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PRACTICE without PLAYING Methods for Student Improvement
Mike Lawson | September 8, 2016
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Most students think of practicing as spending time playing an instrument to build proficiency on the instrument or to improve their ability to play a piece of music, or both. However, it is possible to achieve both these goals by not actually playing an instrument but by engaging oneself in other ways that could boost both technical and music-reading skills. -
Modern Band Rockfest
Mike Lawson | September 8, 2016
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SBO Goes to Modern Band Rockfest and Symposium 2016 -
Competition in the School Ensemble
Mike Lawson | August 15, 2016
The American society has a fascination with winning. We are taught from a young age that winning is everything, and losing is nothing short of an embarrassing defeat. From sports teams to American Idol, the relentless focus on first place often overshadows any enjoyment of the activity. It is the “winning,” according to Ian Robertson, “that is probably the single most important thing in shaping people’s lives.”
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Julliard Announces Their 2016-2017 Season
Mike Lawson | July 9, 2016
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The Juilliard Orchestra’s 2016-17 season features more than a dozen performances led by guest and faculty conductors. -
DSO’s 24th Annual Salute to America Best-Attended Ever
Mike Lawson | July 8, 2016
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Last weekend’s Salute to America concerts at Greenfield Village, performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and The United States Army Field Band Concert Band & Soldiers’ Chorus, were the most successful in the event’s 24-year history. -
DSO To Give 7th Annual Summer Performances at Ford House
Mike Lawson | July 5, 2016
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The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) returns to the majestic Edsel & Eleanor Ford House for a two-concert series conducted by former DSO Assistant Conductor Teddy Abrams. -
Performance: Challenge Systems–Good or Bad?
Mike Lawson | February 8, 2016
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You are solo chair in the first clarinet section and the dreaded words leap of the form from the director, “you have been challenged!” It means that the person in the second seat may replace you in your coveted position. -
Side-by-Side Classroom
Mike Lawson | January 7, 2016
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Technology seems to be everywhere now, and especially in the classroom. I came across a Facebook page for band and orchestra directors that had a post about Skype sessions that could be anything that the director saw ft. About that time, a grant was available in our district for all K-12 teachers that would support a teacher’s project up to $5000.00. I submitted my proposal that included the equipment needed to Skype with musicians and students across the world. My proposal was chosen, and through the grant I was able to get a laptop computer, H2n microphone, HD web camera, cables, and stands for the mic/camera. -
Percussion Masterclass The Next Step
Mike Lawson | November 12, 2015
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Steve Schick, world-class percussionist and educator, describes what we do as percussionists in such a perfectly simple way. “I think the best definition of percussion comes from its word in German, schlagzeug. Schlag means to hit, and zeug means stuff. So a percussionist is someone who hits stuff. And both of the parts of that equation are important…it’s the nature of the hitting and the quality of the stuff that every percussionist thinks about. That stands at the center of our art.” -
Community Report: Creating a Symphony that Looks Like the Community
Mike Lawson | November 12, 2015
Since its inception, the Nashville Symphony has maintained a strong commitment to music education reflecting their fundamental belief that the arts can have a tremendous impact on both individuals and communities. They provide approximately 100,000 hours of service each year to tens of thousands of middle Tennessee youths and adults through an array of programs that are designed to engage, enrich, and inspire.
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Playing Both Sides of the Horn: Approaching the Saxophone As a Classical and Jazz Instrument
Mike Lawson | September 4, 2015
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The saxophone is usually viewed by the wider public as a “jazz instrument,” thanks to nearly one hundred years of iconography associated with that art form. However, most in the music community now recognize that the instrument is capable of performing in any musical style, from contemporary classical to jazz to rock to pop to salsa, and so much more. The saxophone has been viewed by most as a valuable and viable voice in every style of music for decades now. Anyone in the music education profession who claims the saxophone is not an instrument capable of playing classical music is derided as a fogey or curmudgeon. -
Gonzalo Ruiz Leads the Double Reeds of Juilliard415 in a Loud Band Concert
Mike Lawson | March 6, 2015Double reeds of Juilliard415 lead by faculty member and oboist, Gonzalo Ruiz, in a Loud Band concert in Paul Hall.
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