Well, Tom Powers has been announced as the new voice of CBC's q. He's an excellent radio person so I'm not surprised, but if they are true to their press release (“We are refocusing and reinvesting in Q to ensure…
Aug 15 2016
Apr 25 2016
"Kiss" by Prince
In honour of Prince's music, I decided to have my jazz ensembles at the Royal Conservatory play "Kiss." It's not an exact transcription but close enough, and something that hopefully sounds ok played on a trumpet or saxophone.
Apr 22 2016
Prince's Guitar Playing
Prince was a really solid lead guitar player, but his rhythm guitar playing is what got my attention (the most overlooked and yet essential part of playing the instrument for most music!). In that regard, he totally changed my playing…
Apr 19 2016
Sicily: Original home of liberal multicultural thinking!
Living in Toronto makes it easy to have a really positive view of multiculturalism, as it really defines this city and the people who live here. The music scene in particular benefits from the interactions of musicians from different backgrounds…
Mar 31 2016
A great article on how to practice music
One thing I often observe in my teaching at two colleges and privately: students don't know how to practice (ok, it's part of the bigger problem: they don't make time to practice or maximize the time they have).
This article…
This article…
Mar 30 2016
A great article: The Devaluation of Music
Because I teach a music business class at Humber College, and also because I make much more of my income from actually playing the guitar, composing, recording, and touring, I'm always grateful for good articles/blogs on the state of the…
Mar 20 2016
How Much Should I Practice?
I teach a lot of different kinds of students, from college students hoping to pursue a career in music, to amateur adult musicians who have careers but love to play as a hobby, to my own children who take lessons…
Mar 15 2016
Music Business Class at Humber College
I've been teaching a Music Business /Music Marketing class at Humber College the past two years, and I'm constantly finding new articles that both update what I want to pass on to my students, and also remind me how hard…