The "why" can be explained to a large degree by talking about the "how." Music Arts grew from modest beginnings over 15 years ago. French horn instructor Marcay Dickens had two sons studying cello with me, and conversation often fell to the value of getting the kids to play in recitals.

Back then only teachers who had dozens of students could gather enough recitalists to justify the time, effort and expense of putting on a recital. Getting together for a French horn and cello recital seemed a good solution. After one or two recitals, violin instructor Jacinta Howard asked to have her students included, and other instructors soon joined. By the end of 1984 we had 14 faculty members. Since then, we've consistently had between 28 and 32 faculty members, covering the full range of instruments.

How did this affect the music student's chances of getting well-rounded, high quality instruction? One obvious benefit was offering teaching space to out-of-town instructors, including Knoxville Symphony members. In addition we could offer a choice of instructors, which would allow students to be placed with teachers who best matched their seriousness of purpose, or personality, or playing style; or location, or cost . . . just a few of the attributes which still determine which instructor a student might feel comfortable with.

The instructors agreed that they'd pool a percentage of their earnings to fund the music school expenses, such as advertising, phone, postage, printing, recitals and rent. It seemed that the more teachers and students we had, the more services we could offer. And there was no shortage of good ideas! One of the earliest was a scholarship fund for students who couldn't otherwise afford lessons. Every fall we work hard to build up our scholarship fund, and the results pay off for an average of 10 or 12 students each year.

Within months of forming the music school, we added the annual Performance Competition to our Spring Quarter. After a few years of awarding certificates, the faculty decided to reward the music school's best players with cash prizes. To this we added the Composition Contest, held in the Winter Quarter, giving students the chance to enrich their creativity and learn more about the process of putting notes on paper (or, as is now possible, computer).

The Theory Olympics, held every Fall Quarter, was added three years ago. Its advantages are obvious. We've discovered that the only thing that seems to hold back any student from signing up is a fear of looking uninformed. If it's any help, this club has many members. Most students who "risk" joining the Olympics realize that almost everyone else is at their level. There's no need for embarrassment. Students are divided into teams and work together. Even the shyest student is rewarded with increased skills.

Best placed in the "advertising' category, a popular feature appeared several years ago: the "Bonus Lesson" discount for our students who refer new students to any of our instructors. Some really enthusiastic students have earned themselves essentially free lessons over a period of several years.

We're in a continual process of developing our music library. We have over 2000 titles for piano. Music for all other instruments is available, but isn't fully cataloged. We accept donated music of all kinds.

None of this could have been undertaken by a single instructor. Our strength in numbers means wonderful opportunities for students. Your job is to take advantage of them!! You can learn more about these and other no-cost benefits by reading through the Music Arts Student Guide.   

From the student's point of view, the idea of performing in a recital can be rather daunting. However, there are good reasons why instructors encourage students to perform.

Performing helps overcome fear. The fear of the unknown is very powerful. If a student regularly avoids recitals, this fear can build up far beyond proportion. The positive experience of "making it through" a recital builds confidence and helps students of all ages gain poise.

Think about all the situations in life where it's a big advantage to be able to appear poised in front of groups. Music Arts recitals are fairly small and very supportive. Here's a wonderful place to practice these skills!

Instructors send a vote of confidence to students just by telling them that they are ready to perform. Students achieve a sense of closure and accomplishment when the instructor says he or she is ready for an audience.

"What if I make a mistake?!!" the student asks. One of my vocal teachers asked all her students, "What will you do when you make a mistake?" While all of us may approach a performance with the hope of perfection, sometimes we make mistakes. Life is like that. We need to learn how to handle mistakes.

If you're a student and haven't been in a recital recently, ask your instructor. Parents, encourage your children to participate. If they're afraid, let them know that action cures fear! By performing, they'll find out that it isn't difficult to do, and what's more important: it really does get easier as they continue to participate.

We know that parents like to see their children in recitals. Among other things, this gives the folks physical proof that their money is well spent. It also indicates to them whether the instructor feels that the child is making headway. If the student appears in recitals, progress is being made in the lessons, and the proof is obvious.   

Those are basic questions for today's musicians. Which instrument is best for me? Electronic or acoustic? Which to choose - especially between keyboards and pianos? With the rather big exception of live concerts of symphonic orchestras, opera, chamber music and such, the "old" days, when musicians produced music on their acoustic instruments and played for their own enjoyment and the entertainment others, are mostly gone. We listen mostly to records, CD's, even computers. But what about the pop music? Students want to play it, perform it, and maybe even record it on their own. And here comes the basic question. What electronic gear? Which instrument? I am a classically trained musician, but I've played any (and all!) kinds of music. Rock, pop, dance music, solos, you name it. I like to record, fooling around with electronics. Sure, it's hard to compare this with the real acoustic piano - such as the feeling of resonance of the strings on the fingers. But to be a pianist and have a chance to "play" any other instruments - violins, brass, even drums and percussion! I think it's really inspiring to be able to produce and record music all by yourself, with the help of electronic keyboards and digital pianos. And here come the computers! Every new computer model has its own sounds, and sometimes they come with some simple music recording programs. Isn't it remarkable to live in an era where all this is possible? To be able to write music on computer is fascinating. The inspiration and temptation to write and record is priceless. MIDI - Music Instrument Digital Interface. This is the basis for digital music. Almost every computer comes with a sound card and has its own sounds (although widely different levels of quality). Those sounds are generated by MIDI data, telling your computer what to play, how long it needs to sound, and which instrument's sound needs to be played. If you can connect some musical instrument (naturally I use an electric/digital piano) with Midi cables to your computer, you can even play and record the music. With some software, you can write, compose and print music (I use the Sibelius program, which I think beats all the other programs I've tried). On Internet are hundreds of websites where you can click, find and listen to Midi files of performances of classical music. This is a great inspiration, and a great feature. For example, you can visit my website, www.RudolphsMusic.com, and listen to piano pieces on different levels if you download the free Scorch program (and you can buy the sheet music, too, if you want to print them out. Real Cheap!) But this is all using MIDI, and you are going to hear the sounds of your computer and your sound card. For young beginners I do not recommend electronic keyboards with soft touch keys. They are different from digital pianos, which come with the whole range of 88 keys and have weighted keys - the simulated 'touch' of acoustic pianos. And also don't forget that a good investment is also a good inspiration. Cheap instruments have cheap sounds and touch. It reminds me of an old joke: Papa gypsy comes home, bringing his son a violin. The son asks "Daddy, where are the strings?" And his dad answers "I'll buy you strings when you learn how to play!" But when the cards are on the table, I still recommend acoustic pianos. And it comes with the good old saying: Practice practice practice!!.    

As I teach my students the art of bluegrass fiddle and mandolin, concerned parents often ask me this question: "How long should my child practice each day?" I often asked myself this question when I was younger. I remember the months before I enrolled at Belmont College (now University) when I would put in five to six hours a day of practicing a difficult piece entitled "Allegro." I was exhausted and to the point of burn-out. Soon after that, a violin teacher told me that quality of daily practice is much more important than quantity of daily practice. It made sense to me. To use an example, I could spend ten hours in the public library, but I would not gain knowledge if I did not open a book while I was in there! One way you can make your practice time more effective is to concentrate on the specific problem areas instead of always going back to the beginning (or saying to yourself, "Oh, I'm sure I'll get that spot right the next time I go through it"). When I looked at my musical influences, I wondered how many hours they practiced a day. The list was very diverse: Tater Tate, Niccolo Paganini, Sam Bush, Yehudi Menuhin, Mark O'Conner, Chubby Wise, Roy Acuff, Jascha Heifetz, Blaine Sprouse, Isaac Stern, "Fiddlin" John Carson, Kenny Baker,... and a very famous fiddler named Benjamin Kubelsky. Who?! Never heard of him? Oh, yes, you have, for his stage name was Jack Benny! In fact, one reason I took up the fiddle was because, as a young man, I loved to listen and watch old reruns of "The Jack Benny Program" either on radio or television. Many believe that Jack Benny was a lousy violinist. They say he became a comedian because he could not make it as a musician as he had hoped to be, and for laughs, he would show off his true lack of musical talent on his violin. All o this is totally false! Benny was a very good violinist! The horrible sounds he created on his shows were just a put-on for laughs. In fact, Jack Benny played with many orchestras for special occasions (he even did a duet with pianist Harry S. Truman!). Before he died at the ripe old age of "39" in 1974, Jack Benny was once asked how many hours he practiced his beloved Stradivarius violin. He answered, "Thirty minutes a day." That way, he said, he always kept from getting rusty, and could still do the other things in life. I can't imagine anyone busier than Jack Benny, can you? If he can make time for 30 minutes of practice, we all can! So, I tell my students to practice at least 30 minutes a day. If you feel like practicing more after 30 minutes, keep on going!!! But at least put in 30 minutes a day. Don't let mistakes get you down! Experiment with improvisation, spice up your scales with different rhythmic patterns. Make up tuns just for the fun of it! Try figuring out songs you've heard! My teacher taught me to experiment and not be afraid to try something new. You too will have more fun if you let yourself be creative. We all have busy lives, filled with schedules and deadlines. It's up to you. How fast do you want to get ahead? Thirty minutes is better than zero minutes. Just remember this: a dripping faucet may not look like a flowing deluge, but if it continues at the same pace every day, it will fill any valley!    

Many people would like to play a musical instrument, but they really don't know what goes into making the beautiful sounds that come out of an instrument. It's simple. It just takes practice!

However, the hard part about practicing is actually sitting down and doing it. It's very hard to sit still (especially if you are new to the instrument) and give 15 or 30 minutes to your instrument of choice. You want everything to be perfect right as you first blow wind through the clarinet, or run the bow against an A string. But no! Instead, you sound like confused geese quacking, or the sound one makes when running fingers down a chalkboard. After the terrible attack of the confused geese episode, you're ready to pack it up and move on.

We've all heard the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day.' This is very true of learning an instrument. You can not play beautifully by simply wanting it. You have to strive to do what is necessary to make a beautiful sound. Romans had to first lay down the foundation on which their city was to be built. If no foundation had been laid, then Rome would have already sunk into the earth. When music teachers show us how to hold the instrument correctly, sit properly, and show us the very basic hand positions, they are setting OUR foundation. If they did not show us this, then we would be subject to not getting the best sound out of our instrument, and many body aches as we practice and perform. Your teachers know this because they have had to go through the same thing as you.

So now, how can one practice? My suggestion is to practice at least an hour a day. If you are the fidgety type, not all in one sitting. How about fifteen minutes here, there, etc? You must get used to practicing, just like you have to get used to driving a car, doing algebra, and playing videos games. Practice makes perfect. Set out time in your day to ONLY practice. If someone can find time to play video games for two hours, then I know they can find time for one hour of practicing their instrument!

Here are some helpful steps in overcoming attacking the geese quacking and sounds of nails on chalkboard:

P is for preparation & practice. This is what one has to do to achieve the goal.

R is for routine, rhythm, repeat and resolve. Get into a daily routine of practicing. Also, repeat measures of music that are hard, and don't leave it until you've resolved problem.

A is for analyze. Analyze your time that you have to practice, and make the best use of that time. Also, analyze what your teacher wants you to do, and ask questions if you do not fully understand.

C is for concerto. This is what you could play if you practice hard and do as your teacher says!

T is for try, try again. No one is perfect. Even your teacher! We make mistakes as well, however, what makes us good is that we learn from our mistakes and correct them as we go.

I is for initiative. Take the initiative to want to do and be good, as well as ask your teacher questions about things that you do not understand. (Your teacher won't get mad if you ask questions)

C is for commitment. Committing at least 1 hour a day to practicing.

E is for the excitement that you, your teacher and your family will have when you play a hard piece perfectly!