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My friend calls him Chop – in, our good friend Frederick. I know you have all heard of him – he's a genius of the Romantic century. But, do we all really know Chopin, or is it just a name to pass around?

Let's take a minute to reminisce about the Romantic Period, shall we? I love the period in time (from the 1820s to 1910), because of it's fire, ingenius musicians and pushes and changes that it brought and expanded into music. There is no other period that produced so many composers and musical pieces that said the ultimate and allowed for a certain freedom of musicianship to be at the forefront.

And, that's where Chopin comes in. He was a Polish man who was named as a child prodigy early on in piano. He left Poland for Paris when he was 20, and never returned, even though many debate that his nationalism never left him. I say, he was going where the money was.

He made a living as a teacher, performer and composer. The unique part of Chopin is simple. Everything that he wrote and performed was for piano only. He never touched another instrument, allowing him to become a specialist in the instrument that he knew most.

I'm only giving you one piece to check out by Chopin. The rest you have to do on your own. It's the Polonaise in A flat Major, Opus 53, often referred to as the Heroique Polonaise, of course, a great virtuoso piece. And, of course, check it out with a woman playing it at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwqYnDxWd_c.

Want to know more? Contact me (that's Brooke) at info@apollomusicstudios.com or 720-277-2652.

For parents to become involved with their child's practice the correct way is one of the most difficult things to do. At one end, you don't want to pressure your child too much. At the other, you don't want to be aloof to what they are doing. So, the trick is, parents, to figure out when to become involved and how to become involved.

Here's my first rule of thumb for every parent. Don't force practice on your child. Of course, there should be some sort of understanding and routine for the children to know that they have to put the work into it. After all, music takes a certain level of discipline. Know when to discipline and when to let children explore and discover. You should be able to tell when your child is being lazy or when they are figuring something out.  On that note, let them figure it out the way that they are most comfortable with.  Most of the time, this means that you should step back and let them have fun.  

Second rule of thumb. If you don't understand something about the music, don't try to tell your children what to do. Sure, they might show up the net week doing something wrong, but it's nothing that you should have to worry about, even if you are a musician. Let your child make mistakes, play it wrong and mess up. The teacher, if they are a good teacher, will help them to figure out and make it into a learning process without making a complete tragedy of the whole thing.

So, the trick is this. Let your child explore and have fun. Get involved enough to encourage them to practice and keep them on track. Reward them for discipline and show them that it is important. But, don't confuse them and don't get involved on levels that compromise what you know or compromise the teacher. Even if it means that your child progresses a little slower, (or a little differently), it will help them much more in the long run to learn how to learn.

If you would like to know more about relationships with parents and music, send an e-mail my way. That's info@apollomusicstudios.com.

Your knees are shaking, your palms are sweating, you feel like you have cotton in your mouth and you are about to go on stage. They are waiting for you and you can barely breathe.

Sound familiar?

During one time in our lives, we have all had the infamous stage fright. And, we've probably all heard about the ways to solve it. Imagine people in their underwear, drink water, take deep breaths.

If you are like me, you know that none of those have ever really worked.

Here's the thing about it. If you start to understand where it's coming from, you can start to overcome it. There are actually two ways in which you send your energy that brings stage fright, according to those who study the psychology of performance. One of the ways will cause you to sweat, get clam palms and start shaking. If you experience this, it is most likely because you are thinking that you want to give out too much to the audience. The other way is the cotton mouth and everything seems dry. This means that you are drawing back and are afraid to give your audience the entire picture.  Of course, you might have your own personal reasons as well... but that's for you to find out.

Once you understand that, you can start to work at it. Figure out why you are reacting the way that you are. What are your expectations that you are afraid of reaching? What are you afraid that you will do? That's right. Don't picture people in their underwear. Face your fears head to head and figure out how to overcome them.

So, if that doesn't seem like it's your problem, start thinking about why you are doing the performance to begin with. I hate to break it to you, but it's not about you. It's about the message you are giving through the music and how you are affecting people. Get your intentions on the right track and it will do wonders.  Use visualizations and modify your intent so that it works in your favor and makes your performance clear.  

You're not going to overcome stage fright the first time you perform. But, the more you tackle it, the more you perform and the more you understand why you are performing without the extra emotions, the easier it will get.

My point is this – get beyond the cliches, the quick fixes and the bad advice for stage fright. Figure out the root of the problem and fix it. And, expect every performance to get a little bit better and a lot stronger.  Before you know it, you'll be the professional performer that everyone seeks after. 

Working on the next great hit, but not sure where to go with it? Keep these tips in mind to help you critique and make your next composition a little bit better.

1. Composition is all about balance. That's right – balance. You should have some instruments in motion and some that are still. Have some that are carrying a melody, and others that are supporting it. Keep some with a beat, and some that don't have a beat. Make sure that there isn't too much of one thing and not enough of another.

2. Are you sure that's the right instrument? Re-check what your arrangement is and make sure that it is going together right. Sometimes, a sound might not be exactly what you need and it can throw the entire thing off.

3. With that in mind, also check your range. It's easy to go a little too high or low for an instrument, even if it is the piano or guitar. Make sure that the range allows you to set the tone right.

4. Check your key signature. I know, you might think that the key of G is great for everything, but it's not. Every key signature (major, minor and the hundreds of modes) carry a different mood. Make sure you start it out right.

5. Know when to switch. By switch I mean rhythm, key signature, chords and anything else that you need. Sometimes a good switch in a song can bring your song to exactly where it needs to be.

6. Have you experimented with the form? Yes, it's not all just verse, chorus, verse, chorus. Spice it up a little bit, bring in something new, find new formulas. It makes ears happy.

7. Know your rhythms. Sometimes accents can get in the wrong place or do the wrong thing for the song, especially with vocals. Depending on your song, you will want to make sure that you have the consistent rhythms with the accents in the right place.

8. Put some dynamics in it. Please? I know that they are not often heard these days, but trust me – it makes or breaks a song.

9. Don't be afraid to let some of your instruments rest. Part of the balance thing I mentioned before is taking out some instruments at times, then putting them back in. It changes the loudness of the song and allows you to give your audience a treat.

10. Trust your instinct. Even if you know all of the rules in the world, it's really your creativity that should come first. If you are thinking about switching something, but can't get it to sound quite right, it's probably because it doesn't. Know when it is time to let your song be.

With these tips in mind, your composition will surely be able to pick it up a notch. If you want to get into more theory, shoot me (that's Brooke) an e-mail at info@apollomusicstudios.com.

Any good piano player will also have other players or songs that they completely love. So, in my love for the piano, I have to introduce you to what I think is the coolest song ever. The name is “Islamey: An Oriental Fantasy” and the composer is the Russian Mily Balakirev. You can hear it on You Tube with this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5raMK4Z9co.

So, other than this song being completely linked to a virtuoso mind set, it also has a great story behind it. This piece was written in 1869 after Balakirev had made a visit to Caucasus, a town located by the Black Sea and Turkey. While here, he met a prince, who introduced him to some of the folk tunes of the region on the violin. One of the pieces heard was Islamey, a dance tune that was popular as one of the folk tunes.

The only other part to this piece is in the middle – the slower part. This was actually given to Balakirev in Moscow who was visiting from Crimea. With these different themes given to him, Balakirev was able to write the piece in one month – his record time for any of the pieces he had ever written.

So, what's so great about the tune? If you have seen the video, you already know. It's fast and it's hard. Actually, some of the top virtuosos of all time have admitted that there are a lot of passages that are almost impossible to play. In fact, Rubinstein and Listz, both considered the top pianists of the Romantic / modern eras of music, found this piece as one of the most difficult.

So, this particular piece goes in my first library as one of the greats of all time. All of the elements that are built off of a simple folk tune make it one of the most virtuoso pieces of all times. Elements meaning rhythms, dynamics, form and the way that everything places it together will make you wipe sweat off of your brow.

If you want something to enjoy in piano music, this piece should not be overlooked!

This is my favorite part of singing, so of course I want to mention it! Teaching your voice to relax. If you don't know anything else about singing, this is what to learn.

What does teaching your voice to relax mean? In the common cliché, it's not pushing the notes or your voice, but just allowing your natural voice to move forward.

Beyond that, it means not tensing up any of the muscles that are in your throat, face, shoulders... or anywhere else in your body.

Your voice is your instrument. That means that your entire body is your instrument. If you are not relaxing it, you are also not using the instrument correctly. It would be like playing a guitar without the right strings. It just doesn't sound right.

Not only does it not sound right, it can seriously mess up your entire instrument. I know a lot of singers who have sung too much the wrong way, and have developed problems in their throat, such as lymph nodes, causing them to not sing for a good year.

No matter what technique you are using, how you are approaching the song you are singing, or what you are working towards, let yourself relax. Doing simple things such as massaging your neck, throat and face can help. Yawning is also great. Stretching your body and allowing it to move towards being at ease is a great warm up that is often overlooked.

So, go smell some lavender, take a nap, do something, but don't let your instrument become tense.

Ready to start singing? Give me (that's Brooke) a jingle at info@apollomusicstudios.com.

You know the term – slide by the seat of your pants. That might be okay for other professions, but if you are thinking about getting into music or taking lessons – don't even try it!

I always tell my students that being a musician is a lot like playing a video game. You start with the beginning level of having all of the goals to win the game. As you go along, you have to pick up certain tools that allow you to get to the next level. If you don't pick them up, forget it – you're going to have to start over.

Of course, the hardest things about the video games and music, is not picking up the tools, it's facing all of the monsters that get in your way. For video games, it's seeing those monsters. In music, it's overcoming those hard to get spots. More than that, it's overcoming those parts of yourself that stop you from learning certain parts. Maybe it's laziness or frustration, or just a hard to reach spot in your mind.

The difference between music and video games is that you can always stop a video game, or you can get rid of different powers in order to access others. With music, it doesn't work that way. Once you are in it, you are always learning something, picking up new tools and trying to overcome those parts of yourself that try to stop you from learning.

So, with all of the different challenges, what makes learning music so great? Of course, it's getting to the end level. It's being able to take what you've learned and share it with others, allowing them to realize something about themselves that makes them feel better about themselves, influences them or gets them to realize something. However, if the video game rules aren't implemented right, it's not as good.

So, if you are thinking about being a musician, toughen up first. Finding out what it's about and what it takes first will help you to reach your challenges and to actually get to the nuts and bolts of what you are learning. If you are interested in contacting me about my philosophies or want to schedule a time to set up a lesson, feel free to contact me at info@apollomusicstudios.com.

Here's to learning!

Looks like it's going to be a great season! I'm looking forward to a kicking studio with a lot of new concepts and students ready to learn about the wonderful language of music.

I have a lot of great things planned for this year. I hope you all stay tuned to the developments in this studio.

What do I have in mind?

The best thing for the year is going to be the benefit concert that is in the works for Angel Covers in Broomfield, Colorado. We're hoping to raise a lot of money through the piano to send to these folks. They do a great service by sending resources, such as blankets, books and shoes to children that are in orphanages around the world. This concert will be a combination of some great classical music and my featured students for the year. Keep in touch, I'll let you know when.

Next best thing is the recent acceptance of our first scholarship! Taji-lee Dunn (one of my students), has been given the Developing Musicians Scholarship. She will receive one semester of lessons for voice and piano, and will record four songs in the Grasshoppa Production Studio.

Stay tuned to the Artist Playground packet, coming for teachers and students. This is a game pack, filled with methods and easy ways to implement major theory concepts. Kids will be able to find easy and fun ways to learn theory and piano, and teachers will have easy tools to help teach. I'm really hoping to have some of the things out by the end of this year. (That's my New Years Resolution).

Of course I'm going to do seminars! I just don't know what yet. If you have any ideas for what you want to hear about, feel free to contact me.

Anyone who is interested in chatting about music, or wants to know more about my programs, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at info@apollomusicstudios.com. I'm always interested in hearing from you.

May blessings fill your New Year!

Welcome to Apollo Music Studios!

Thanks for visiting us!  At Apollo Music Studios, we do things a little bit differently.  

So, a little bit about me.  I'm Brooke, and am on this crazy venture to change the way that music is taught.  I grew up learning classical music from a father who was a musician.  All of my teachers were very strict, from five years until college.  I realized early on that the disciplinary and technical aspects were slowly taking over the thought process for musicians.  

I got to college, ready to learn, only to realize that nothing was different.  I really thought that somewhere, they would be.  As soon as I started wishing, I was thrown into two years of pedagogy class, where the same mentality was thrown at us with learning and teaching music students.  

I did what every twenty something year old should do - I decided that I would just never become involved in music.  

Well, that's not quite how things worked, obviously.  With my studio, I love teaching, I love my students and everything is great fun.  

That's because for these first few years, I've been rebelling against the norm.  I've been teaching with the Artist Playground style.  

If you come to my studio, you are going to receive top notch methods, all that are continuously being developed by me.  The main thing that I base my teaching off of is confidence building.  That's right.  I make sure that it's realized that it's okay to make mistakes and just plow towards the music.  

The second thing that I've developed is a lot of games.  I try not to make everything in music so dull, especially the theory part.  That would be the Artist Playground method.  

Of course, now and then, I lay the rules down, but really I don't believe that is what this is all about.  It's more like exploration and having fun with everything.  

There you have it.  That's Apollo Music Studios.  Trailblazing the way for new methods of teaching music!