Musical Pains Make Mental Gains

An April 2011 study concluded that those who play musical instruments regularly may retain certain mental abilities in old age.

"The results of this preliminary study revealed that participants with at least 10 years of musical experience (high activity musicians) had better performance in nonverbal memory, naming, and executive processes in advanced age relative to nonmusicians," according to “The Relation Between Instrumental Musical Activity and Cognitive Aging,” which was originally published in Neuropsychology.

The study’s authors, Branda Hanna-Pladdy and Alicia MacKay, continued: "Starting musical training early and continuing it for several years have a favorable effect on metal abilities during old age . . . It is advisable to think about our lifestyles and change them accordingly to have a better chance at a healthy, clear-headed old age.” In the study, 70 adults aged 60 to 83 underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and were divided into non-musicians, low- and high activity musicians.

As reported in SBO  magazine

Beginning Band PART FIVE; Consistency

[PART FIVE of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]


If parents would consider music as an academic subject (rather than a co- or extra-curricular) they will give performing music classes the same priority they give to all other academic subjects. They will insist that studying music is as important as academic homework. If students practice their music lessons as they do their regular homework they will progress. Once they begin to play well, playing will be it's own reward. Because performing music requires neuromuscular and psychomotor development as well as intellect, doing daily music homework is usually necessary before a child can progress enough to "like it". 

Beginning Band PART FOUR; Attitude

[PART FOUR of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]

A school band or Orchestra is a microcosm of society. It teaches co-operation, respect, listening skills, analysis and synthesis, creativity and expression, personal responsibility and interpersonal communication. These skills are sought after by Fortune 500 companies. Playing a Musical instrument teaches life skills that are adaptable to every personal and professional challenge. 

I have personally seen a number of older players fixing up musical instruments to begin playing again. There are many communities that offer community bands for players of all ages to become involved in. 

Beginning Band PART THREE; Attitude

[PART THREE of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]

Parents who understand the value of music in a child's education and the lifelong benefits of studying music will be glad that their children are participating in a music program and will give their full support. Their enthusiasm will be contagious and their children will then approach their musical studies with excitement as well. There are many studies that prove this out. Here are just a few examples: 

Middle School students involved in a music program scored significantly higher than their non-band peers in standardized tests. 

Another study showed correlations between the number of years of instrumental music instruction and academic achievement in math, science, and language skills.. See University studies in Georgia and Texas. 

Musical studies appears to to dramatically enhance a child's abstract thinking skills and spatial-temporal ability - skills neccessary for math and science - even more than computer instruction does. See Dr. Frances Rauscher, U of CA-Irvine.

Music students showed higher academic scores and scored higher on SAT scores. See Dr Tim Lautzenheiser's book Attitude Concepts for Today and The College Board, Princeton, NJ

There are many other studies that show improvement in academic scores by studying music. 

Beginning Band PART TWO; Support

[PART TWO of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]


Parents who are encouraging, especially through the difficult times, teach their children to reach out and take risks, to rise to challenges, and to pursue their dreams with confidence. In contrast, parents who say, "My child never sticks with anything", or what I often hear "they will probably drop out anyway", are being unfair to their children and laying the groundwork for a pattern of discouragement. This is true for any endeavor, not just music. 

Beginning Band PART ONE

[PART ONE of an article written by Tracey Leeman owner of Musical Innovations and a long time educator published in the School Band and Orchestra July 2011 issue]

So you child has chosen to start band in the fall. Many questions are asked by the parents such as "How do we choose the right instrument" and "how much will it cost"? and probably a very important one"Will my child stick with it"?. A survey doe a few years ago showed that 45 % of parents responding would not buy a musical instrument unless they "knew that their child had some musical talent". But how do you know if your child has talent if they have never even held an instrument or been taught to play? 

Well, a childs success in music is directly related to four factors: support; attitude; consistency; and open-mindedness.
Worth noting is that finances are not a factor in the success of young students. We will cover each of these factors in future blogs.

A word about swabs

There are many types and qualities of swabs on the market. Everything from a piece of felt, chamois, silk, to microfiber. Please keep in mind that the object of a swab is to remove saliva from the inside of the bore.  Acids in the saliva will over time rot raw brass, tear down fibers in wood, and cake on plastic. Besides the health factors of keeping moist "spit" in the instrument. One of the best absorbing materials I have found is the microfiber cloth and what is sold as the "sax diaper". It is diaper material. Silk is a good material to use in swabs as well especially inside wood.  Much talk has been given to products that you push into the bore of a instrument and leave there. My option has always been to get the saliva out of the instrument quickly and completely not allowing it to stay inside the bore as it wicks to the center. If you play daily the instrument may never dry out.             

Putting a reed on a wind instrument.

As a technician for nearly 40 years I see many parents purchase reeds more often than others. I do like selling them but they can last longer by taking a few easy steps. Many times students will put a reed on the mouthpiece first then slide the ligature over the reed. If the reed is lightly over the top of the mouthpiece it will chip the reed. One way to prevent this is to place the ligature on the mouthpiece first then slide the reed with  the thick part down under it. Another very important item that is a must is a mouthpiece cap. This very inexpensive accessory will protect the reed while not playing during rehearsal  but protects the mouthpiece tip while putting the instrument away and while not playing. A mouthpiece cap costs about 1/50th of a mouthpiece so make sure you have one. 

Saxophone care

The first thing to think of before playing any instrument is to make sure your mouth is rinsed out. Next check to make sure your mouthpiece goes on the neck easily. If it feels tight lubricate the cork with some high quality cork grease. The best greases are all natural or lanolin based. These lubricate the cork without wearing down the glue the holds the cork to the neck. Just alittle grease will do the job. When putting the neck into the saxophone receiver,  hold the neck near the part that goes into the receiver and use a twisting motion rather than a rocking motion. Make sure the neck screw is loose. Then lightly tighten the neck screw so the neck doesn't move. When you are finished  playing swab out the body and wipe the inside of the mouthpiece. Place your reed in a quality reed guard so the reed dries flat. Rotate your reeds so you use 5 per week. You can mark them for each day of the4 week so they will dry completely. Your reeds will last longer this way. If you have a pad stay down when it is supposed to come up it may be because dried saliva is holding the pad down on to the tone hole. Use a piece of pad paper(sold through music stores) between the pad and tone hole while lightly holding the pad down pull the paper out. 

It is good to wipe your fingerprints off the body of the saxophone using a microfiber cloth. Don't try to get underneath the keys as springs may come unhooked. Repair technicians prefer to see an instrument twice per year to keep your instrument in it's best playing condition and to keep costs at a minimum. 

Why doesn't the bow make any noise?

     As you begin to get ready for the new school year and rent or lease a string instrument you may wonder why the bow doesn't make any noise as you rub it across the strings. This is because the bow needs to have rosin on it. This should either be provided in the rent or lease or can be purchased as part of a care kit for the instrument. It ca also be purchased separately. Here the way to put it on the bow according to Joan Balter from a Strings Magazine article.

Your bow will probably come with a dusting of white rosin on the hair. But if it doesn’t, you can apply it yourself. Just draw the bow smoothly back and forth across the cake of rosin—a lot of times! Resist the urge to scrub, press hard on the rosin, or go quickly from end to end—that creates too much heat and doesn’t do as good a job. Just be patient. Once your bow is rosined, you will have to apply rosin occasionally to keep it in playing condition, but a little goes a long way! Too much rosin just flies around and lands on your instrument. Worse yet, too much rosin can make you feel like you need even more!

By Joan Balter

     How much should I expect to pay when the instrument is serviced. This question is a good one and I have been having the same reaction from parents for nearly 40 years. The answer, it depends. Actually there are many factors that go into determining a repair estimate. It really does take several years to be able to look over an instrument and accurately determine what needs to be done to make the instrument play it's best. I have estimated and worked on 1,000's of clarinets over nearly 40 years and usually get it pretty close to right. If an instrument hasn't been serviced for many years, generally it needs to be deep cleaned, all the parts that wear out replaced, readjusted and play tested. Many repairmen work to make the instrument play better than when it came from the factory. This makes the playing experience better for the musician. 

     Generally speaking, if an instrument is taken care of during the year and sees annual service a repairman usually spends about an hour. So the charge would be the hourly rate plus parts. If the instrument is not handled properly during the year or the player practices many hours per day of course the rate goes up.   Some might think that the cheapest is the best for them. Not necessarily the case. As with most things, you get what you pay for. If you find a reputable shop and pay slightly more and the instrument plays better and stays in adjustment longer, over the long run, you will save money and your investment will last longer. To find a reputable repairman ask who the University professor or a good player uses. They usually are pretty busy from word of mouth and schedule repair work so your instrument does not stay in the shop for a long period of time.   

Should I ask Aunt Mabel for her instrument that's been stored for 25 years?

     Should I rent or lease first? Should I ask Aunt Mabel for hers that's been stored for 25 years?  Many parents need to get their child into band quickly and can be shocked at the price of new instruments. So they ask a relative or friend if they have an instrument. Sometimes this can work, if the instrument is of good quality, and has been recently maintained. If not, there are many  factors that can hinder your child. First, the instrument in Aunt Mabel's attic may not be a quality instrument, which would make  it  simular to an instrument purchased at the warehouse store along with underwear. Second, if it has been stored for a period of time, the felt and cork parts will rot. The tubes that have not been greased could freeze up. The instrument may be a fine quality instrument, but now it needs to go to the repair shop at the beginning of the school year. The repair shop already has many of these instruments scheduled and it could take weeks to get to yours. Then, you decide to buy a used one you find in a newspaper or on the internet. Once you find a used instrument, it may be much like Aunt Mabel's. 

     I recommend renting or leasing first from a reputable music store to get your child playing right away. I prefer a lease program. Here's why. My company maintains a large number of used high quality, teacher approved instruments for lease on a month to month basis. No long term commitment (though I do highly recommend you ask your child to commit to play for at least four months, they don't know enough yet to quit earlier. Many of the parents I talk to make their children play for the school year).

     What I do is collect a small lease each month up to 10 months. At any time up to 10 months you and the child decides they want to continue to play I give the money you paid in back to you towards the purchase of a new instrument. While you are leasing from my company I cover the maintenance. We then fill out a rent to own form and you are making rent payments toward owning your own new instrument interest free. There's value! I get my name brand quality instrument back to lease to another child and you end up with a brand new instrument. Of, course while you are renting your new instrument you are covered by the manufacturers warranty and my company offers a very inexpensive optional damage coverage so you can be worry free until you own your instrument. This new instrument will hold it's value better should you then decide to sell it. Win-Win!

     You can also rent to own a new or used instrument from a reputable music store. They often charge interest to do this and some require a maintenance fee as part of the rent payment. Either way, take advantage of the coverage to keep the instrument in it's best working order. 

One last thing about Aunt Mabel's instrument that's been in the attic for 25 years and is brought out and loaned to your child to learn on. First, the value of the instrument in poor condition is very low. Companies like mine purchase these and rebuild them to enter the lease fleet. Often they have worn out parts, the mouthpiece needs to be replaced, and the case may need to be replaced as well do to mold and/or bugs that crawl into the case and eat the felt. In addition, can you imagine the germs left on that instrument? To rebuild one of these instruments can cost more than the used instrument is worth making the purchase or lease/rent a much better option. 

Some People Can't Play just any Instrument

There are many ways to provide your child with the instrument they want to play. Please note that the instrument they want to play may not be the instrument that best suits their mouth. It is best to let your child be checked out by a reputable music store or your music instructor. They will be able to watch the student as they try several different instruments to determine the right fit for them. One example is recently I had a child come into the store who wanted to play a clarinet. We fit the reed to the mouthpiece and set up his mouth correctly and he couldn't make a sound. After some time we tried a flute. No success. Finally, we tried a trumpet and he obtained a good quality sound right away. I gave him a book to try a few notes and he was successful. He now wanted to play trumpet. Any music educator or reputable music store can help with this.

How often should a musical instrument visit a repair shop?

     Well we live in an instant culture where when something breaks we throw them away. A good musical instrument should last for many years and can be passed to other siblings. If the instrument is well maintained. I would be best for the instrument to visit the repair shop twice each year. Pads on woodwind instruments need to seal properly for the instrument to play well. Many things can cause them to go out of adjustment such as a key getting bumped or the skin or leather pad tearing. The connections where the keys rotate are made of metal and without being properly lubricated will wear. Much like letting the oil in your car get dirty. It will prematurely wear out the engine. Another thing that happens to woodwind instruments is the pads can warp causing the pad to not seat properly. This is caused by humidity and weather changes. These changes happen rapidly here.

     Brass instruments (trumpets, trombones,etc) need to see the repair shop as well because the saliva sent into the instrument by playing has acids that eats away the raw brass on the inside of the instrument. This needs regular deep cleaning to protect the instrument from wear. Also, parts such as felts used in adjusting the instrument do wear and need to be checked regularly.  Another important part of a brasswind instrument is the tuning slides. They must have grease on them or over time they will get very stuck. 

     The best time of the year to bring an instrument in to the repair shop is right after the fall concert and right after school gets out. If you wait until school begins like most others do you may have a long wait. In some shops the wait can be months. This hinders your child as he/she won't be practicing and growing in their skill ability. 

I am very excited to announce that on June 24th beginning at 6:30pm at Bob & Luigi's restaurant (37th & Woodlawn N) Air Traffic of Wichita will be preforming. This is a kick off event that Lighthouse Music Services is co-hosting with Bob & Luigi's to provide a place where young talent can "play for food and tips". Teachers can show off their students talents in a safe family friendly environment. School students and University students can try out their audition pieces before the audition, or musicians can perform their work for the first time.  It is a great place for combo groups to play from HS to University groups. Call them at 744-9510 to set at date!

Come out and support Air Traffic of Wichita and enjoy some great pizza on Friday the 24th!  

Getting over the Sticker Shock

As a beginning band parent you may be over whelmed by the "sticker shock" of a new instrument. In addition, many parents I work with believe that once an instrument is paid for this is all they need to do. They are surprised when the band director tells them their instrument needs work. 

Let's first look at the "sticker shock" issue. If an instrument is made in the states there are wages and marketing done to sell that brand of instrument. Work has to be done to prove to the Music Stores and then the music educators that their brand is better than the other one. Then they have to make a guess as to how many units will be sold per year so they can build just enough. Please know that the market for musical instruments is not like selling computers or clothes or cars. The numbers are small in comparison. The Music store has to stock a minimum number of instruments per year to keep their dealership. They have to pay the manufacturer in a timely manner. All of these factors make up the cost of the instrument. The old saying "you get what you pay for" is really true in this business. There are so many companies trying to get into the very small market for musical instruments recently and many of them are of very poor quality. Many parents think that by purchasing an instrument at the same place they purchase paper plates or food items or even the internet "because they probably will drop out anyway" just ensures that they will. A poor quality instrument plays poorly and will go out of adjustment quickly not to mention that it will not hold it's value. A better quality instrument will stay in adjustment longer, have parts available if needed, and any repairman will be able to fix it went it needs it's annual service. 

So where should you go to purchase an instrument? First, find a reputable music store that sells quality instruments and has a quality repair department. Any of the reputable brand named instrument makers will have web sites you can compare models with. One thing I look for when choosing an instrument I can stand behind for my customers is the warranty. If a manufacturer has a good warranty you can know the instrument will hold up and can be repaired should something break.