6 Practice Tips to Make the Most Out of Every Session!

1. Create the Right Atmosphere

Make sure your space is quiet, organized, and free of distractions! Many times, our surroundings can effect our frame of mind. When your space is cluttered and noisy, it’s easy to lose track of the task at hand. Create an environment that will allow you feel comfortable and focused on your practicing!

2. Get Inspired

When we feel motivated, it’s so much easier to achieve our goals! Get yourself in the right frame of mind by listing things that inspire you on your musical journey. Are you eager to see your skills grow? Are you looking forward to sharing your progress with friends and family? Let these things be your driving force!

3. Warm Up

Take time before every session to warm up your skills! Just as you would stretch before exercising, warming up before practicing is the best way to improve your performance and get the most out of your practice session!

4. Record Yourself

Recording yourself is an excellent way to listen back and be able to hear where you are looking to improve and where you are growing! Listening back to our sessions allows us to be more objective when assessing ourselves. It also gives us the opportunity to share recorded sessions with others for additional advice!

5. Celebrate Progress

Making progress as a musician takes a lot of determination and effort, and it isn’t always easy! Celebrate everything you have achieved - even the simple act of making time to improve! Every single musician started off at one point not knowing how to do what they do. Every single step forward deserves celebration, and always look back on how far you’ve come!

6. Repeat!

Consistency is key! It’s so important to make practicing a regular habit. Determine which days of the week and times of day work best for you to practice. Before you know it - sitting down to practice will become second nature!

Do you have any additional tips to share? Let us know in the comments!

Celebrate Women in Music this #WomensHistoryMonth

This #WomensHistoryMonth, we’re honoring the incredible women that have made countless vital contributions to music in its many forms! Who are some of your favorite women musicians? Let us know in the comments!

Missy Elliott is widely known for her transcendent career as a singer and rapper, but what many do not know is that Elliott is also a prolific record producer who has produced songs for Mary J. Blige, Ciara, TLC, and many more. Talk about a true legend!

Kathleen Hanna is regarded as a pioneer of the Riot grrrl movement, which focused on a combination of feminism, punk music, and politics. Kathleen’s has been a part of influential musical projects including Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and The Julie Ruin.

Whitney Houston is revered as the most awarded female artist of all time as well as one of the best selling performers of both the 80’s and 90’s! Houston’s biggest hit “I Will Always Love You” became the longest running No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single in history upon its release, spending 14 weeks atop the chart!

Joni Mitchell is considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Other major artists including Madonna and Taylor Swift consider Mitchell a musical influence and her songs have been sampled by artists including Kanye West and Janet Jackson.

Celebrate Black Excellence in Music this #BlackHistoryMonth!

This #BlackHistoryMonth, we're celebrating the astounding Black musicians that have shaped music as we know it! The list of Black musicians whose contributions have had in eternal impact on music as an artform is truly endless. Let us know in the comments some of your favorite Black artists and why their artistry gives you inspiration!

Miles Davis is one of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time and a pioneer of 20th-century music, winning 9 Grammys in his lifetime. Talk about influential!⁠

Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, and civil rights activist who was known as the “Queen of Soul.” Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

Lauryn Hill is often regarded as a pioneer in the Neo soul genre. She became the first woman to win five Grammy awards in one night with the debut of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Prince was one of the most innovative artists of all time, with his melding of styles including funk, R&B, rock, soul and much more. The prolific, once in a generation superstar released 39 albums during his lifetime.

ARC Music Program Soars with Brooklyn Music School Partnership

It’s been a few months since the kickoff of the ARTS@ARC Music Program with Music Therapist, Melissa Guttman. The ARTS@ARC program has since had four concerts: two at Brooklyn Music School and two out in the community. We checked back in with Melissa on the progress of the program.

ARTS@ARC meets every Tuesday and Thursday at the Flatbush YMCA. The program is part music therapy and part concert practice, though Melissa notes the personal growth benefits have been staggering.

“There is one member who never chose his own solo pieces even though he was a fantastic singer because he was shy. He has chosen two songs for this upcoming performance,” says Melissa. “Another singer used to be quiet and shy; now you can’t get him off the mic. He sings so loudly and passionately. He has completely come out of his shell.”

Music is a cornerstone of ARC Board President Jaimie Blackman’s vision for ARC. It allows individuals to increase their focus on concentration while also being a form of self-expression and emotional release.

While most participants sing and perform, two are focused on instruments and some are interested in soundboard and sound engineering. There is truly a place for everyone! Brooklyn Music School provides professional musicians to fill out the sound during concerts, allowing participants to focus on the particular performance aspect they enjoy most.

In the fall ARTS@ARC hosted a Blackbox concert which allowed the audience to be on stage with the performers in a more intimate, unique setting. In December, ARTS@ARC sang in the Holiday Spectacular which featured performances from multiple Brooklyn Music School groups and was brought to life by the community spirit.

ARTS@ARC also hosts concerts in the community. At Thanksgiving they had a show called “Sing and Serve” sponsored by a City Council Member. They also performed at the Tilden House, a local homeless shelter, this past Christmas. Melissa and ARC leadership are looking to expand the community concert program this year.

So what else is in store? Melissa is hoping as the program grows in popularity, she can creating more opportunities for individual instrumental and vocal instruction.

Since partnering with the Brooklyn Music School on the ARTS@ARC program, there has been an increase in interest so please do not hesitate to contact ARC. To learn more, visit: https://arcny.org/programs-services/artsarc/ or call 718-531-7500.

Artist Advisory Board Member Christopher Cerrone Grammy Nomination

We would like to extend a huge congratulations to our Artist Advisory Board member Christopher Cerrone for his Grammy nomination for the category of Chamber Music/Small Ensemble for The Pieces That Fall to Earth with Wild Up and Christopher Rountree! See the article in the Los Angeles Times here.

This is the second year in a row that a member of the advisory board was nominated, as Anthony Roth Costanzo was nominated last year for his debut album ARC.

BMS staged the NY debut of Chris Cerrone's opera All Wounds Bleed in August of 2018 to critical acclaim.

The BMS Artist Advisory Board members volunteer to work closely with BMS students through concerts, master classes, and other events to expose them to artists at the leading edge of their profession, and learn about the life of a professional musician. Learn more about our artist advisory board here.