As educators, it is our responsibility to nurture in our students the knowledge and abilities that they need in order to be balanced and productive members of society. While mastery of the basic subjects such as reading and writing, math and the sciences are of course essential to obtaining this goal, many so-called extra-curricular subjects — especially music — are also vital in this effort. For its many tangible benefits, music should be maintained and promoted as an essential component of elementary and secondary education.

If it’s not in the stars to be the next Jennifer Lopez, or perhaps you are just waiting for your chance to step into P. Diddy’s shoes, there are several alternatives to being in the musical spotlight. Music is an ever-growing business, not only in that spotlight, but in other arenas surrounding it.

Most of us grew up singing Christmas carols, learning the lyrics to classics such as Jingle Bells or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, at a very young age. But believe it or not, carols have been sung for thousands of years and didn’t start for the sake of Christmas.

When learning the guitar, choice of strings always comes up as a question. Beginners see the wide selection offered in most music stores and don’t know what to pick.

For most professional musicians, the worst part of the business…is the business. Yes, they want to have a career that earns enough money to live on. But the wheeling and dealing necessary for that to happen can be tedious and time consuming. That’s where an agent comes in: they find you work and handle your deals so you can concentrate on making music.

Every marathon starts with a step. A corny cliche? Probably. But within every cliche is a kernel of truth. And before you become a nationally known recording artist, you have to build the right career foundation.

The bass line is considered by many many electronic music producers the most important element of an electronic song other than the drums. Some people even think its MORE important! You can easily have an awesome song with just drums and bass, but its kinda hard to make an awesome song without any bass or without any drums.

The piano is probably the most popular musical instrument in the World attracting millions of people all wishing to learn how to play it. Remarkable feats of technique have been achieved over the years notably by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Franz Liszt and Vladimir Horowitz to name just three.

Read carefully because this may be the only article about networking in the music business you’ll ever need to read. Networking is an art and not a task. Every person a player and every player an asset.

Two decades ago, when people wanted to witness the coolest concerts, they needed to acquire tickets months before the event. If the concert was that of a popular artist or band, buying tickets would prove to be more than just an ardor but a quest.