Helen Burness’ Post

Did you know that you can help your child practice–in a way that doesn’t include threatening with time outs or grounding? You want your kids to love music, art, or dance, and we do too. So we put together a 12-page guide that asks you specific questions to help you figure out the best way to motivate your children to practice. Get it here: https://lnkd.in/grKUZM3r . . . #atxlife #austinmoms #musiclessons #dancelessons #artlessons #parentsofmusicians #parentsofartists #parentsofdancers #practicetips

really starts giving you an insight into the value of our INCLUDE project

Building personal skills and empathetic humans is just as important as the music in my classroom.

"No matter how broken or stressed you feel, singing has the power to heal. 🎶 Whether it's belting out your favourite tune in the shower or joining a choir, the act of singing releases endorphins, reduces stress, and lifts your spirits. So next time you're feeling overwhelmed, turn up the music and let your voice be your guide to inner peace. #SingingHeals #StressRelief #MusicTherapy"

My Intentional Interventions to #StandOut as a Reputable #BluesPianist in #HighEnd Markets Standing out as a pianist in a competitive musical world requires a combination of talent, dedication, and strategic efforts. I have compiled some ways to help us stand out as pianists: 1. **Develop #ExceptionalSkills:** Continuously work on honing your piano skills. Practice diligently, refine your technique, and strive for excellence in your playing. 2. **Expand Your #Repertoire:** Explore a wide range of musical styles and eras. Being versatile and proficient in different genres can set you apart. 3. **#Compose Your Own Music:** Creating your compositions showcases your creativity and individuality as a pianist. It can be a unique selling point and set you apart from others. 4. **#Collaborate with Other Musicians:** Collaborative projects with singers, instrumentalists, or ensembles can expand your network and provide opportunities for unique performances. 5. **#PerformancePresence:** Develop a compelling stage presence. Engage with your audience, convey emotions through your performance, and make a lasting impression.

"While there is an endless array of helpful tools and strategies available, designed to help beat procrastination in the moment, often the best place to start is by looking at the bigger picture." In this week's blog post, I share insights from Cal Newport and Adam Grant that offer us a bigger-picture perspective on procrastination, including strategies we can use to lessen its impact on our musical lives. http://wix.to/YW1LRuE

As we welcome conductor Mihhail Gerts to the Maestro Arts roster, he tells us about his musical influences and philosophies: ‘Being in a choir bonds people. There are so many benefits on a personal level: breathing, listening, expressing oneself, experiencing common emotions and the communication with each other (which is even more direct than in an orchestra as there are no instruments in the way). As a child, singing in a festival with 20,000 other singers is very uplifting. Belonging to a group, whatever your age, sex or preferences, with everyone following the same line, is a very powerful experience. I think this background in singing is one of the reasons there are so many successful Estonian musicians.’ ‘Conducting is not about ego. My role is to lead the performance, but I’m not doing it for myself. I have a conviction that the music we are performing needs to be played a certain way. It can be played in many different ways, but since I’m on the podium today, we will play it like this because there is no other way that I can personally present this music.’ ‘There is always the human aspect: apart from being able to project with my gestures and appearance the way the music should sound, I also need to be able to open up the people I’m working with and win them to my side, otherwise nothing happens. It’s not a linear process: it’s very much give and take.’ ‘The future of classical music depends on how well we are able to engage communities at the local level where orchestras are based, so that people feel that what we do is part of their lives, their identity, and that it’s fantastic. We need to do a lot of work to demonstrate that works from the past have something to tell us today. That isn’t a given.’ Read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/eZiMjHC2 #orchestra #classicalmusic #conductorslife #newsigning #conductor #classicalmusicians #mihhailgerts

Did you know that you can help your child practice–in a way that doesn’t include threatening with time outs or grounding? You want your kids to love music, art, or dance, and we do too. So we put together a 12-page guide that asks you specific questions to help you figure out the best way to motivate your children to practice. Get it here: https://lnkd.in/grKUZM3r . . . #atxlife #austinmoms #musiclessons #dancelessons #artlessons #parentsofmusicians #parentsofartists #parentsofdancers #practicetips

Reggae has different genres and I just realized that this is dancehall week of #Reggaemonth. The arguments about which is better are endless in Jamaica but they each have their audiences. I did a little googling and found this distinction from Prezi - "Dancehall music is more secular, vulgar, and artistes get to express their various forms of creations (slangs, dance, fashion trends, etc...). Reggae music is a more conscious approach for voicing one's opinion and to rebel to whatever it is that the artist finds unjust." With all due respect to the source, these are fighting words! Dancehall is vulgar but reggae is conscious? And reggae isn't secular? But this is the challenge in our societies and organisations - we view things so differently and we label them very differently because of our biases. When you have so many different generations in the workplace this can lead to misunderstandings, broken communication and conflict. Sadly rather than listening to each other's music/opinions/perspectives, we sit and judge. In workplaces we are going to have different views and rather than building walls can we build bridges? Can we ask people to explain what they find appealing about their choices and at least listen and look and can we return the favour. Folks - time to start talking TO each other instead of ABOUT each other. In the end everyone is just expressing what they feel and don't we care about that? #communication #Reggaemonth #generationsintheworkplace #judgmentfreezone #conflictmanagement

Musical Inspirations We all have role models from celebrities to other musicians that we see live. Very often we can look back in our lives and remember a particularly inspirational moment, person or turning point. I have had the wonderful chance to work with some fabulous names who have repeatedly inspired me more and more and more, constantly reigniting that flame deep inside me. Here are some amazing artists who I hope will inspire you as much as they inspire me. Breaking Musical Tasks Down How do we break tasks down? Fascinatingly, these artists perceive everything in the simplest of ways. They have an extraordinary gift for communicating that even 1 to 3 notes can become miraculous. Towards Dreams & Pearls of Wisdom Incredibly, the biggest words of wisdom, after breaking tasks down and practising, seem to involve being a wonderful person and “being you”. https://lnkd.in/eNtQpU7b https://lnkd.in/ernZJgDX https://lnkd.in/g324_9UC #pianolessonsonline #musicmasterclasses #masterclass #singinglessons #organlessons