Veteran’s Day Parade 2014!

VETERAN’S DAY 2014 is coming up!

Make plans to attend the parade and celebrate our Veterans on Tuesday, November 11th at 10am with the City of Murrieta!

Music is for everyone!

Here we are, at the end of August, knee deep in musical repair, crazy days at the store renting instruments, selling accessories and books for the school year, and for many it’s the beginning of a musical journey. I’m a little different and decided to start my official journey in June. Ha! That wasn’t the greatest idea. Commitments definitely stick better during the school year. Summer is more for relaxing and enjoying the extra free time to do nothing. Of course, that gets really old fast. It’s great to be getting back into a routine.

But…I am here to confess that I did a few pages in my flute book and then it.just.sat.there. And although, that sounds completely terrible, I had a HUGE epiphany! This is news I knew I had to share with you. When I decided to stop waiting for that special day in the future to start actually playing music and jumped in with both feet, something happened to me. I started to understand this whole music thing.

I got personal with it. This was my flute and my flute book. I became an instant musician even if I was a bad one. That is very empowering! The music book started to make sense. My non-musical brain was finally starting to wake up! Yes, I sound very cheesy right now. But it’s so true! So much so that I finally took control of my children’s music instruction. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I am teaching them how to play the trumpet or piano. But I am setting aside time for them to practice. I can kinda sorta read their music books and understand what it is telling them to do. Here is a picture of our music station at home.

Before I picked up the flute, music was my husband’s thing and I was just trying to fit in with the musical world. Now, the music language is understandable. It’s my new interest. Something I am growing to enjoy everyday. And I am setting aside time to practice.

Ok, wait… I have a funny story to tell. I can assure you that I know I have not “arrived” musically. I was at The Master Musician last night helping my mom with a few things. She had me put an alto sax in a case. I’m laughing as I type this….I put it in and it didn’t fit. Must be the wrong size case. But then my mom said I had to take the head joint off. Oh…haha! Not too long after that I was trying to get a mouthpiece from my dad for the same alto sax. He was trying to get me to clean a clarinet mouthpiece for it. I told him I need an alto sax mouthpiece. Turns out the alto sax uses a mouthpiece that is similar to a clarinet. Oops….

I have a loooong way to go, but I have made the first steps towards a successful music journey. What’s keeping you from your musical dream? What’s your favorite instrument? Start playing! We can look silly together. =)

~Kelly

 

What’s a Rental Night?

Oldie, but a goodie! Rental Nights are great, if you are prepared! =)

MasterMusicianBlog

I’m baaack!! Yes, it’s been awhile, but we’ve been busy! This is the busiest time of year for The Master Musician. School is back in session and everybody needs instruments for their kids!

Recently, I was able to attend a Rental Night at a local school. What is that you ask? I’ll ‘splain…for some reason I just pictured Ricky Ricardo, but anyways…Band Directors invite music stores to come to their school to rent instruments to their students. This is great for parents because there really aren’t music stores on every corner. Sometimes you have to drive pretty far to find a wonderful, cute hometown music store like The Master Musician. So, we come to you!

Parents, be prepared before you go to a rental night. There are generally 2 kinds of rental nights: The first can be crazy busy with lots of people waiting in line, the second is where you…

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Motorin’ at Mesa 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Murrieta Mesa Marching Emerald Regiment presents “Motorin’ at Mesa 2014”.

Saturday, July 12 from 8am to 1pm. FREE Admission! Cool Cars, Live Music by X-Ray Cat, Food Booths, and Craft Vendors! If you have a car, truck, jeep, or motorcycle to show off it’s $20 to register in advance or $25 on the day of the event. Go to www.merboosters.com to register! All proceeds go to the Murrieta Mesa Music Department!

I’m taking the plunge…

I’m doing the unthinkable; I’m going to attempt to play the flute again. I don’t know what came over me, but I was like “it’s time” because I am always looking for more things to do during the day….um no…that’s not it. I think I might be just plain crazy, but nevertheless (is that a word??), I am going to attempt this challenge. And let me tell you, if I am able to do this, regardless if I fail or just sound like a dying cat, you can do this! Don’t worry, I will walk you through the process. I took some pictures. Definitely not a fan of having my picture taken, but when in doubt, make everything black and white.

Here is my lovely used flute that I am renting from The Master Musician. If I get really good (Ha Ha!) I will invest in a flute of my own. I also have a Rubank Elementary Method Flute book…the easier the better, right? And a flute care kit that includes a whole bunch of fun stuff like grease, thumb pads, cleaning cloth for the inside of the flute, and a cloth to keep the outside nice and shiny. It also has an instruction guide of how to take care of my instrument. Like, don’t eat food and chew gum while playing…ewwww. I’ve heard horror stories of the gross and strange things that are found inside instruments.

The lovely Rebecca Schumacher, who is the Band Booster president for Murrieta Mesa High School and who also works here at The Master Musician, was kind enough to give me my first flute lesson! Look at how happy we are! Rebecca can make anyone laugh! Such a joy to be around!

And now, my face says it all…”that’s a flute and I have to do what again?”  She showed me how to put the flute together properly and where my hands should be positioned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a hard time making a sound so she had me do this. I need to get my embouchure (which is a fancy word for mouth) in playing condition. After I put the flute back together, I made a G, F, and A sound. Not too shabby for this Mama!

What a great start to my flute playing journey! A few notes came out and I am ready to make music! The best part was at the end of my lesson when my husband Marc, you know the one who plays the piano by ear and is just brilliant in my eyes, told me that I was cute playing the flute. Hey that rhymes!

Ok, so now you know how musically illiterate I am, but we all have to start somewhere! Tell me about you. What instrument do you play, if any?

Music Gifts!

If you need a cute or educational music gift, stop by the store!

Does anyone know Harmony and Melody?

I am gonna confess….I have been slacking lately in the blog department. But I have a good reason. I had my sixth child. A sweet baby girl named, Selah. Ok, that was almost a year ago, but you gotta cut me some slack. Remember I said she’s number 6!!

I was thinking about music lately. In case you are new to the blog, I am a very non-musical mama who is trying to figure out this new language. I have musical parents and a musical husband…and I think my kids might know more about music than me, so I am still on my mission to not feel so dumb. So, like I said, I was thinking about music. The thing that I can’t wrap my head around is the difference between melody and harmony. What is the difference and why does it matter?

The first thing I learned is that the harmony and the melody of a song are to work together. We usually focus on the melody first because it has a lot to do with the vocal quality. The melody consists of words and usually the main instrument in the song, while the harmony is the background tone created by the other instruments. The harmony is made up of the notes and chords, which is very important. That makes sense. But then someone started saying that the melody is horizontal and the harmony is vertical…not sure about that.

Here is a song with no melody. Make sure you don’t fall asleep.

Here is a song with no harmony. Go ahead and get some coffee.

Hearing the difference is very valuable. I do not have an “ear for music”. I need things broken down into the simplest form. But now that I have heard the separation, I can hear the difference more easily.

In my research, I learned that rhythm is just as important as melody and harmony. Rhythm is the organization of the notes on a time line. The key word is NOTES. If you pick up some sheet music you will see that all those notes determine the rhythm of a song. Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm are all important in comprising a song. The cool thing is that when writing a song or picking a piece to play, you can determine which of the three to accentuate. It all depends on the style of music that you want to play!

For more clarity, watch this guy. He speaks my language. And don’t forget to leave me some comments. Who introduced you to Melody, Harmony, and their best friend Rhythm?

~Kelly

“Once Upon A Mattress”

Come show your support for the Murrieta Mesa Music Department! Purchase your tickets in advance at The Master Musician and receive a special discounted price of $7! Call the store @951-677-7575 and ask for Rebecca if you have questions.

What is NAMM anyway?

Is it February already? Time flies when you’re having fun! We had a wonderful January because The Master Musician traveled to Anaheim, California for NAMM. If you are like me 2 years ago, you would have been looking at pictures and comments on Facebook about NAMM and thinking to yourself “what is Namm anyway?”  I have been enlightened so let me help you. First things first, NAMM is an acronym for National Association of Music Merchants.

I had my first experience of NAMM in 2012. My husband Marc and I traveled to the Anaheim Convention Center in January of that year, complete with a 10 month old baby boy and his carrier (since strollers are not allowed). We all had badges, including baby Levi…which was super cute when he had to flash his badge to get into buildings. I was not even involved in the family business at that time, but was there to support my Honey Bunny as he learned the music business ropes.

I walked around in SHOCK! This “convention” was HUGE!! So many people (some a little strange for my taste, but that’s a different story) and tons of companies promoting their music products. I knew right away that this experience was going to give me a new appreciation for the music industry.

My parents were there and I watched as my mom went from booth to booth reconnecting with their vendors. She talked to them like she had known them for years! It was a little intimidating at first, but eventually I started to understand what this NAMM thing was all about. It is a music lovers dream come true. You get to see all the new products, negotiate deals with your vendors, and plan out your purchases for the next year.  If you are having a hard time following me, picture your favorite thing to do and then imagine a 3 story convention center, plus local hotels dedicated to showcasing that favorite thing. Oh yeah….I can see the scrapbooking paradise now!!!

Ok, I have to mention the food in hopes that somewhere someone from NAMM is listening….2012 NAMM had IN-N-OUT inside the convention center!!! Why is that important you ask? Because this year there was NO In-n-Out and that is no bueno! That is all I will say about that.

So fast fast forward to NAMM 2013 this past January. This year I came as an actual real, music employee. (I know, what are they thinking! Don’t worry, I’m not working the sales floor!) I went to NAMM with a different mind set.  This time I was going to learn. On Wednesday, NAMM offered a day long class on everything about how to make your business better! Who doesn’t need that, right?! It was AWESOME!!! We are so excited because we have the tools we need to help the business improve, which will bless the socks off of our customers!! Can you feel the excitement!!!  This is another part of NAMM that is invaluable! There are so many classes to attend (most of which give free food!) that the whole purpose of going to NAMM is revolutionized. It is part Vendor stuff and part Training!

Now, here is the BONUS of NAMM! The M-U-S-I-C! Could you have a music convention without music? I think not! Let me give you a taste…Tower of Power, Jack Mattingly and The Procrastinators, Heavy Mellow, The Rob Balducci Band, Muriel Anderson and Tierra Negra, Snarky Puppy, Rock Nation, The Kruger Brothers, Matthew Von Doran Trio, Tori Roze and The Hot Mess, Dave Hill, The Delgado Brothers, Miles Schon Band, Monte Pittman, ZZ Ward, Hammond Organ Performance, The Cabana Boys, The City, Don Edwards, Sirens of Soho, Keith Kenny, Jesse Ruben, LEOGUN, Dessy Di Lauro, Boxcar 7, Kiki Ebsen, Scott Wilkie Band, Will Champlin, Jamey Geston, Derick Sebastian, The Sledge Grits Band, Mariachi Divas, and soooo many more!! Basically, this is the place for live music! All day long musicians performed and then every night after the convention closed, we could go experience the musical night life. Date night anyone?!

NAMM is an amazing event that is limited to members, employees of exhibitors, and credentialed members of the press. The Master Musician has been a member since 2006 and we feel privileged to be able to attend every year. I hope I have given you a small glimpse of how important NAMM is to our business and to music in general. Besides the conventions, NAMM has shown how much it believes in keeping music alive. They support the research of music, offer program grants, began the Wanna Play? Fund, and have the Museum of Making Music at their headquarters in Carlsbad, California. You can find more information at http://www.nammfoundation.org.

We are proud members of NAMM! We are looking forward to a new 2013 with many positive changes at The Master Musician that will both INSPIRE musical greatness and make your experience with THE MASTER MUSICIAN helpful, educational, and fun!

Talk to you soon!  ~Kelly

Christmas Stocking Stuffers

Thank you for reading this! I know that you have been bombarded with advertisements from pretty much everywhere of everyone trying to get you to spend your hard earned money on their stuff. How do I know this?? Because it is happening to me! All the email listings and blog subscriptions that I signed up for because for whatever reason I like their company…until now…never stop soliciting me to BUY BUY BUY!! Ok, I won’t be so extreme to say that I don’t like them anymore, they are just annoying and are kinda killing the Christmas spirit for me.  I am not kidding you, I get emails from the same people every single day about their latest specials. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good deal, but “give me a break”! One email, once a week, at the most will do, right??

Now that you know I can sympathize with you, I will present this blog about some great Christmas Stocking Stuffers that we have at The Master Musician. But only 1 blog post. There’s a chance you could get an actual email too, but only 1, not a bazillion! =)

In no particular order….

• Music Book Marks
• Musical Pens
• Instrument Case Nametags
• Musical Instrument Jewelry
• Gift Certificates
• Give the Gift of Lessons (Buy a Gift Certificate & we will directly pay the Instructors)
• Tuner
• Metronome
• New Mouthpiece
• New Reeds
• A whole New Instrument!
• Instrument Care Kits
• Valve Oil
• Music Stand
• and so much more!!!

We are stocked up on Christmas Music Books!!! Come check out our selection! Plus, there are a lot more fun things to give this Christmas!

Have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

~Kelly