January 2012 David Howard s Music Studio www.davidhoward.ca lessons@davidhoward.ca info@davidhoward.ca MUSIC MESSENGER David Howard s Music Studio Philosophy Of Teaching Music www.davidhoward.ca! The Official Newsletter of David Howardʼs Music Studio Professional Music Instruction Guitar - Piano - Bass - Composition - Recording Arts - Theory - RCM Exams - University / College Entrance - Post Secondary Master Classes Mission Raising the standards of music education and performance for the betterment of humanity. Students are taught the appreciation of music. Students foster a love of music. Students are encouraged rather than discouraged. There are never mistakes, only outcomes. When one loves their instrument and music, practicing becomes an extension of their life and not a chore. Creativity, respect and discipline are encouraged and fostered in a supportive, non-competitive environment. This is the David Howard s Music Studio core philosophy of teaching music. Upcoming Events Family Day: Monday, February 20, 2012 March Break: March 12-16, 2012 Look What Sydney and Kieran got for Christmas! It was indeed a musical Christmas for both of them. Sydney and Kieran are both Student s of David Howard s Music Studio and are accomplished musicians. Sydney sings and plays the guitar so beautifully and Kieran rocks out on his Explorer metal guitar. Last week, they were so excited to show me their new guitars that they had bought in Toronto, that I couldn t resist taking a photo of them. Their enthusiasm towards their lessons is awesome! Way to go Sydney and Kiernan. Commitment and Discipline Scary title? Life is difficult. Always has been and always will be. One must come to accept that life, in general, and achievement can be very challenging at times and that success does not come without a great deal of hard work, commitment, dedication, discipline and sacrifice. A common area of weakness with some music students and an area that needs to be addressed, come to terms with and corrected, is the establishment of commitment and discipline as it relates to the study of music. Without both of these crucially important character traits and mannerisms, the study of music or quite frankly numerous other areas of life becomes much more difficult if not impossible to achieve the goals that one has set out to accomplish in the first place. The commitment to practice on a regular basis, for instance, regardless of how tired or busy one is, will not happen without the commitment to putting in sufficient amounts of practice time even if it means forgoing watching your favourite TV show, postponing going to the mall with your friends, waking up 1/2 hour earlier in the morning or having to go to bed 1/2 hour later than usual etc. This is also where discipline plays a key role in keeping one focused and committed regardless of the obstacles,. One must drive past the urge to quit, be nonproductive or waste precious time. The effort to cultivate both commitment and discipline will pay of immensely later on in ones musical studies and life in general. Please do not look at commitment and discipline as something to be avoided at all costs. If one cultivates these areas; and they are crucial to the successful study of music, they will pay off handsomely down the road. The more one develops these areas as they pertain to the study of music, the easier they become. Further, the study of music becomes easier and easier by applying consistent commitment and discipline, over time, as well. Don t ever give up! You will be rewarded in time. Best of luck in your musical studies. (Author: David Howard)
STUDENT INTERVIEW: JACOB - GUITARIST Monday, January 16, 2012 Featured Student Composer Jacob: Talented Classical/Flamenco/Rock guitarist and gifted Composer. 1.) What inspired you to write "Spanish Song"? "I loved playing Spanish music and writing my own songs so i decided to use the scales that David Howard taught me and put them into a song." 5.) What guitarists have influenced you? "Jesse Cook and Jimmy Page are my most influential guitarists because they put in so much time and effort into their playing to get where they currently are." 2.) How long did it take to write "Spanish Song"? "It took me about two days of practice." 3.) How long do you practice per day? "I practice for about an hour and a half each day." 4.) What types of music do you listen to? "I tend to listen to a lot of classic rock like led zeppelin. I also enjoy Spanish/ F l a m e n c o m u s i c a l o t t o o. M y favourite bands are Jesse Cook, Lino, Hedley and Led zeppelin." 6.) Are you enjoying your guitar lessons with David Howard? "Absolutely! There is nothing bad I can say about David Howardʼs guitar program." 7.) What have you learned about the guitar from studying with David Howard? "One of the things that David has taught me is that you must learn scales because all songs are based on scales. He also taught me that to keep up with his program, I must practice for at least 30 minutes each and every day."
Spanish Song by Jacob [3]
Classical Guitar Repertoire ** Please tune 3rd string to f# (lute tuning) ** [4]
** Please tune 3rd string to f# (lute tuning) ** [5]
Metal Guitar The metal guitar genre continues to push the boundaries of what is technically possible on the guitar and is a very exciting, if not extreme way of playing the guitar. This is hi-octane guitar playing on steroids. The following guitar solo utilizes sequences and sweep arpeggios. A sequence many of the modern guitar techniques such as sweep picking, scalar runs, scalar sequences, broken arpeggios, string skipping, extreme position shifts and pedal tones. Lightly mute the sweep picked notes to cover up any notes sustaining to long. Crank up the volume and put the distortion on full and let it rip! [6]
[7]
Piano Repertoire [8]
[9]
MUSIC IS A WAY OF LIFE MAKE IT YOURS Calling All Students of David Howard s Music Studio I want you to become part of the next issue of Music Messenger. It can be an interview, a topic of your choosing, a concert review, equipment review etc. Music Messenger is for the benefit of all of the Students of David Howard s Music Studio. Please send me your ideas to the following email address: info@davidhoward.ca Please visit www.davidhoward.ca for information on the various musical programs and lessons that David Howard s Music Studio offers. [10]