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Summer -  What will it mean for your children or teens this year?  Well it could mean a lot of things, including sleeping in, no homework, summer camp,  video games, swimming, vacations, or not doing much at all.  But what will this summer still  mean for your children several years from now?  Will things they learned or experienced this summer still be impacting them?  Hopefully so!

One possibility to consider when evaluating summer opportunities, is giving your child or teen the gift of a musical summer!  A summer filled with experiencing or learning about music!   There are lots of ways to include music in your summer, such as music lessons, attending concerts, musical history (they don't for example teach much about the history of the blues, jazz or gospel music in most of our schools)

Try these ideas out for size:

Enroll Your Child In Music Lessons! -  Piano or Guitar is a great place to start!  Students can typically start piano as early as age four, and guitar as early as age six.  Summer  is a fantastic time, especially for middle school and high school students. Why?  Because most kids and teens have an extra 8 hours a day open in their schedule to explore and play their instrument.  During the school year, with the hectic schedules many students experience, it can be tough to get in even thirty minutes a day. However in the summer, the extra time can really jump start your child or teen's playing to a much higher initial level.  Sports are great too, but a musical instrument is something that someone can play for their entire life, not just until they start to "lose a step" in their late thirties!  Starting music lessons now could make a huge difference in your child's life 3, 30 or even 50 years from now!

Attending Concerts! - Many communities in the Metroplex offer free or very low cost summer musical concert series. You can plan the summer around picking a different concert to attend each week, and help them learn about various styles of music. Try to pick a wide variety and let your child or teen gain exposure with everything from Bluegrass to Bach. Ask questions and find out what they enjoyed and didn't, you may be super surprised.  For those with a more flexible budget, try a formal concert, symphony or jazz concert! 

Musical Vacations! -  Going on vacation this summer? Many cities you might be visiting will have a rich musical heritage which might be quite different from that of the Dallas Metroplex! Try  exploring the history of music in cities you might be visiting and what they are know for.   Will you be in Kansas City, New Orleans or Chicago? Wow, what a chance to learn about music!  Even if you are in a small town where Grandma lives, see what you can learn about any musicians who were born or originated there!  Maybe you are visiting a Theme Park somewhere?  Yes it's hard to pull kids away from rides, but many theme parks offer outstanding musical shows and experiences.

Hope you have a great musical summer!

 

Randy Stone, the author of this article, is the Owner and a  Guitar Instructor at the Creative Guitar Learning Studios in Coppell, Tx

 

 

      

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Well J.J. if you didn't just go out and put up 17 points and 13 assists.  Hmm.  That's a pretty nice line. 

Along with outstanding performances by Al-Farouq Aminu (16 pts, 12 rebounds) and Monta Ellis (31 points),  J.J. Barea was the highlight of the Mavs critical Game 4 win Sunday night against the Houston Rockets. Funny thing, 17 points and 13 assists would have been exactly the type of box score line we would have hoped to get from Rajon Rondo, if we had not been abruptly awoken from our dream of his being a good fit in Dallas.  And while we wish Rondo all the best moving forward and a good fit in his next opportunity (no grudges held here), the box score line J.J. Barea put up Sunday night came with nothing but positive energy and no undercurrent of tension whatsover. Somehow Rick Carlisle and J.J. seem to be able to mesh pretty well.

Simply put J.J. Barea was  outstanding, and gave the Mavs exactly what they needed from their point guard in Sunday's game.  While it has been said before that J.J. Barea is not a 30 minute starting point guard and is more suited to bring energy off the bench, he sure looked like a 30 minute (36 minutes to be exact) starting point guard Sunday night. His 17 points were accomplished on 7-15 shooting (2-6 on 3's) and while he did have 5 fouls, he certainly seemed to do  a decent  job defensively (Rocket PG's Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni together scored a total of 3 points in a combined 41 minutes of play).  

Funny thing, J.J. has a bit of history being a pretty outstanding playoff point guard.  A certain game 4 against the Lakers during the playoff run of the 2011 (when the Mavs wound up Champs!) comes to mind.  Barea sliced up the Lakers for 22 points and 8 assists in 26 minutes of that game.  Or the deciding game 6 in the 2011 championship series against Miami when Mr. Barea had  15 points and 5 assists on 7-12 shooting in 30 minutes. 

The guy just comes to play in big games, and is not intimidated. So though the December trade for Rondo seemed like the big turning point for the Mavs, it may have been the much less heralded signing of an old friend back in October that winds up being the Mavs more impacting move, and it definitely was for Game 4.  If the Mavs are to have any chance of accomplishing the first ever comeback from being down 0-3 in a playoff series in NBA History, it may have a lot to do with a certain point guard whose name does not happen to be Rondo.

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The  Dallas Mavericks return home to play the Houston Rockets tonight, and find themselves down 0-2 in the series.  After a week of "As the Basketball Turns" involving situations with  Rajon Rondo and "General Basketball Hospital" with injuries to Chandler Parsons and Devin Harris (Harris expected to play tonight), it's finally time to let go of the soap opera and get down to some real basketball. Essentially this means the Mavericks must win tonight, period.  No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win an NBA series, and since it would seem unlikely that the Mavs would be the first one to do so, it's a must win.

Now the good news. Despite the loss of Chandler Parsons, which does sting a bit, and the loss of Rajon Rondo, which (if we're honest) also stings a bit on the basis of what might have been had things clicked, we still have the guy we need, and he is healthy.

Dirk Nowitski is by far the greatest Maverick ever and by such a substantial margin that there is no one else even close. To win a championship this year we do not absolutely have to have Rondo or Parsons, but we must have Dirk.  We must also have Dirk playing like Dirk, and the Mavs recognizing that we must have Dirk playing like Dirk.  

Dirk playing like Dirk is a fearsome thing for opponents. When Dirk plays like Dirk, he is virtually unstoppable offensively, and as he showed in game two of this series, he is also still capable of being a factor on the boards, having led all rebounders with 13 for game two.  More importantly Dirk playing like Dirk will eventually if not immediately draw the double team, which essentially creates a juggernaut out of the Mavs flow offense, as when  correct spacing is employed there is consistently an open man. This was demonstrated time and time again during the Mavs championship run of 2011.   Dirk drawing the double team also frees up space for J.J. Barea and Monta Ellis to drive, which is their specialty and which in turn frees up space for outside shooters, which frees up, oh well you get the point.  

Here is an interesting statistic to support this.  During the 2014-2015 season the Mavs were 8-1 in games in which Dirk scored 25 or more points. In the event you are wondering, we must go 4-1 to win this series from a position of being down to 0-2 in a series that goes seven games. 

While Dirk is aging he is still capable of big nights and the fall away jumper is still  lethal when dropping. To win this series the Mavs must get Dirk going early and often.  Pause to think for a moment about what it means to be number 7  on the NBA all time points list, which Dirk happens to be. That's number seven. All time. Out of everyone who has ever played in the NBA. Ever. A player whom we have and Houston does not. 

Let's go Mavs, take a trip on the Dirk train one more time. 

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The  Dallas Mavericks return home to play the Houston Rockets tonight, and find themselves down 0-2 in the series.  After a week of "As the Basketball Turns" involving situations with  Rajon Rondo and "General Basketball Hospital" with injuries to Chandler Parsons and Devin Harris (Harris expected to play tonight), it's finally time to let go of the soap opera and get down to some real basketball. Essentially this means the Mavericks must win tonight, period.  No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win an NBA series, and since it would seem unlikely that the Mavs would be the first one to do so, it's a must win.

Now the good news. Despite the loss of Chandler Parsons, which does sting a bit, and the loss of Rajon Rondo, which (if we're honest) also stings a bit on the basis of what might have been had things clicked, we still have the guy we need, and he is healthy.

Dirk Nowitski is by far the greatest Maverick ever and by such a substantial margin that there is no one else even close. To win a championship this year we do not absolutely have to have Rondo or Parsons, but we must have Dirk.  We must also have Dirk playing like Dirk, and the Mavs recognizing that we must have Dirk playing like Dirk.  

Dirk playing like Dirk is a fearsome thing for opponents. When Dirk plays like Dirk, he is virtually unstoppable offensively, and as he showed in game two of this series, he is also still capable of being a factor on the boards, having led all rebounders with 13 for game two.  More importantly Dirk playing like Dirk will eventually if not immediately draw the double team, which essentially creates a juggernaut out of the Mavs flow offense, as when  correct spacing is employed there is consistently an open man. This was demonstrated time and time again during the Mavs championship run of 2011.   Dirk drawing the double team also frees up space for J.J. Barea and Monta Ellis to drive which is their specialty, which in turn frees up space for outside shooters, which frees up, oh well you get the point.  

Here is an interesting statistic to support this.  During the 2014-2015 season the Mavs were 8-1 in games in which Dirk scored 25 or more points. In the event you are wondering, we must go 4-1 to win this series from a position of being down to 0-2 in a series that goes seven games. 

While Dirk is aging he is still capable of big nights and the fall away jumper is still virtually unstoppable and lethal when dropping. To win this series the Mavs must get Dirk going early and often.  Pause to think for a moment about what it means to be number 7  on the NBA all time points list, which Dirk happens to be. That's number seven. All time. Out of everyone who has ever played in the NBA. Ever. A player whom we have and Houston does not. 

Let's go Mavs, ride the Dirk train one more time. 

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Are you an adult who thinks your your musical instrument ship sailed long ago?   Is playing an instrument such as guitar or piano something you always dreamed of, but you never received lessons as a child?   Or maybe you have always just assumed you have no musical talent?

Many adults dream of experiencing the joy of playing a musical instrument, but assume it's just too late to start.  But unlike your athletic career (yes your NBA or NFL window is probably shut tight at this point), music provides incredible opportunities to learn new skills and experience creative joy for adults in their 30's, 40's, 50's and older!  To support this theory here are some age statistics that might surprise you regarding some of your possible popular favorite musical artists:   B.B. King, 88 years old (was still doing tour dates in 2014), Paul McCartney age 72, Bruce Springsteen age 65 (he is apparently still a "spring chicken" compared to the other guys!   If you could learn and instrument and play into your eighties or even nineties, wouldn't that be awesome?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Kind of crazy to think about!  At Creative Guitar Learning of Carrollton (we also offer lessons on piano, voice, etc) we have lots of adult students who are having a great time learning and playing instruments. Some are just playing for fun at home,  and some are actually learning to perform on stage!

 There are some pretty important factors to consider when deciding to learn a musical instrument as an adult though:

1) Choosing the right instrument - Maybe your first instrument didn't turn out to be the musical journey you expected for one reason or another.  Perhaps it was the right instrument but just the wrong time in your life to start it, or maybe it wasn't the right instrument for you. Or maybe you have never even tried to play a musical instrument.  As an adult learner, choosing the right instrument is pretty critical.  For example with piano,  you can  hear the melodies (the actual tune of the song)  coming out typically from the right hand right away, even with beginner songs. It's easy to make notes have a good tone on the piano, you simply strike the key.  With guitar, typically often beginners learn to strum chords first and you would need to sing or have someone else sing or play the melody if you are playing popular songs (although on guitar their are also styles such as chord melody, fingerstyle,  etc where the melody comes out in the song as well).  Or maybe your instrument is your voice, and you just need some proper training on how to use it correctly!

2)  Are you a patient person? - Most adults in our society are conditioned to wanting to  learn things FAST!  Whether it's a new software at work or an app for your phone, it seems we want things to be super intuitive and quick, and if they are not,  we can give up on them rapidly.   Musical instruments are designed to make beautiful sounds, and rarely would  anyone accuse a clarinet or saxophone of being super "intuitive". But both piano and guitar are pretty easy instruments to learn beginner skills where you can have a good time playing songs, and even sound like some songs on the radio.  But you should know up front,  learning and mastering a musical  instrument is a life long relationship, and even artists who have been playing many years often just  want to  keep learning  more and more.  At Creative Guitar Learning, we are often asked by students "How long will take for me to get good". Well that depends on several factors such as how much God given ability or talent you have, and how also much time you have to practice.  While having some musical talent does definitely help, even students with marginal talent who practice regularly  can have a blast playing an instrument!  

So, here is a conversation I often discuss with potential students. Your current self might be saying something along the lines of  "I sure wish I could play guitar or piano, but it would probably take me  a year or two before I could really sound like much, oh just forget it".  However if your future self from two years from now could speak with your present self, it might be saying something like "Do it! This is so much fun, you sound great now!  I'm sure glad you made the decision to start playing two years ago!"  

 

Randy Stone, the author of this article, is the Owner and Senior Level Guitar Instuctor at Creative Guitar Learning of Carrollton. Over the span of his career he has taught many adult students ranging in age from eighteen to  over eighty years old.   For additional information  please visit the Creative Guitar Learning website at www.creativeguitarlearning.com

  

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At the Creative Guitar Learning Studios in Carrollton (we have lessons on a number of instruments, including piano, voice and violin), we are often asked when is the right time to start a child on an instrument?  Well that can depend on several factors. Music has been demonstrated to help even infants with cognitive development, rhythmic feel and just generally facilitating a good mood.  However when switching from listening to actually playing, there are a few guidelines you might want to consider.

Very small children -  birth to 3  - The best instruments for birth to 3 year olds are generally rhythmic instruments, such as shaker eggs, wrist bands with bells, triangles, wood blocks, etc.  Children can play along with a track or can play instruments solo to just explore sounds and rhythms.

3-5 year olds - A great instrument for beginning 3 to 5 year olds is the piano.  Any small child can walk up to a piano and hit a key and get a really cool piano sound.  A kind and patient instructor can start a chid with simple melodies in the right hand, and progress to adding both hands at a later date. Why not guitar or violin at this age? Well, guitar requires quite a bit more eye and motor coordination to make a sound.  One must push down with quite a bit of pressure in the left hand and still coordinate the right hand at the same time. Whether using a pick or playing fingerstyle, that is a lot to take on for a 3-5 year old. Violin requires both holding the instrument correctly and using the bow to make a sound. While it is not impossible to teach a 3-5 year old guitar or violin, most kids do better on these instruments when a little older. And piano is a wonderful instrument in which for everyone to have a foundation,  because everything is laid out in a symmetrical way on the keyboard.

6-10 year olds - This is a great age for starting a child on a stringed instrument such as  guitar or violin.  Starting guitar wil give them a great head start on their teenage years, when there will be lots of opportunites to play guitar with friends, at school events, church youth groups, etc.  Of course starting an orchestra instrument such as violin or a band instrument such as trumpet at this age will give your child a great head start on middle school band or orchestra. They could be playing quite well upon entering sixth grade when most band programs start, and this will give them quite an advantage over kids who are just starting at that time.

11 and up - At this point the child's interest level starts to really become a determining factor. Kids who are passionately wanting to play the guitar may not be as motivated to practice  on another instrument and vice versa, although some kids will enjoy any instrument.  A great strategy is to book a time with a music school or instructor for a consultation before starting lessons. A patient and qualified instructor should be willing to discuss possibilities with your child or student, ask questions about the style of music they are interested in, and answer any questions your child may have.  

Choosing an instrument with your child and the right time to start is an important decision, which could wind up affecting your child's musical experience for many many years. There are many "big" kids in their seventies,  eighties or even nineties who still play an instrument they began as a young child!

Randy Stone, the author of this article,  is the Owner and Senior Guitar Instructor at Creative Guitar Learning of Carrollton. Creative Guitar Learning offers guitar lessons in a variety of guitar styles, as well as lessons on piano, voice and violin.