The St. Joseph Area Music Teachers Association is hosting it’s March recital this week. Sunday, March 12 2pm Room 112 Potter Fine Arts Bldg. MWSU Students from a variety of studios in our area will perform on piano, guitar, voice and strings. It’s free and open to friends and family of performing students. Always a…

Strumming can be a real challenge for advancing guitarists. Especially, when the tempos get fast. We created this short video to help as a practice tool taking us from slow to medium to fast! http://www.jasonriley.com https://www.stjosephartsacademy.com http://www.socajukebox.com

Don’t Fret! I wondered where this phrase originated? We all know that it basically means “don’t worry” but does it have anything to do with playing a fretted instrument? Yes and No. Originally, Fretting had to do with eating or gnawing away at something. As in a small creature chewing away at almost anything. So…

For our piano playing friends… 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Every four years, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition brings the world’s best pianists to Fort Worth, TX to compete for the coveted Cliburn gold medal. For the first time in its history, the seventeen day competition will culminate on the big screen with…

Hoping to keep you more up to date on our upcoming, family-friendly performances in the area. Actually, they are all family-friendly but some venues are 21 and over. Tonight (Monday, Feb. 27), I’ll be performing a very special solo for the “Backstories” artist series at the East Hills Public Library. This is MY library! They’ve…

Our students work very hard all year long. They study musical exercises on their instruments. They work their technique and musicianship through weekly assignments of scales, chords, sight reading and repertoire. As teachers, we make a plan for them and help them set goals to succeed. Musical progress translates to success in so many other…

Last week, I attended the FAI conference in Kansas City. Music, music, music! And it’s all very high quality. Artists from all over the world descend on KC to present their music in over 2000 showcases, take part in panel discussions, meet, greet and jam late into the evening. 10am-4am everyday. 4am! This post will…

Our island rock band, Soca Jukebox played a very special event last weekend. It was for a group that’s very near to our own hearts, commitments and values. This was our second opportunity to perform for the families at Parenting Children with Special Needs in Kansas City. A truly amazing night to see whole families…

Ever wonder what actually goes on in a guitar lesson? I’ve had lot of guitar lessons and I’ve also given thousands of them, probably 10’s of thousands. On a one-on-one level, every student is different and so each lesson will be tailored to their levels, abilities and sensibilities. On a more general scale, there are…