Shar Music Blog

How far could you kayak down the river if you didn’t have a paddle? When you’re out on the water, you might notice the cicadas and the tug of the current, but you’re probably not paying really close attention to what’s in your hands. It’s likely that you…

When I travel, I enjoy people-watching.

I’ve clocked many hours in airports over the years: flying back and forth between college and my folks’ home during school breaks; long distance relationships; heading to other cities for performances or…

When I travel, I enjoy people-watching.

You’ve seen your child through the many stages of learning the violin. The cardboard box violin. The struggle to use the correct bowings and fingerings. Conquering scales and new songs. You’ve watched them grow into a little musician. Maybe they’re…

Have you ever lost track of time while on a hike? You’re marveling at the beauty of trees, streams, and mountains, feeling downright absorbed by nature for what feels like at least 2 hours—only to discover that 4 hours have passed? Or have you ever…

Melissa Lusk is co-author of The Violin Recital Album, a companion publication to the Sassmannshaus Early Start on the Violin series. She is a violinist and a violist. Her hobbies include gardening, composting, vermiculture, sewing and now weaving. She…

There's a lot that can go wrong when planning a wedding, so the live music should be the last thing the couple has to worry about. However, if you're the musician gigging at a wedding, it is your temporary raison d’etre and you owe it to your clients to…

Think you know how to play Brahms? Douglas Woodfull-Harris, Editor for Orchestral and Chamber Music at Bärenreiter, gives us a preview of "the overwhelming amount of vital information" contained in the new Bärenreiter Urtext editions of Brahms. If you're…

Differences are invisible until discovered. A common picture riddle found in children’s coloring books includes a number of seemingly identical snow men (or teddy bears, men in raincoats with umbrellas, etc.), one of which has a slight difference. Which…

One of our favorite bloggers, James Engman, had the chance to sit down with the up-and-coming eclectic musical group The alt Default. While the members of the group – Nathaniel Wolkstein, David Connor, and Hannah Nicholas – are all classically trained…