Swing into Summer with Jim and I . Sat. June 21, 2014, 7:30 pm. The Kove, Audubon, NJ 856-546-0808.

Swing in to Summer with Jim  Bruno and I,Saturday Night June 21st, 2014 @ 7:30 pm. The Kove in Audubon, NJ. is once again playing host to our Rat Pack retrospective as Jim and I croon away the standards made famous by Frank,Dean, and so many others. Hope to see you there. Please be sure to call for reservations as soon as possible. Tables are limited.

Make This Valentine's Weekend Special at The Kove, Audubon, NJ

Behind The Scenes at Studio 618. Jim and I Building and Rehearsing our Next Performance.

Come Celebrate the Love this Valentine's Day Weekend.

Dino's Been Delayed.

Well, it looks like it will be a few more days until little Dino Martin gets to see his new hang out. Weather cancelled his flight to Philly today. We'll keep his tuxedo pressed, his martini chilled and his microphone plugged in until he gets here. Sleep tight little man. We'll see you soon! 

Our family would like to welcome it's newest member. Say hello to Dino Martin Caraffa !

Thank You Kove for a very nice evening. You were gracious and friendly hosts.

Come for a cup of cheer, stay for the SWING !!!

One last birthday wish for Francis Albert. This is one of his swinging best.

Happy Birthday Mr. S. We miss you every day.

Steve Lawrence's Rendition of The Theme from Bewitched - Purely Swingin'

Join us at The Kove, Audubon, NJ - Saturday Night December 14, 2013 @7:30PM.

Ennio Morricone - Cinema Paradiso (In Concerto - Venezia 10.11.07)

One of my favorite movie scores from one of my top five favorite movies put to pictures of one of my top five favorite cites. Please enjoy the love theme from Cinema Paradiso and these beautiful images of Venice Italy.

My Bucket List and my Studi Di Lingua Italiano

As a person reaches that ripe old age of fifty something happens that brings that old bucket list more clearly into focus. I'm sure it's partly because you know you aren't really middle aged, for how many of us actually live to be 100. Yes there is something about 50 that creates that much welcomed sense of urgency that taps you on the shoulder every day and says, hey ... do you remember all that stuff you always said you wanted to do with your life... well you better get to it because you're running low on time outs and every day someone is trying to get the ball away from you to run their own set of plays. So when you feel that pressure take a firm grasp of those helmet ear holes, slide that  helmet on your head, fasten the chin strap then call a play. And for God's sake break that huddle, place your hands under center, call the signals and run the damn play no matter what defense has been called on the other side of the ball.

Almost exactly a year ago this week I began to seriously study singing American Classic Jazz Standards. What led me to this glorious and fulfilling endeavor? Well I've  been kind of a frustrated crooner my whole adult life getting the opportunity to scratch those sub-dermal itches at the occasional family wedding and party from time to time. One thing led to another and as luck would have it a dear friend invited me to sing with him at a neighborhood little league fund raiser. Fortunately  for me I'm  surrounded by dear friends and family who have always urged me to do this more seriously , most of whom attended the fund raiser and have seen me perform in the past. In 2012 I finally heeded their advice and took up singing more seriously. Since then I've had the great fortune to study with a true maestro and to perform in venues that go beyond the occasional family gathering. This has been one of the most life affirming experiences I've ever had. It's something I've been able to check off my bucket list or, at the very least, say its a work in progress that I hope will carry me  as far as my vocal chords will allow.

Fast forward to this summer. Yet another itch has been slowly working its way to the surface. Since I was a second generation Italian boy growing up in a predominantly Italian neighborhood with grandparents and parents who spoke Italian when they didn't want us to know what they were talking about,  I've always wanted to know how to speak fluent, Florentine style Italian. Nothing against the Italian that is spoken in southern Italy, but I figure if you are going to do it, keep it pure and simple. Dialects will follow in their due course as the need arises. So now here I am, eyebrows deep in Italian language books that run the gamut from verb conjugation, grammar, vocabulary, usage and believe it or not, simple Italian book readers. This is truly learning by immersion, much like they do it in the CIA. Since starting this journey I've surrounded myself  with Italian movies, music and everyday usage. I'm driving my wife and friends crazy because I've taken to only texting in Italian thereby forcing them to translate my messages and respond only in Italiano. Fun for me, for them, not so much.

Long story short, this journey into teaching myself  Italian has filled whatever free time I can muster with a tantalizing  challenge that has been replete with frustration, reward, but most of all, flat out satisfaction and fun. It has become so much a part of me that I literally try to say every English sentence I utter in Italian either to myself  or out loud. I'm far from crossing this off the bucket list because I've not yet achieved any level of fluency. However I'm well only my way and become better every day.

A very wise man once told me that there is really no teaching, there is only learning. What he meant was if you truly burn  to learn something bad enough you will go out and find a way to learn it. That has never been truer than it is today with YouTube, Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and the ever expansive and omnipresent internet.

So go check that bucket list of yours and commit to do at least one thing right now. If you truly want to learn it the tools are there. Use them and by the end of 2013 you will be amazed and fulfilled by how far you've come.

Please stay tuned for more Musings from Studio 618. If you like like them please tell a friend.

All my very best,
Anthony

1 Year Anniversary Studying with Ed Rose of The Rose Center for Music in Audubon, NJ

I've just completed my first year under the musical tutelage of Mr. Ed Rose. More grateful I could not be. 

Dear Ed, 

Thank you for taking just another fat Italian guy from Jersey who thought he could sing the standards and making him truly understand how to pay homage to, and expertly perform, this beautiful music. Here's hoping that the years ahead will be as fruitful and enriching as the one that has just passed. Thank you also for your friendship. I'm a better man for having met you and to have had the privilege to study with you. You are the heart and soul of The American Songbook.

Bravo Maestro!!!

Pavarotti Last Performance "Nessun Dorma" @ Torino 2006

Faith in the Face of Catastrophe...How Refreshing. May God Bless the Folks of Moore Oklahoma.

I, like most of you, have been rocked by the news over what has occurred in Moore, OK over the last two days. The unthinkable devastation that has taken place here should be enough to have us all counting our blessings. To emerge from a shelter to learn that everything you held sacred is gone in a matter of minutes is something that the folks who live in this part of the country know as a constant threat every spring.  As I watch interview after interview I continue to find inspiration from these people who refuse to think of themselves as victims.

We are living in times where few if anyone, particularly politicians and celebrities, are grounded enough to take responsibility for their wrongdoings. The more exposure they get the more likely they will find some sympathetic group who will shelter them with excuses and exploit them as a victim. The more they've been blessed with the more obnoxious they feel they are entitled to be.

When you juxtapose this behavior against the humble people of Moore, OK in the wake of this catastrophe it should really help us all put things in perspective. Once again true inspiration can be found in the humility so often displayed in America's heartland. Whether it be flood waters from rising rivers that wash away entire counties or tornadoes that leave schools, homes, hospitals and churches in piles of wood and twisted metal, the response always seems to be consistently the same.  Almost to a person, when asked where they begin to put the pieces of their lives back together the answer starts with prayer. Living in what many on both coasts love to derisively call the fly over states, these people rarely get to take center stage unless it's brought on by tragedy. However, when the spotlight shines on them their souls shine back. The response may not always be as eloquent or as grammatically correct as the elite class would like but at least it's consistent and always based in a belief in something greater than themselves. It would be very easy to use this stage to spout some political agenda or some other beef they've been harboring and waiting to use to paint themselves as victims, but refreshingly that never seems to be the case. They come together as a community and together they rebuild. They display no sense of entitlement, only grace and gratitude for what little they've been left to work with.

To the people of Moore Oklahoma, your response to this crisis is an inspiration and a lesson to us all. It's all much bigger than us. It takes true humility to know this completely. Unfortunately it often takes a tragedy of this magnitude so that  people of your strength may shine.  

To all those who suffered in this tornado's wake, I salute your courage. May God bless you and give you the peace and hope you so richly deserve.

Please stay tuned for more Musings from Studio 618.

All my very best,
Anthony

Under the Tuscan Sun... Chick Flick? No doubt...but what can I say? I liked its message.

OK, let's get this out on the table right up front. I know full well that Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) is a chick flick. There is no wiggle room here.  I can't believe that I am even opening myself up to the certain castration that will come from my testosterone toting buds the next time we're hanging in my garage to watch a ball game and kill some beer and pizza. My wife will surely attest to the fact  that I avoid chick flicks like that dreaded colonoscopy I was supposed to get once I turned 50. Having stated this for the record please let me proceed.

Since having the privilege to vacation with family in Italy in 2005 and again in 2007 I have been obsessively curious about any and all things Italy. When I saw the title of this movie come up on my cable channel listings I was obviously intrigued. I was hopeful that the Tuscany region of Italy would be as much a character in this movie as Las Vegas was in The Hangover (2009). Thankfully I wasn't disappointed.

While this movie could have played out in many a locale around the globe there was something about Tuscany that resonated so true with the narrative. With it's old world, European charm, beautiful landscapes, artistic history, grace and humility,Tuscany provided the perfect backdrop of escape and hope; the two things Frances Mayes (Diane Lane), needed more than anything at this time in her life. Frances is a recently divorced, middle aged, English professor/writer, who is now faced with the circumstance of wondering what the next phase of her life has in store. Empathetic to her plight her friends send her on a vacation to Tuscany in an attempt to give her a break from her woe.

While on a tour of the countryside Frances falls in love with a broken down Villa named Bramesole. Against any and all  instincts of common sense and logic she's ever had she winds up purchasing the home with  every last penny from her divorce settlement. From this point the film takes us on a journey of courage, regret, frustration, heartbreak, and enlightenment.

Frances Mayes, when presented with the notion that this drastic move would enrich and enhance her life, closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and took the chance. As she navigates her way through this strange new place, with no friends, no money, and not knowing the language, she is forced to summon all her character and inner strength to make this bizarre choice the right one. Along the way there are many events that test her resolve and force her to question her judgement. With the help of Tuscany's magnificence Frances hurdles every obstacle, not always on her terms or timetable but clears them nonetheless. She fixes her house, makes new friends, follows her soul and learns a very important lesson along the way.

Many times we get caught in the trap of thinking our dreams are way beyond our reach. Then someone comes along with an objective eye helping us realize that everything we ever wanted has been developing right under our nose, all because we had the insight and fortitude to make it happen.

What I enjoyed most about this theme is that it got me thinking about how I would act under similar circumstances. After all, how many of us, when faced with a challenge would have the clarity of mind and antenna to the soul to recognize a calling if and when one is served. If we are fortunate enough to hear the advice being offered by our inner voice, how many of us would then have the courage to pursue it with no assurance of how it will turn out. These are a few of the soul searching questions this film brings out in a very enjoyable, lighthearted, and often funny way. It also made me ponder if I had missed any signals in my own life up until now. With hindsight being 20/20 vision I certainly hope not, and thankfully I have no regrets. Like most good intentioned New Year's resolutions I also came away from this movie vowing to be more attentive to these moments if and when they arrive. I hope.

So yes, this is a chick flick. I watched it and I liked it. However, a word to producers,writers, and directors, ... don't get too comfortable. If you want me to become a regular fan of this genre then you must assure me of two things. The message in your films will always be as life affirming as it was in this one ... but more important than anything else ... make sure you set it somewhere in Italy. Comprendere?


Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) 
Directed by: Audrey Wells 
Written by: Frances Mayes, Audrey Wells
Starring Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan, Raoul Bova , Vincent Riotta

Please stay tuned for more Musings From Studio 618, and if you like them please tell a friend.

All my very best,
Anthony

Bridges and Dreams - Both take their toll, both lead us somewhere.

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis and dream interpretation once said, "The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind".  Those of us who happen to subscribe to this theory have a tendency to pay a lot more attention to those dramas that play out nightly in our heads. We tend to remember our dreams more vividly and are curious to know more about just what it was they were trying to tell us.

Freud believed that what happens in your dreams is the subconscious representation of unresolved issues in your life. Sometimes our dreams seem disconnected and obtuse while other times their message seems more overt and obvious. Freud's studies have shown that through psychoanalysis and diagnosis of what ailed his patients he was able to tie the content of their dreams to things they are yet to resolve in real life. He postulated that all of our dreams can hold the answer to identifying our fears and inhibitions giving us the ammunition to stare them down and slay them once and for all.

Which brings me to this past weekend.

I've spent my entire life living in the Philadelphia area. One of the main bridges that connects center city Philadelphia with southern New Jersey is the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. I cross this bridge quite frequently going to and from Philadelphia. For at least a decade or more this bridge has played a starring role in many of my dreams. The dream isn't always the same but there is always some conflict associated with me being on the bridge. Even more confusing is that I am never in my car but instead  on a bicycle, or on foot. (I think it's important to note here that you can cross the bridge both ways in real life but I've never tried either.) The dream conflicts have been any one of the following issues and many more. Once the bridge kept rising in height the closer I got to the middle until my head was in the clouds. Another was the bridge not having anything really firm under foot thereby dumping me into the river below. Most disturbing was finally getting to the other side and finding I'm in a strange place filled with threats wherever I turn and I can't figure out which direction provides the surest path to safety. Yeah I know...crazy huh?

This Friday night I'm out with my softball buddies and one of the guys suggests that Saturday afternoon we walk over the bridge into Philly, hangout in the city and make a day of it. Unbeknownst to him is my dream history with this bridge. Needless to say, I was immediately intrigued and accepted the invitation instantly. Finally, I thought to myself, I get a chance to explore this enigma head on without the filter of sleep to dictate the direction of the narrative.  Come Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm sharp  me and two of my buds arrive at the stairs at the foot of the New Jersey side of the bridge. It was a cloudy day with a steady early spring breeze. The temperature was warm and a little humid with the threat of thunderstorms at any moment. How apropos I thought, as I stood face to face with the big blue iron Goliath.  As I climbed the stairs I glanced ahead at the walking path that seemed to go on forever as it disappeared into the horizon.  Just then the anxiety that's been so prevalent in my dreams began to tighten my chest and quicken my pulse. The people who run, walk or cycle this path every day may never understand what I was feeling. But then they've never had this bridge dump them into the river, shoot them through clouds or drop them off in never land as I have. Despite the jelly in my quads I took one step forward then another. Soon I was a third of the way up the bridge and still shaky but invigorated by the challenge, my buds just a few steps ahead. As we approached the center of the bridge the breeze got stronger and the skyline of the city looked close enough to touch. With each step I became more comfortable and began making stops to take photographs. Down on the river the  sailboats looked like toys, while the cars thundered by on the road just below us. As we began the descent of the final leg in to Philadelphia I felt incredible. I started thinking of Freud and all the books I've read over the years about dream analysis.  I began to wonder if I had once and for all exorcised this demon and eliminated these bridge dreams from my subconscious play list once and for all.  

Had I finally paid the toll both literally and spiritually? It's hard to say. This one is going to take some time to prove out. I'm guessing I've had the bridge dream about 5 to 6 times a year on average. The new clock started this Saturday night. If I go a whole year without one then I guess I'm on my way. You're just going to have to stay tuned if you want to know how this one turns out.

Oh, and did I mention, according to Freud, the bridge dreams may have nothing at all to do with any latent fear I had about walking across the bridge but something else entirely. In which case all I did on Saturday was burn a few extra calories which I immediately replaced by the cheeseburger, fries and two beers I had for lunch once we got to Philly. Oh brother.

Please stay tuned for more Musings From Studio 618 and if you like them please tell a friend.

All my very best.
Anthony

No Faster way to Learn than from books "For Dummies" !

When was the last time you needed to learn something new? Whether it be for work or a hobby or something for your children or anything for which you may have wondered ... just how do you do that?

Over the years I have had to the desire to learn how to do a great many things. However, one of the most difficult questions many of us face in this situation is where do I start? If you are anything like me you want the information now, you want it to be thorough, organized and you want it to get you where you are going quickly.

What makes the quest even more confusing in the digital age is that there are so many resources at your fingertips from which you can get everything you need to know on virtually any topic. Therein lies the problem. Because information is so ubiquitous with the ever expanding reach of the internet at times it can be overwhelming. Many times even distracting.

Have you ever googled a topic and the list of links presented goes on for pages? You begin to scroll through them and see one you think is perfectly relevant to your quest. However, just before you click you see another one or two just a few choices down. Now you're asking  yourself which one should I look at first? As you are deciding yet another catches your eye, and then another. Soon you find yourself in a maelstrom of resources any or all of which might be fantastic. Again, if you are anything like me you will select one and begin to read through it but in the back of your mind you're wondering if any of the others are more to the point, better organized and more succinct. Not being the most patient fellow in the world I ramble through each of the links, not giving any of them their just time to prove their true worth.

UGH !!!

So how do I solve this problem when it occurs? And believe me it occurs quite often. I head right to the local bookstore or to iBooks to see if there is a "For Dummies" book available on the subject for which I am interested. After all these years I can say with absolute certainty that there hasn't been a single topic for which I couldn't find the "For Dummies" book I was looking for.

What makes the "For Dummies" books so fascinating?

First and foremost the layout and nomenclature remains consistent regardless of the topic. Every "For Dummies " book organizes its information in the same way. Each book follows a franchise styled framework right down to the covers, tables of contents, side bar tips, appendices and indexes. Also, every book is set up as a reference so that you don't have to read the book in order or cover to cover to get what you need. (Although I always do because I'm yet to read the " How to stop suffering from OCD For Dummies book.") The books begin with the premise that you know little or nothing about the topic. The instruction is written in plain English and is often humorous and the authors self deprecating. You never get the feeling they are trying to impress you with how much they know and how far you have to go before you're as knowledgeable as them. They poke fun at themselves in attempt to demystify the experience and put you immediately at ease that you've chosen the right place to start learning.

Throughout the years I have studied about Wine, Cooking Basics, Bass Fishing, Singing Exercises, Blues Harmonica, Trumpet, Guitar, Bass Guitar,  Home Recording Studios, Digital Photography, Social Media Marketing, Writing Fiction, Meditation, Music Theory and a laundry list of other topics including...you guessed it...blogging. Each time my journey began with the respective "For Dummies" books on these particular subjects. The experience has been so successful that I keep going back for more whenever a new interest wants some space in my head.

The next time you want to learn something new give one of these books a try. I hope your experience is as rewarding as mine has been.

Please stay tuned for more Musings From Studio 618, and if you like them please tell a friend.

All my very best,
Anthony Caraffa

The Three Stooges movie will make you yuk yuk yuk.

The Three Stooges (2012)... Brain Candy of the Highest Order.

(Now airing on your cable premium movie channels or on-demand.)

Directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly
Written by: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly and Mike Cerrone


The Farelley Brothers have done it again. The comedy siblings that brought us , There's Something About Mary, Shallow Hal, Dumb and Dumber, The Heartbreak Kid, and more, have popped off the lens cap once again to recreate the mad cap trio of Moe, Larry and Curly, also known as...The Three Stooges. The lovable loons who miraculously eluded the generation gap since 1934 and for decades have defined the timeless art of slapstick humor. 

If you were a loyal fan of the original Three Stooges television show then this movie is a can't miss.  The film spans three phases of the Stooges lives from infants left on the orphanage steps, to lovable ten year olds, then ultimately as the adults we've all known and loved for years. Amazingly the ten year old characters are a dead on likeness of how you would have expected these guys to look and act at that age. Even more entertaining is how close a recreation the adult cast is of the originals. These actors positively nailed it.

The adult cast stars Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe (Under New Management), Sean Hayes (Will and Grace) as Larry and Will Sasso (MADtv) as Curly. The film also features Jane Lynch (Glee) as Mother Superior, Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) as Lydia and Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) is a riot as Sister Mary-Mengele. Also sharing the screen in smaller roles are Jennifer Hudson, Kate Upton, and, believe or not, ... the cast of The Jersey Shore.

Growing up as a kid if your mom thought something was silly and mindless but your dad just couldn't stop laughing then it's pretty certain you had locked on to something that will have you laughing for a lifetime. Take for example the Pink Panther series of movies starring Peter Sellers. My dad and I thought those flicks were a riot, while my mom would look at us like we had lost our minds. The same held true in my early adulthood with the sitcom Married with Children. This show still leaves me in stitches while mom just shakes her head wondering where she went wrong.

The same could be said about the The Three Stooges.  From the time I was five years old to this ripe old age of fifty those zany goofballs still make me bellow and tear with laughter. But now it's my wife who looks at me and wonders how I could actually earn a paycheck and still find this stuff funny.

So if you are anything like me then I'm pretty sure you are going to get quite a charge out of this movie. The three main characters are so convincing at times you will forget you are watching a recreation and swear you are sitting in your basement as a kid and watching old episodes on some fuzzy UHF station. (OK, now is the time to turn to your children or grandchildren and remind them of those darker days when there was no such thing as cable or satellite TV.)

This 90 minute romp is brain candy of the highest order. If you're looking for a break from the news and worries of the day then make yourself a hot dog, pour yourself a beer and settle in for a laugh you won't soon forget.

Please stay tuned for more Musings from Studio 618, and if you like them please tell a friend.

All my very best,
Anthony Caraffa

Best Wishes for a Happy, Safe and Blessed Mother's Day to my Mom and all of Yours !

Inspirational thought to start your week.

Excerpt from Michael Gelb's -  DaVinci Decoded - Discovering the Spiritual Secrets of Leonardo's Seven Principles.

We are all endowed like Leonardo and the angel he created, with the capacity for engaging the world around us through a lively, radiant, even rapturous attention. Or we can fall into the bored and dull mindless habit, barely registering our surroundings, The choice is ours.

If You Don't Know what the Song is About You Can't Sing it.

Whenever I'm tasked with learning a new song for a performance there's one scene from the movie, Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), that never fails to get me in the right frame of mind.

Mr. Holland, a high school music teacher played masterfully by Richard Dreyfus, reluctantly accepts the role of director for that year's school play. The daily auditions of one average talent after another leave him weary and frustrated. Then, as fate would have it,  a young lady named Rowena Morgan (Jean Louisa Kelly) takes center stage and stops Mr. Holland dead in his tracks.

When Holland looks up to see where this angelic voice is coming from he sees Rowena and knows immediately he's found the star of his production. While Rowena possesses amazing natural ability she's still raw and lacks training. At one point, while singing the classic Gershwin tune "Someone to Watch Over Me",  Mr. Holland notices that while her tone is pure as silk her demeanor is much too bright  for this song. He stops and asks her if she knows what the song is about. When she says no, he begins to tell her that this is a song about a young girl who is alone in a big city for the first in her life. It's a wistful song about someone who is anxious and afraid and wants only one thing at that moment,  someone to watch over her. Holland then very fatherly proceeds to tell Rowena, "If you don't know what the song is about you can't sing it."

How very true.

This is a thought I have pounded into my head weekly by my voice instructor and one I try to keep in the forefront of the minds of my students as well. My teacher has what he calls his 8 rules of being a great vocalist that he holds me to on every song I sing. They are posted on the wall of his studio and read as follows.

To be a great vocalist you must:  THINK

1) Breathing

2) Good Posture

3) Pitch/Intonation

4) Pronunciation

5) Open Throat

6) Jaw Relaxed

7) Know The Exact Melody and Words

8) Sell the Song - Remember – Every Song is an Act... and Every Song should be Acted. 

Obviously the scene above from Mr. Holland's Opus is most closely associated with rule number 8. Before I utter the first note I must know the lyrics, the melody and the story inherently and intuitively. Not until I can convince my teacher that I understand what the song is about and can sell it to an audience that it's my very own, does he say it's ready to be performed publicly. The audience must believe that this is truly happening to me at an emotional level and I'm letting them in on my secret by how I sound, what I say and how I act. There is no better example of this than when Frank Sinatra sings "One for My Baby". Well at least that was the case until this morning when, in our weekly Saturday morning lesson, my  nieces sang Taylor Swift's, "Love Story" after a month of me driving rule # 8 into their pretty little heads.

Please stay tuned for more Musings from Studio 618, and if you like them please tell a friend. 

Have an amazing weekend and Happy Mother's Day!!!! 

  

Launching today : Musings From Studio 618

Hello and Welcome,

My name is Anthony Caraffa.

It is my distinct pleasure to invite you to follow my new blog - Musings From Studio 618.

www.musingsfromstudio618.blogspot.com

I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you on music, books, movies, photography and all things cool.

Stay tuned for many more posts and if you enjoy the content please feel free to tell your friends.

I hope to be hearing from you soon.

All my very best,

Anthony

Wax On Wax Off ? Perhaps Not.

One of my favorite scenes from The original "Karate Kid" movie is when Daniel (Ralph Macchio) first learns why he has been spending weeks doing mundane household chores for Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). Throughout that whole period of painting fences, waxing cars and sanding floors it was never made evident to Daniel why he was continually being tasked with these duties. Pushed to his wits end, one day Daniel decides to corner Mr. Miyagi. With determination spawned by frustration he confronts his master on why everyday a new list of obligations awaits him, none of which have anything to do with the Karate lessons he was promised.

In one of the most entertaining scenes I can remember, Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel to look into his eyes with total concentration. He then instructs Daniel to go through the motions he learned while painting the fence, waxing the cars, and sanding the floors. While Daniel begins to perform these movements, now so instinctively programmed into his muscle memory, Miyagi begins to assail him with blows from every angle. As the attempted strikes reign down Daniel blocks every one with grace and dexterity using the very motions he'd learned from doing those chores he thought so meaningless at the time. In that one revelatory moment it becomes clear to Daniel and the audience that he was actually learning    the fundamental movements of defense and attack that will ultimately serve so aptly as a student of and competitor in the science of martial arts.

Wow, that's great hollywood stuff right there. But does it work that way in real life learning? Is it the best way to motivate?

Perhaps not. Or at least not for everyone. From my own personal experience I can say with conviction that had I been Daniel and knew why I was being put through those paces I would have certainly, put that much more into my form and concentration. When that fateful day arrived that I'm called on to perform those moves in a dramatic show of self- defense I would have been infinitely
more prepared to execute them flawlessly.

I know that different people process learning new things in different ways and what works for me may not work as well for others. So please understand that this musing is proffered for the sole purpose of getting you to think about what works best for you. In my experience, beginning with the end in mind has always been my quickest path to adopting new concepts. When I know why it is important to practice scale after scale and memorize which scale plays most pleasantly over which chords then those exercises have that much more meaning to me and I tend to approach them with more vigor and musicality. Knowing how and why any rote exercise will be applied down the road adds purpose to the exercise. Intuitively your approach is more attentive knowing that some day you will be called on to execute the skills learned in a musical situation. Practicing them in fun ways by making them sound musical and tonally pure, or faster or slower will make you sound so much better as you develop into an accomplished musician. All because you knew why you were doing it in the first place.

Which gets me back to a previous blog entitled "What Keeps Children and Adults from Staying with Music Education?  (May 8, 2013)

If I know why I am doing something, even in the most simplest terms, it keeps me that much more interested in why I need to do it and do it well. If the goal is to some day shred through Eddy Van Halen's guitar solo on "Eruption" then a real good place to start is knowing my scales, my fretboard and developing the speed and dexterity to do so.  With that end in mind practicing scales now becomes something I can make fun, musical, and effective. Just the slightest suggestion of why an exercise is important at the outset changes the receptivity of the student, It gives them a point of reference. A goal, a purpose.

Just last week I was giving my nine and seven year old nieces their third guitar lesson. It was time to teach them their second three note chord. A very simple one at that. It didn't even require them to change their fingering on the fretboard. Only that they take the position they were currently in and move it up by two frets. OK...easy enough right? I could have asked them to take that information home and practice it all week long and they probably would have. But my challenge as a teacher who wants to motivate was how do I make them WANT TO practice. At that point I simply showed them where I was headed with this exercise. By doing this drill they were learning the first two chords of one of their favorite Taylor Swift songs. When I demonstrated that for them on my guitar their soulful little eyes lit up with excitement and their hands went right to the playing position. They couldn't wait to start playing. Now when they pick up their little guitars this week to practice they know they are one step closer to playing one of their most beloved tunes. It would have been very easy, and probably much more Miyagi-like and dramatic to have waited to show them this somewhere down the road...but to what end? My goal is to get them to love playing music sooner rather than later so that their passion makes them want to learn all they can above and beyond what they get from me in their weekly lessons. When you've done that then you've truly done your job as a teacher.

What keeps Children and Adults from staying with music education?

Music education must first be fun. The rest will follow.

My style of teaching is to get a student playing simple songs as quickly as possible. Especially songs from an artist they love. While this might not always be possible with styles like classical or jazz it is not always as difficult as it may seem.  Many popular songs throughout time have been made up of three simple chords. Take U2's hit Bad for example. That haunting melody makes me grin each time I play it. It's one I taught myself to play a long time ago and it's yet to lose its hold on me.

As teachers we have a responsibility to keep our students engaged and interested from the very first lesson. Once you've gained that trust, convinced them that playing music is well within their grasp  and fired that spark in their soul, you have captured their attention and made them receptive to more advanced concepts that will ultimately round out their studies. Before long they will be playing more complex pieces, understanding the theory behind those charts, yearn for more education, and begin to write and perform their own tunes.

Start with basic chords. Chords that ultimately turn into songs they love. They don't need to know the theory behind those chords at this point in their education.  All they need to do is feel the spine tingling satisfaction that comes from playing music they love. A few sips from that magical chalice and they will return to the font with little or no provocation.

It pains me to think how many more lives may have been enriched by a life of playing music if only more teachers had taken the time to make music study fun first and technical further down the road.

Playing music should be just that...play. I'm yet to have the student ask me to teach them to work music.  They want to learn to PLAY music.

Remember, make it fun. Earn their interest, make them play.

Stay tuned for more on how to make music instruction fun.

Thanks, from Studio 618.

This is Anthony Caraffa, and that's a wrap.