June 2025 Proel North America and Grassi Wind Instruments Celebrate 80 Years of Musical Excellence with Santa Monica Symphony Sponsorship bySBO Staff June 20, 2025
Finding the Perfect Flute at the Perfect Price byMike Lawson October 5, 2017 0 Have you ever tried to saw wood with a dull saw blade? Or tried to use a butter knife instead...
School Orchestra and Private Instruction Working Together (and Avoiding Conflict) byMike Lawson October 4, 2017 0 There are good reasons guiding a fairly uncontested rule of ethics amongst teachers who provide individual instruction to students in...
A Practical Guide to Chamber Music Success byMike Lawson September 8, 2017 0 It is rare to hear a string player be anything but enthusiastic when it comes to playing with other musicians of...
How String Players Prepare for Orchestral Engagements byMike Lawson August 11, 2017 0 As with any other situation in which one must study and prepare to perform under pressure, musicians have many different...
The Importance of Personal Musical Enrichment for Educators: Goals, ongoing ensemble experiences, and retaining professional performance as instrumentalists and musicians byMike Lawson July 14, 2017 0 As musicians and educators, I suspect at some point in time each of us has experienced “the fear.”
Concepts and Tips for Teaching Form byMike Lawson June 19, 2017 0 There are few aspects of playing a stringed instrument (specifically violin/viola) which feel like a natural, physically familiar, comfortable use...
Music Beyond High School: The Diversity of Non-Professional Opportunities and Activities for Adult Musicians byMike Lawson May 12, 2017 0 The degree of personal investment required of a string player to gain instrumental proficiency and musical excellence is astounding. For...
The Story of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq byMike Lawson May 12, 2017 0 That Sunday evening, Gudrun from the German Friends of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, Najat Amin, our Kurdish composer...
Protecting Your Instrument – Part Two byMike Lawson April 7, 2017 0 Expenses quickly accrue to levels not all musicians' families can manage; it is probably the most obvious of factors cited again...
Protecting Your Instrument – Part One byMike Lawson March 20, 2017 0 Handling Your Instrument and Avoiding Accidents
Orchestral Contracts – Preparing for Your World as a Self-Employed Musician byMike Lawson February 13, 2017 0 Editor’s Note: It’s often said by students that they don’t think they learn enough about the real world in school,...
How to Work Effectively with Your Fellow Musicians byMike Lawson December 13, 2016 0 Some ensembles have set seating throughout the season, with minor changes as unanticipated circumstances require. This means you will sit...