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.”...
Piano teachers are accustomed to different types of students. Since the age of a piano students can be 5 or 95, teachers of private piano lessons are comfortable with varying approaches to the instrument. Yes, there are some aspects of the study that are universal...
When you think of some of your favorite musicians, you can rest assure in the knowledge that nearly ALL of them at one time or another took private music lessons. You can also be sure that many of them taught private music lessons. Some of...
As a student of voice – or a future student of voice — surely you already understand the significance of breathing for your singing. Control of your lungs and your diaphragm is crucial to singing correctly, and to controlling your voice in a healthy, sustainable...
Your time is valuable! In particular, your piano practice time is immensely valuable. To prepare for piano lessons, you want to make sure your surroundings at home are in the right condition for productive practice sessions. Here are eight ways you can optimize the physical...
Violin lessons provide an enriching experience, and the joy that comes from learning violin is a feeling that lasts a lifetime. Here in Cincinnati, Toedtman School of Music has an inspiring, kind, world-class group of violin instructors. We encourage you or your child to have...
Much is written about how one-on-one music instruction builds spatial awareness, hand-to-eye coordination, and linguistic abilities. Studies repeatedly show the correlation between private music lessons and increased test scores in both math and verbal aptitude. We also find that practicing written music, and then going...
Give the drummer some! If you are looking for drum lessons in Cincinnati, you need look no further than Toedtman School of Music in Cincinnati. The drums are the backbone of modern popular music. From the swing of a big band drummer, to the dexterously...
While violin lessons are a time-honored tradition for American schoolkids, many of us only know a few facts about this legendary instrument. Here are some fiddle details that may surprise you. Strings for the violin were once made from sheep intestines. The word for this...
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...
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?...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Studying viola is a rewarding and deeply satisfying pursuit. The slightly larger and lower-pitched sibling to the violin, the viola is alto to the cello’s tenor and the violin’s soprano in the string quartet. Reading the alto clef is a terrific mental exercise. Playing a...
For people just beginning, guitar lessons can be a bit nerve-wracking. Thus, the comfort and ease of a group setting can be a warm welcome. Here in Cincinnati, Brian Armor leads an “Intro to Guitar” group course that is aimed at students with little to...
Many students play the sax in Cincinnati. Only some students excel at sax in Cincinnati. Sharpening the skills of a saxophonist can help a student in many ways. Becoming a section leader, participating in Cincinnati’s regional honors bands, and succeeding in the Ohio Music Education...
So you have decided you want some guitar lessons! Great, we’ve got you covered! Whether you are an adult guitarist looking to expand your range and technique, an adult who has never played guitar, or a young student looking to begin a musical journey, classical...
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...
