Category: videos

New musicality video:

HookTheory is one of a handful of websites that we are constantly recommending to people who are learning music and looking for easier ways to understand music theory. We’ve been continually impressed with their approach and the quality of the teaching they provide, and it was a real delight to immerse ourselves in the two HookTheory books last year. http://musicalitypodcast.com/40

Today we’re talking with Dave Carlton and Chris Anderson, two of the three creators of HookTheory – one of our favourite music-learning websites and one that can transform the way you understand melodies and harmony in the music you love. Ryan Miyakawa, the third team member, couldn’t be with us today but we’re hoping to have him on the show for a followup episode in future.

HookTheory is a new way of visualising notes and chords in music, as well as a very different and far more effective and interesting way of teaching core music theory concepts in songwriting.

In this conversation we talk about:

– The quite different musical backgrounds that the three HookTheory creators have and what they found a shared passion for that led to creating HookTheory together

– What makes HookTheory different and why that might matter to you

– Whether or not interactive tools like HookPad which make it easy to write music with computer assistance are removing the need for learning music theory yourself

If you’ve never been to HookTheory.com, we know this conversation will inspire you to go dive in, and if you’ve seen HookTheory in action, you’ll enjoy this peek behind the scenes of where such a cool project came from and what’s in store for the future.

Listen to the episode:

http://musicalitypodcast.com/40

Links and Resources

HookTheory.com: https://www.hooktheory.com/

Previous interview with Dave: an introduction to hook theory: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/learn-music-theory-the-fun-way-with-hooktheory/

The I-IV-V progression: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/why-you-should-learn-the-i-iv-v-chord-progression/

The Kodály Method: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-is-kodaly-and-how-does-it-relate-to-ear-training/

The benefits of solfege: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/solfege-do-re-mi-isnt-childs-play/

Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

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Tweets by MusicalU

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Multi-coloured Music, with the Hooktheory team

New musicality video:

In this Instrument Pack we tap into the wisdom of our master improviser Resident Pros to explore chord tones and how to mix them into your improvisations. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/improvising-with-chord-tones-resource-pack-preview/

Many musicians begin improvising with scales. It’s a great place to start since most music is composed in a specific key, with a limited set of notes. But are you ready for the next step to creating improvised melodies that sound natural, meaningful, and meshed with the harmonies that surround them? It’s time to take your improv to the next level and learn how to improvise with chord tones.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/improvising-with-chord-tones-resource-pack-preview/

Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Sara Campbell: https://sarasmusicstudio.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sarasmusicstudio/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SaraMusicStudio

→ Learn more about Instrument Packs with Resident Pros
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introducing-musical-u-instrument-packs/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Piano: Improvising with Chord Tones Resource Pack Preview

New musicality video:

In this Instrument Pack we tap into the wisdom of our master improviser Resident Pros to explore chord tones and how to mix them into your improvisations. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/improvising-with-chord-tones-resource-pack-preview/

Many musicians begin improvising with scales. It’s a great place to start since most music is composed in a specific key, with a limited set of notes. But are you ready for the next step to creating improvised melodies that sound natural, meaningful, and meshed with the harmonies that surround them? It’s time to take your improv to the next level and learn how to improvise with chord tones.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/improvising-with-chord-tones-resource-pack-preview/

→ Learn more about Instrument Packs with Resident Pros
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introducing-musical-u-instrument-packs/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Singing: Improvising with Chord Tones Resource Pack Preview

New musicality video:

Though hearing a rhythm in your head or tapping along to the beat comes naturally to many musicians, it can be trickier to understand rhythmic notation and put a beat to paper. http://musicalitypodcast.com/39

Enter Groove Pizza, a simple, interactive tool to help you understand rhythms using a visual grid system that lets you see exactly how the beat is formed. In this episode, we’re giving you a crash course, forming some common beats with Groove Pizza and tweaking them to see how the sound changes!

http://musicalitypodcast.com/39

Links and Resources:

Interview with Katie Wardrobe: http://musicalitypodcast.com/38

Groove Pizza: https://apps.musedlab.org/groovepizza/

Honing your sense of rhythm: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/hone-sense-rhythm/

Learning common beats: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/get-rhythm-learn-common-beats/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

About Grid Notation

New musicality video:

Today we’re talking with Katie Wardrobe, the founder of Midnight Music – a site we’ve followed for several years because it is the go-to place to learn about cool new music tools and websites and insights on how they can be used in music education. http://musicalitypodcast.com/38

Katie runs hands-on workshops, presents regularly at conferences in Australia and overseas and she offers online training and support to music teachers all over the world through her music technology professional development online community – the Midnight Music Community.

She is also the author of Studio Sessions, a keyboard and technology program for middle school students and the host of the weekly Music Tech Teacher podcast.

One thing we’ve always admired is how Katie is always able to find interesting and creative ways to use new music websites and apps for real practical teaching purposes. We loved having the chance to pick Katie’s brains on how to best use music tech in education, as well as learning a bit more about her own background and what led to her having such a creativity-focused perspective on technology in music education.

In this conversation we talk about:

– How growing up as the daughter of two music teacher parents impacted her early music education, and whether she believes it was nature or nurture that led to her becoming a music teacher herself.
– Her opinion on whether easy music-making technology reduces (or even removes) the need for spending time learning music in the traditional way.
– Her top suggestions for free online tools you can use today to develop your musicality in fun and interesting ways.

This conversation is packed with useful ideas for self-taught musicians and music teachers alike, and you’re going to come away with at least one (but probably several) cool new ideas for using technology in your musicality training.

Listen to the episode:

http://musicalitypodcast.com/38

Learn more about Katie: https://midnightmusic.com.au/

Links and Resources:

Music Tech Teacher Podcast: https://midnightmusic.com.au/music-tech-teacher-podcast/

Book: Studio Sessions: https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/191113236?selectedversion=NBD57018636

Ultimate Free Music Tech Resources Guide 2017: https://midnightmusic.com.au/2017/07/ultimate-free-music-tech-resources-guide-2017/

Groove Pizza online drum sequencer: https://apps.musedlab.org/groovepizza/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Top Musicality Tools and Tech, with Katie Wardrobe

New musicality video:

Many musicians shy away from singing. They think that they don’t need it, or that it serves no purpose for them. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth – regardless of what instrument you play, learning to sing will improve your audiation skills, and allow you to express musical ideas in a new way, write songs without needing to hash out the exact melody on your instrument, and fine-tune your sense of pitch.

Listen to the episode:

http://musicalitypodcast.com/37

Links and Resources

Interview: Davin Youngs: http://musicalitypodcast.com/36

Interview: Brent Vaartstra: http://musicalitypodcast.com/16

Interview: George Bevan: http://musicalitypodcast.com/12

Learning to Sing in Tune: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-learn-to-sing-in-tune/

Why Every Musician Should Sing: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/why-every-musician-must-be-a-singer-too/

Learn to Sing with Musical U: https://www.musical-u.com/training/roadmaps/learn-to-sing/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Singing as a Tool

New musicality video:

Can you imagine a room full of non-singers trying to sing, all together, completely improvised? You’re probably imagining total unmusical chaos, right? You might be surprised by what’s possible…
http://musicalitypodcast.com/36

Today we’re talking with Davin Youngs, founder of Davin Youngs Voice, Chicago Circle Singing and the VOXUS Experience. Davin is a remarkable singing educator and although (as you’ll hear in this episode) he doesn’t much care about pedagogy for the sake of pedagogy, he does actually have a fascinating, unusual and in my opinion wonderful approach to helping people learn to sing and express themselves with their voice.

In this conversation we talk about:

– How group improvised singing can work even if the participants aren’t trained to improvise – or sing!
– Why focusing on what “sounds good” is not necessarily the right way to improve as a singer.
– How someone who grew up as a natural singer ended up specialising in helping those who don’t feel natural at all to find their authentic voice and start expressing themselves through singing.

We were really happy to have the chance to speak with Davin and learn more about his innovative projects. There were a ton of useful insights and ideas in this conversation, whether you consider yourself “a singer” or not.

Listen to the episode:

http://musicalitypodcast.com/36

Links and Resources

Davin Youngs Voice: https://www.davinyoungsvoice.com/
Circle Singing: https://www.chicagocirclesinging.com/
VOXUS Experience: http://voxusexperience.com/
Jeanie LoVetri’s Somatic Voicework: http://somaticvoicework.com/
Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesongs Workshop: https://www.eomega.org/videos/circlesongs

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website: https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast: http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test: http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist: https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicalU

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Singing that Sounds Good – and Beyond, with Davin Youngs

New musicality video:

Matthew and Jeremy from Music Student 101 stopped by The Musicality Podcast to talk about the big mindset shift you need to make learning music theory fun and successful.
http://musicalitypodcast.com/34

Today on the Musicality Podcast, we have two guests joining us on the show: Matthew Scott Phillips and Jeremy Burns, who together host the Music Student 101 podcast, a terrific show that dives deep into music theory in a way that makes it easy to understand, as well as covering other topics like music careers, different instruments, and tips for bands.

Matthew and Jeremy are based in Birmingham, Alabama, and although they studied some of the same courses at university together, their musical lives have taken them in quite different directions. Matthew is the award-winning composer of over 70 instrumental and vocal works in a wide range of musical styles, and is now a professor of music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Jeremy runs Area 47 Sound, where he has recorded sound for commercials, documentary, film, national news, and prime time television. He’s also a bassist, performing live with three bands.

We’re regular listeners of the Music Student 101 podcast and often recommend it to people who ask us how they can brush up on their music theory – so we were really delighted when they agreed to come on our podcast and share their own experiences and insights.

In this episode we talk about:
– How music theory and ear training have played a part in two quite different music careers – one into academia and composing, the other into performance and live sound recording
– The big mindset shift you need to make learning music theory fun and successful
– The core skill that underlies having a good ear, and bridges the gap between musical ear training and audio ear training
And we ask them the very blunt question: “Is there a point to doing a music degree?”

If you’ve ever questioned the usefulness of music theory or a music degree – or wondered if they’re things you’re missing out on, this conversation with Matthew and Jeremy is going to provide you with some real wisdom and insight.

Listen to the episode: http://musicalitypodcast.com/34

Hear more from Music Student 101: http://musicstudent101.com/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:
Tweets by MusicalU

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

Why and How to Learn Theory, with Matthew Scott Phillips and Jeremy Burns

New musicality video:

“Fake news” may be a term that’s only recently made its way into the zeitgeist, but the vocal world has been full of half-truths and straight-up myths for quite a while. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/5-myths-about-singing-debunked/

Founder of the nonprofit music school Molly’s Music, music blogger, and vocal teacher Molly Webb debunks five myths that have been propagated in the vocal world and shares why they’re false, giving you practice advice that is backed by vocal research and will help you achieve your singing goals.

Because vocal instruction was going on long before researchers had the ability to look at what was going on anatomically, not everything passed down from teacher to teacher over the years has been accurate. As a result, vocalists have been particularly susceptible to misconceptions and fear mongering about vocal health.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/5-myths-about-singing-debunked/

Find out more about Molly’s Music! http://www.mollysmusic.org/

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:
Tweets by MusicalU

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

5 Myths About Singing: Debunked!

New musicality video:

What is “active listening” – and should you be doing it?
http://musicalitypodcast.com/35

Musicians often make the mistake of thinking that “ear training” is just about specific concrete skills like recognising intervals or learning to adjust EQ bands on a mixer by ear. But actually there’s one big-picture skill that’s possibly more important than all of those – as well as providing a great opportunity to put those skills to use. And that’s active listening. Learn more about what it is and a number of ways you can start doing it yourself, today, in this episode.

http://musicalitypodcast.com/35

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Learn more about Musical U!

Website:
https://www.musical-u.com/

Podcast:
http://musicalitypodcast.com

Tone Deaf Test:
http://tonedeaftest.com/

Musicality Checklist:
https://www.musical-u.com/mcl-musicality-checklist

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MusicalU

Twitter:
Tweets by MusicalU

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicalU

Subscribe for more videos from Musical U!

About Active Listening