Director of McGill University’s Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition and Expertise and best-selling author of “This is Your Brain on Music,” Daniel Levitin blends cutting-edge scientific findings with his own experiences as a former record producer and still-active musician. [Read more…]
That’s what she said: Quotes from Famous Female Songwriters
Quotes from Famous Female Songwriters:
We all have someone to look up to; these can be people who are part of our daily lives, or someone we’ve met briefly but left a lasting impression. They can also be someone famous like a celebrated musician, composer or vocalist. Let’s read and learn from these inspiring quotes by some of the world’s legendary female musicians.
“A great work of art is made out of a combination of obedience and liberty.” – Nadia Boulanger
“Songwriting is a very mysterious process. It feels like creating something from nothing. It’s something I don’t feel like I really control.” – Tracy Chapman
“You’re gonna have to learn to get out there in front of those cameras and hold your head up. Take charge when you’re singing.” – Patsy Cline
“Wrinkles are hereditary. Parents get them from their children.” – Doris Day
“It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts.” – Ella Fitzgerald
” You can’t copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you’re working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it’s got to be that way in music or it isn’t music.” – Billie Holiday
“Put your faith in God and confidence in yourself.” Alberta Hunter
“The downside of videos is that it will put my vision in front of other people, so they might not get the chance to create their own.” – Carole King
“I don’t try to sound like anyone but me anymore. If something is out of my element, I try to avoid it.” – Norah Jones
“You could write a song about some kind of emotional problem you are having, but it would not be a good song, in my eyes, until it went through a period of sensitivity to a moment of clarity. Without that moment of clarity to contribute to the song, it’s just complaining.” – Joni Mitchell
“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” – Beverly Sills
“As a singer I tried on all these hats, these voices, these clothes, and eventually out came me.” – Carly Simon
“When I sing, trouble can sit right on my shoulder and I don’t even notice.” – Sarah Vaughan
“You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die, or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live now.” – Joan Baez
“Always be smarter than the people who hire you.” – Lena Horne
“Success is important only to the extent that it puts one in a position to do more things one likes to do.” – Sarah Caldwell
“When music fails to agree to the ear, to soothe the ear and the heart and the senses, then it has missed its point.” – Maria Callas
“As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.” – Marian Anderson
“Sometimes oppurtunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.” – Julie Andrews
“No one can figure out your worth but you.” – Pearl Bailey
“You can do anything you want to do, if you know what to do.” – Betty Carter
“I don’t think you get to good writing unless you expose yourself and your feelings. Deep songs don’t come from the surface; they come from the deep down. The poetry and the songs that you are suppose to write, I believe are in your heart.” – Judy Collins
“It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.’ Marlene Dietrich
“If a song’s about something I’ve experienced or that could’ve happened to me it’s good. But if it’s alien to me, I couldn’t lend anything to it. Because that’s what soul is all about.” – Aretha Franklin
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” – Judy Garland
“In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent.” – Loretta Lynn
“Cherish forever what makes you unique, ‘cuz you’re really a yawn if it goes.” – Bette Midler
“You can’t just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You’ve got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.” – Diana Ross
“You have got to discover you, what you do, and trust it.” – Barbra Streisand
“I don’t like to dwell on the past.” – Tina Turner
Wanna try your hand at Songwriting? Join us for our upcoming Songwriting Workshop classes in Grosse Pointe and Canton Township. We will have a Songwriting workshop from 12pm-2pm in Grosse Pointe on Saturday, February 25th and in Canton on Sunday, February 26th.
Call us today or Sign up Online Now!
Saturday February 25th in Grosse Pointe 12pm-2pm
Sunday, February 26th at 12pm-2pm in Canton
Don’t let your children quit playing music
Children will often take up a musical instrument with high hopes of becoming great at playing the instrument or great at singing. Typically the first few lessons are a lot of fun and it’s exciting to learn a few things about how to play and sing. Beginning music lessons need to be set up so that the student can take baby steps towards learning something that is overall very complicated. Inevitably there will come a time when the students encounters something in the lesson that seems like to big of a bridge to cross. Something that will take a little extra work at home to master. When this happens it is important to keep up the support and establish a required practice routine so that the learning continues. Many guitar players want to quit when they encounter their first barre chord like the F chord. There are many thresholds that will seem impossible for the student at certain times. This is the time when parents, teachers or any adults in support should step up and do everything possible to ensure that the child doesn’t quit just because it’s too hard. There are many reasons why people don’t want to practice but it is usually from being undisciplined or just plain lazy. If I had a nickel for every time I heard an adult say “I wish my parent’s wouldn’t have let me quit music lessons”, I wouldn’t be writing this article or running a music academy. Instead, I would be on a beach somewhere with warm weather, counting my millions of dollars in nickels. Actually I think I would take it all to the change machine at a bank and play guitar on the beach instead. I’m not suggesting that every single person was made to play music on instruments or be singers, but it’s just a real tragedy when parents let their kids quit because things got a little challenging at the music lesson. If your child isn’t practicing be certain to spend some time sitting with them and going over what they did in their lesson. Sometimes young students will need their parents to come to a few lessons to help them organize a practice routine at home. Sometimes students who do practice become unmotivated by practicing alone and desire to start playing with other musicians like their favorite bands do. Our rock band and ensemble program has worked wonders for some of our young musicians. Confidence is key and these programs help tremendously with confidence and inspires students to learn more and more. Don’t let your child wish you would have kept them going in music. Don’t let them quit music lessons!
Posted by Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff
Plymouth Canton Area Music School
Grosse Pointe Music Academy in Canton
5880 N. Canton Center Rd. Ste. 425
Canton, MI
48187
Music makes things worthwhile
A week ago or so I wrote about how music and art are always the first thing to go whenever the public school system needs to cut back on things. I think of this again on Superbowl sunday because I think what would football be without the art and music that sell it. The Superbowl has become like a national holiday that offers many opportunities to many people and businesses for many reasons. The football game itself is simply the end of a 2 week long media circus. Anyhow, if you think about the game of football itself without the colored uniforms and logos that fans recognize their favorite teams by, it is certainly a lot less entertaining. Without the artistic touch you couldn’t sell the game for pennies much less billions. Check out this song that Fox does every week as an introduction to their broadcast:
If you play that tune for any football fan they will instantly begin to associate it with the game of football itself. It takes art and music to make things happen. If a school out there can’t afford to keep their music and art programs going they should seek help or shut down first. Maybe the teachers and staff should take a pay cut before letting that happen. If you take away music and art you will take away the heart and soul of the children for an entire generation. Many of the school districts with money could never imagine shutting the door on programs that are so vital to our everyday lives but it is a cold hard reality for many people.
Thankfully there are many existing as well as up and coming programs to help fund private music and art education to those people and areas that cannot afford it. The Grosse Pointe Music Academy has donated music lessons to schools in many areas around metro detroit to help raise money to fund music and art in their schools. We are also working along with an up and coming new non-profit company called the Detroit Music Initiative to help bring music lessons to everyone who cannot afford it. The Detroit Music Initiative believes that people should have more than television in their life. They believe that people of all ages can learn and enjoy playing music. We will have updated information on the Detroit Music Initiative and how you can get involved soon.
Posted by Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff
Songwriting classes at GPMA
Songwriting is something that all musicians can engage in regardless of the instrument that they play and what level they are at. It is certainly helpful to know more and be well practiced on your instrument when writing songs, but learning the skills of songwriting can begin at anytime. Some of the most popular songwriters in the classical and popular music scene wrote famous songs consisting of two and three chords, simple melodies, and simple rhythms. It’s amazing how many songs have been written using just the basic chords from a musical scale. Perhaps one of the easiest way for people to learn the basic functions of chords in songwriting is to learn the harmonica. Not to take away anything from advanced harmonica players, but the basics of chord playing on harmonica is very easy. Harmonicas are diatonic and the notes are arranged so that blowing into any note or combination of notes will produce tones from the root chord or I chord. Drawing from any of the holes in the harmonica will produce the tones associated with the dominant chord or V chord. The I chord and V chord are the primary chords in any given key. So if this terminology is hard to understand then just get a harmonica and you’ll instantly hear the difference. Blowing is the I chord and drawing is the V chord. Understanding chord function is basic and easy with a harmonica. Any key will do just fine but I would recommend getting one in the key of C to make it easy to play along with guitar players and piano players.
Grosse Pointe Music Academy in Grosse Pointe and Canton is having a Songwriting workshop for students ages 10 and up. Instrumentalists and voice students can participate in the Songwriting class. This two hour workshop will be an introduction into the fundamentals of how to write songs. Students will leave with the basic tools and understanding of writing music. Students who wish to continue studying more advanced skills in songwriting will be presented with opportunities to continue in private lessons and other group classes including a weeklong summer workshop on songwriting.
Our upcoming introductory songwriting class will take place on Saturday, February 25th in Grosse Pointe Park and Sunday, February 26th in Canton Township. This 2 hour class is only 30 dollars so sign up today. Class is recommended for students ages 10 years old and up. Sign up online or feel free to call us with any questions!
Sunday, February 26th at 12pm in Canton
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