daily observations “classical music insights” Charles Noble is the Assistant principal violist of the Oregon Symphony. He blogs about his experiences with the orchestra, as well as his deep love of good coffee. Follow Charles on Twitter.
Dial “M” for Musicology “Music, Musicology, and Related Matters.” “This is a musicology group blog that features the prose stylings of Jonathan Bellman (University of Northern Colorado) and Phil Ford (Indiana University Jacobs School of Music). It is a place for us to work ideas out publicly in what is still, for our field, a somewhat new medium. We are members of the American Musicological Society, but our views are entirely our own and should not be taken as representative of the AMS or any other academic organization. “Dial ‘M’ for Musicology” is an academic blog, but it wants to be friends with everyone. Welcome to all critics, musicians, bedroom air-guitarists, louche aesthetes, prickly autodidacts, and random passers-by!” There are also several new contributors who have joined the fold. Often thought-provoking and always interesting, this is a great place to find things to think about. 4-8 posts monthly.
dramma per musica “My name is Bob Kingston. I’m a librarian, free-lance musicologist, lapsed bass-baritone, and self-professed opera fanatic living in Portland, Oregon. I give all of the pre-performance talks for the Portland Opera, and I also lead music history classes for the company’s Studio Artists. I love collecting historic vocal recordings, and I often use examples of these in my classes and presentations. So, don’t be surprised if I post a clip of some obscure Russian tenor or Italian baritone from time to time.” 4-12 posts monthly. I enjoy Bob’s tweets immensely. Follow Bob on Twitter.
Elissa Milne “music, media, performance, politics, the tastes and times of Elissa Milne” Elissa blogs about her experiences as a piano teacher in Australia, Children’s books, and anything else that catches her interest. She usually posts every couple of days. Follow Elissa on Twitter. I’ve had some good conversations with her via Twitter.
Emmanuel Ax’s Official Blog I found this blog while looking into my question on how applause is seen in current performance practice.He posts very infrequently, but has brought up some interesting topics. It’s nice to have an insight into a great artistic mind.
Georgia Stitt Official Blog Yes, I admit it, I’m a music theater geek! I love the genre and the music (my grandfather was a Theater Organist and I grew up on the classic musicals). Georgia Stitt is one of my favorite contemporary composers and singers. She writes in a personal tone about her music and her jobs of being mother, wife, and composer. I highly recommend her blog for all those multi-tasking moms out there. She’s currently on hiatus, having just given birth to her second child, but I’m sure she’ll be back soon.
Good Company Billie Whittaker: “A classically-trained pianist, formerly employed in academia, gone freelance in VA/DC/MD. I play in several musical sandboxes, as needed. My side hobby is helping other pianists (with a similar background to my own) get employed.” A great perspective from the “other” side of the piano. Posts 4-6 times monthly.
GretchensPianos Gretchen Saathoff is a pianist based in Western Massachusetts. I don’t remember where I ran across her blog (I think the Collaborative Piano Blog – a lot of great musicians hang out there), but she posts on many issues. We connected because of Smith College being a commonality between us. We’ve had many great discussions on practicing (techniques in common w/ piano and voice), as well as enjoying the New England fall. Follow Gretchen on Twitter. She’ll respond to any reasonable comments (and really appreciates it if you let her know her account was hacked and sent an IQ quiz to you!).
Hell Mouth is composer John Adams’ blog. It is a recent addition, but I must admit I LOVE being able to be privy to some of the thoughts of this amazing composer. He blogs in a very opinionated yet well-reasoned (and often sarcastic) way, and the commenters on his blogs add depth to his insights. The blog has only been active since September, but I find myself challenged by his ideas.
Là ci darem la mano Maura Lafferty, “Marketing and PR Director at New Century Chamber Orchestra in the San Francisco Bay Area.” A colleague of Amanda Ameer (see Life’s a Pitch below), Maura blogs more generally about music (and her life). I just really love the title of her blog. 5-8 posts monthly. Find Maura on LinkedIn or Twitter (yes, she’ll respond!).
LA Stage Blog “Up-to-date news, opportunities, and perspectives in the Los Angeles performing arts community.” While not STRICTLY a music blog, I feel this belongs in this category because of its theatre connections. Most of the posts relate to “straight” theater, but also touch on LA Phil and other musical performances in the area.
Life’s A Pitch “For immediate release: The Arts are marketable” An ArtsJournal weblog, Amanda Ameer is a publicist for many well-known professional musicians. She has an honest take on the arts and marketing, frequently poking fun at her own gaffes. She is engaging and makes us think about how the arts are perceived by those within the profession, those outside music, and those marketing the musician. I have learned a lot about the thought process behind marketing classical musicians.
Making Music Magazine A Magazine focused towards the adult “casual” music-maker, I learned about this magazine from a colleague (Cynthia Vaughn of Magnolia Music Studio). I am now distributing copies to my studio, but also have subscribed to their blog. There are frequently entertainment personalities profiled that helps to raise the “status” of music making among students. 8-10 posts monthly.
Marion Harrington’s Clarinet World “Launching a classical music career the second time around and other Andalusian adventures” Marion lives in Andalusia, Spain and has become a close Twitter friend of mine. 5-8 posts monthly. She has had a on-again-off-again relationship withprofessional music throughout her life (read the story here) and is now in the process of finishing up her solo clarinet recording. Marion is very friendly and has some great ideas about music – both the making of and the business of.
Mass Culture Mozart is written by Olivia Giovetti, “Contributing Classical + Opera editor at Time Out New York, columnist with Classical Singer, gadabout town.” Olivia’s been going through the works of Lully and discussing them in depth, as well as taking side-trips into the various realms of opera. 3-5 posts monthly. Follow Olivia on Twitter for other classical vocal inspirations (and some great conversation).
Matt Doyle Actor of the same name currently playing Hugo Peabody in the Broadway revival of “Bye-Bye Birdie.” He talks about music, the Birdie rehearsal process, and generally just life as an actor in the big city. 1-4 posts monthly.
Music Matters Blog “Creative, Practical and Up-To-Date Resources for the Independent Music Teacher.” Natalie Wickham operates an independent piano studio in Derby, Kansas (using MusicTeachersHelper, of course!). She blogs both about the details of studio management as well as the creative side of making music with students. Her regular feature “Monday Mailbag” answers questions put to her by other teachers and covers a variety of topics. Down-to-earth an practical, I always enjoy reading her posts. Follow Natalie on Twitter.
Music Teachers Helper Blog Need I say more?
Music, Technology and Education: mustech.net “A project of Dr. Joseph Pisano…[mustech.net] was established in order to spread the “word” faster about music, technology, and other related educational topics.” The postings I appreciate the most are those entitled “Monday Morning Music Mix – Education News from All Over.” They are a fabulous roundup of the week’s news in music education. For a broader scope, follow Dr. Pisano on Twitter.
Musica Nova’s Blog: Musings on the Music We Play Musica Nova is a small Scottsdale, AZ-based set of ensembles dedicated to playing music that is “not your typical orchestra.” Led (and the blog is written by) conductor Warren Cohen, the groups are dedicated to “performing new and neglected music of the highest caliber.” Disclaimer: I have been hired to sing with them several times over the years and we are planning on me singing with them again in the near future.
About the Author
Internationally known Lyric Mezzo-Soprano Rachel Velarde began her music career in Bloomington, Indiana. After receiving her B.A. in Music from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, Rachel earned two Master of Music degrees at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. Luminaries she has worked with include Vernon Hartman, James Caraher, Lorenzo Malfatti, Shirlee Emmons, Mary Sue Hyatt, John Sikora, David Jones, Kamal Khan, Hugh Keelan, David Britton, and Carol Smith. Rachel offers private, one-on-one weekly or twice-weekly instruction to students of all ages, although she specializes in the young developing voice - currently students range in age from 9-56. She accompanies her students (on piano) as much as possible and encourage healthy singing, coupled with a working knowledge of the voice. Singing is, above all, FUN. If you love it, you can learn it. Rachel's goal as a teacher is to give her students a “toolbox” for their vocal technique, so that they can work towards a healthy, free and easy production. She believes her students should be able to sing for a lifetime of enjoyment, so she strives to provide them with a firm foundation of knowledge in how their own voice works.
by charles noble — Fri Jan 1, 2010 @ 3:46 am