”: music and foreign languages. What we are now learning is that those two subjects reinforce each other. For the same reason that young minds adapt quickly to...
Part of a child taking violin lessons – a big part of it – is learning to practice daily. This is no easy feat. If you took violin lessons as a child, you may remember your teacher telling you to practice 30 minutes every day....
If you are considering voice lessons – either for yourself or for you child – we commend you. We love getting kids excited about sound, and here are a few ways that you can inspire a life-long love of music. 1. Listen Together Pick out...
As the refugee crisis continues to expand, and as families seeking political asylum depart from Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, communities across the United States and elsewhere look for ways to welcome them to their new homes. One way that has proven successful is through...
What is a flow state? Computer programmers and scientists talk about a flow state – or a mental space in which progress is made smoothly and efficiently – using similar language to that you might read about an exceptional athlete. In basketball, being “in the...
Funding for music lessons can come from a variety of sources. In many cases, parents invest in lessons for their children, or adult students pay for their own tutelage. Recently, non-profit groups have begun to flourish, which provide funding intended for private music study. This...
Inspiring your child to practice daily may be a challenge. There are so many other distractions in his or her life, that even 15 minutes of refreshing scales and fingering exercises may be difficult to keep up....
In a May 2017 Time magazine op-ed article, Chris Kornelis writes about how the director of his former jazz choir taught him lessons about cooperation, about surpassing obstacles, and about maintaining a constant, repeatable “drumbeat,” as he calls it, to make progress in his daily...
Taking lessons and studying music in Cincinnati puts you in the company of some legends. The Queen City has been the birthplace of many world-renowned musicians. Here are just a few....
Continuing our trend of showing how music lessons can improve academic results…. A German foundation recently awarded a quarter-million-pound grant to a British music psychologist, and the results of that grant are beginning to surface....
The Journal of Educational Psychology published a study showing that, not only do organized music lessons help students’ performance in school and raise their IQ levels, but that the effects increase when the instruction continues for a longer span of time....
In Cincinnati, the homeschooling movement has gained considerable momentum. And while there is much to be gained by having the parents take on the duties of instruction and curriculum development, there are many social aspects that children miss. One of the prime experiences one loses...
Do you have a child who is old enough to take private music lessons? Are you a musician, a “former” musician, or an adult who wants to begin playing an instrument?...
Marching band season kicks into gear early across Cincinnati’s schools. August means long days of band camp, and band camp is often more about the movements than the music – learning how to march, how many steps it takes to hit each position, and rehearsing...
Keeping your kids excited about live music while school is out of session is, thankfully, not terribly difficult in Cincinnati. The Queen City has a rich tradition of summer music, and the Summer of 2017 is no exception. Here are some of the city’s musical...
Please join us for an art exhibit featuring the drawings and paintings of Toedtman School of Music art students, taught by our very own Jenny Veenemen! Opening Reception: Sunday May 21: 4:30pm – 6:30pm Student originals and prints will be available for sale. Come support our...
Toedtman School of Music had TWO students win at the Southwest Buckeye Piano competition. Vivian Chang 1st place in the Elementary division and Jack Li 1st place winner in the Senior division. Both are students of Luba Fedorov. They’ll be competing at the state level...
One of the best parts of life in Cincinnati is the rich cultural tradition on this area. Since its founding – even back when it was Losantiville and then Porkopolis – music and performance culture have been a core part of this area’s charm. ...
As a musician, listening back to your sound, and evaluating what aspects of your performance and practice could use more attention, can be a valuable use of your time....
Selecting the right music for your instruments – and for your current stage of development as a musician – is an ongoing challenge. As you work with your teacher to expand your craft and your tone, there may be certain pieces which are ideally suited...
In many endeavors calling for diligence and sustained effort, finding partners can help immeasurably. If you are learning tennis, or starting a running routine, or embarking on a weight-loss regimen, you can do yourself a great service when you find a peer pursuing similar goals....
“Staying Frosty” is a term that we believe originated in military circles, but it refers to alertness. Preparedness. Freshness. “Stay frosty” means, basically, “stay on your toes.” “Don’t get sleepy.” And, when it comes to your instrument – whatever instrument that may be, and your...
Summer is approaching! Just because school may be out of session, it does not mean your musical progress needs to pause. Quite the contrary. You can use the summer to leap ahead in your musical advancement. Imagine returning to school in the fall being twice...
Cincinnati Voice lessons are a specialty of our private music school in Sharonville Ohio, and in coloratura soprano Danielle Adams and lyric soprano Jenna Schroer, we are proud to have two phenomenal teachers and coaches who work with students of all ages....
Here at Toedtman School of Music, cultural diversity is absolutely central to the work we do, and the environment our school provides. Now in our fifth decade of providing piano lessons, guitar lessons, drum lessons and more, we strive to make our musical home as...
If you are a middle-school or high-school music student in Cincinnati, you have every reason to be excited about your circumstances....
For young music students participating in their schools’ formal, classroom-based music programs in Cincinnati, there are usually two types of practice they encounter: solo and large group....
Why Should I Use A Metronome When I Practice? Whether you are a seasoned music student or a beginner, adding a metronome to your home practice will boost your musicianship considerably....
When parents enroll their children in music lessons here in our Cincinnati studio, sometimes questions arise about the balance between taking music lessons, practicing, and completing school assignments....
So, you would like your child to start taking piano lessons. But she or he is not quite ready yet. Never fear! There are many things you can do to set the table well in advance....
A young child can become acquainted with music in many ways. Playing games can do a lot to make those early associations be positive ones. Music is fun! Music helps us move! Dancing is a blast! Here are a few games that you may want...
The question of when to begin music lessons is often debated. We have all heard stories of people who were “forced” to take lessons at too young of an age – or took lessons which were more repetition and discipline than fun – and it...
On the Vandoren site – Vandoren the legendary maker of instrument mouthpieces – Jenny Maclay wrote a piece about parents getting ready for their children to take music lessons....
(This article is addressed to parents of high school musicians, but is also applicable to those musicians themselves.) You may hear your children talking about the OMEA Solo and Ensemble Contest. What is this event? The OMEA (Ohio Music Education Association) is an affiliate of...
Here in Cincinnati and across southern Ohio, the study of music can do wonders for your skills across many categories, many of which have little to do with music. Researchers have found a demonstrable link between music lessons and reading. Comprehension and reading speeds improved...
Cincinnati is a marching band town. We are very fortunate here in the Tri-State to have terrific public high schools – and some private and parochial schools as well – with fully-fledged, long-running marching bands. Even some of the smaller schools in southern Ohio and...
Studying music is a form of therapy. As a therapeutic pursuit, it is uniquely holistic and multi-disciplinary. Hearing music and engaging in deep listening is a form of healing. Performing and practicing music – using your body to create melodious sound – is an even...
Much like the upright bass in jazz, or the bowed double bass in an orchestra, or the thunderbroom (bass guitar) in a rock band, the tuba holds a special position of honor. Holding down the low end is a fundamental duty. It is a badge...
Voice lessons are a very personal journey. To sing — to perform with your body and breath — is an expression that is rewarding, but also very instinctive. Learning the techniques that help you focus and express those instincts involves an understanding of your respiration,...
1974 was a much different time. Star Wars was still just a twinkle in John Williams’ ear. Queen wouldn’t put out “Bohemian Rhapsody” until the following summer. Herbie Hancock had just released his Head Hunters album, featuring “Chameleon.” Dmitri Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten were still...
The benefits that young children gain from musical play are immense. By having movement – dance, wiggling, rocking, crawling, early walking, early running – be accompanied by music, it starts planting the seeds that music is fun and entertaining, and that our physical motions can...
As the oldest private music school in the area, it’s no surprise that the Toedtman School of Music provides Cincinnati Bass Lessons to children and adults of all ages. But if you have interest in learning the bass, you may have been confused that there...
Young kids love music. Dancing, clapping, singing, and celebrating through song are excellent ways for kids to learn and have fun. Here in Cincinnati, Toedtman School of Music offers three “Joy of Music” classes, for different age levels. In Wee One, infants discover music through...
Listen to an orchestra play the opening 54 seconds of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue.” Then read this rest of this post. Okay. Seriously, go listen to it. We’ll wait. …………………… How was that clarinet, eh? Wasn’t that clarinet fantastic? Didn’t those runs and peals...
When Einstein had difficulty solving a mathematical problem, he would sit and play music until his brain would find the solution. Playing the violin or piano would help the left and right hemispheres of his brain send messages to each other. While scientists are still...
Interested in Voice Lessons? Taking voice lessons can be an exhilarating, even life changing experience. Why? Well, learning how to sing is a fulfilling and fascinating process. Using your body as an instrument is a tradition as old as music itself, and improving as a...
A lot of mystique surrounds the violin. It is a featured instrument in so many beautiful orchestral presentations for many years and embodies much of the romanticism that is part of music. Children are often attracted to the sophistication of playing the violin, and choose...
Here is a video of a former Toedtman School of Music student, Maurice Ellis, playing on Jimmy Fallon last Thursday night with Meghan Trainor! Did you catch it? Check it out below!...
Taking guitar lessons in Cincinnati is not only fun, but lets face it… it’s cool! Why? Well, the guitar is one of the most exciting musical instruments to learn because it can be played in so many different music genres. Guitar can be found in...
The piano creates music in an elegant manner, and the piano student learns personal elegance early. There are many reasons why a child should learn to play the piano besides enjoying the wonderful experience that playing provides. The piano enjoys universal acclaim, and its sounds are enjoyed in so many musical presentations. ...
A concert for the ages. Dear and gentle reader. Without revealing my exact age I can tell you that during my high school years I remember hearing the Cincinnati Symphony under the direction of Max Rudolph, one of the great German conductors of the 50’s...
This past Saturday I had the distinct pleasure of hearing world famous pianist Andre Watts perform Edward MacDowell’s Second Concerto in D Minor with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. MacDowell was an American born composer who lived from 1860 to 1908. Contrary to the pre concert...
By John K. Toedtman John has been providing piano lessons in Cincinnati for over 30 years! I am often asked what my teaching method is. I always answer that I have about sixty students and sixty methods of teaching; one for each student. All students,...
