Giving You Practice Tips, Tech Tips, & Commentary on Current Music by Staff & Area Musicians
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Justin Paglino: Doctor of Ivory Tickling
Although Justin’s background in science and medicine is noteworthy, it is of virtually no use to him as a piano player and teacher. Fortunately, he also has many years of

Voice & Piano Teacher Needed
Crescendo Music Loft is growing! And we’d like to continue! Presently, we need a voice and piano teacher who is versed in traditional songs as well as contemporary pop, rock,

7 CML Students to Participate in Master Class with Christine Ohlman
Due to the immense popularity of 2019 “The Audience and You” workshop, we are thrilled to offer a new Master Class with Saturday Night Live Band vocalist, Christine Ohlman this

What is a Master Class?
Master classes can be given in any discipline, but they are more commonly used in more advanced music education. Perhaps that’s because, according to Wikipedia, famous composer Franz Liszt invented

David Gleba Joins the Teaching Staff at Crescendo
When I met David Gleba for the first time, he was attending the baptism of a mutual friend and wearing a coat akin to Neo from The Matrix. What was

John Hurley: Staff Sergeant
We are delighted to welcome John Hurley as Assistant Teacher and Guitar Instructor at Crescendo Music Loft. Some of you will recognize John as our “Staff Sergeant.” He has worked

Playing Piano While Wearing Hearing Aids
If you recently started wearing hearing aids and play piano, you may find this note useful. If you don’t and never have worn hearing aids, but you play a musical

An Introduction to Vocal Pitch Monitor
Google Play’s app Vocal Pitch Monitor can be a powerful tool if you know how to use it, but it can be VERY frustrating if you don’t. I use this

Zoom: Turn on Original Sound on iPhone or iPad
It’s important for musicians to be able to turn on Original Sound in Zoom so that you come through when you sing and play. It’s not easy to find on

Zoom: Turn on Original Sound on your Computer
It’s important for musicians to be able to turn on Original Sound in Zoom so that you come through when you sing and play. It’s not easily visible on the

Open Your Heart to New Genres of Music
Opening your heart to people groups and cultures outside your own could help you open your mind to other ways of thinking.

Understanding Microphone Pickup Patterns
What comes out of your PA is only as good as the mics you use. Find out more about three types of microphone pickup patterns.

How to Use the PA Player App to Help You Begin Playing Piano
Now that it’s mid-September, I have a lot of new beginning piano students. Yay! So I thought it would be a good time to write this post on how to

Do You Need a Vocal Mic or an Instrument Mic?
The Differences Between Vocal & Instrument Mics Just like speakers, the enclosure that a microphone transducer is mounted in affects how it sounds and what it picks up. The same

What Is a Blue Note?
Blue Notes Are “Wrong” Notes Some people would consider blue notes to be “wrong notes.” But they’re not just any wrong notes. They’re particular wrong notes. Some “wrong notes” are

The Three Kinds of Microphone Transducers
I have broken the topic of stage microphones into three parts. I hope you will read all three parts before your next purchase. Microphones Are Categorized in Three Ways Mics

Yay! You Have a Head Cold!
Head colds are a fact of life. Here are some tips from the professionals on how to manage them during your singing career or course of study.

Mixers: Where It All Happens
When putting together a PA system, here are all the considerations for what you should get in a mixing board.

Tips for Getting Started on Piano
Whether you are an adult starting from scratch or a parent helping your child, here are a few things that are helpful to know in those first few weeks. Get

Eye Contact Is Crucial
If you want to add power to your vocal performance (singing or speaking, for that matter), the number one way to add power to your performance or message is to

Speaker Arrays Can’t Be Beat
Speaker arrays are designed to focus all frequencies in a desired direction. Drivers, cabinet and electronics achieve this at at a hefty price tag. Arrays Can Reduce Opportunities for Feedback

Speaker Placement
What is a speaker? A speaker is a transducer that converts electrical energy into sound waves. PA speakers turned up to 95dB (reasonable indoor volume) make big waves. You not

Rituals of Preparation
Everyone Gets Into a Slump Having worked weekly with 15 – 30 musicians 45 weeks out of the year for over 20 years, I observe that almost everyone (including me)

Some Things to Consider When Buying Active Speakers
This is the fifth in the series of posts on “More Than You Wanted to Know About Sound Systems.” The newer and still evolving speaker package ACTIVE SPEAKERS, require a

How to Use the Circle of Fifths to Identify Key Signatures
This is the fourth and final post in a series on How to Identify the 15 Key Signatures. In order for this to be helpful, you will need to have

What Makes Passive Speakers a Good Option
PASSIVE: But still capable of annoying people Passive speakers are the simplest and lightest. Most speakers use a two way setup with a horn for high end and a cone

How to Draw the Circle of Fifths
Being able to draw the circle of 5ths from memory is a helpful skill to acquire when you want to memorize all 15 key signatures. Here’s how!

Speakers: What They Can Do for You
4 Speakers When someone asks “How’s it sound?” The answer shouldn’t be “Depends where you’re standing.” Only a sound company can have the right system for every venue. You have

How to Spell the Interval of a Fifth: Part 2
This is the second in a series of posts called How to Memorize the 15 Key Signatures. In my previous post, How to Spell the Interval of a Fifth: Part

Use a Subwoofer for Your Kick Drum
Bands have talked for years about adding a sub woofer for the kick drum. Well, I have seen two bands trying subs, and it sounds GREAT! It gives you the

How to Spell the Interval of a Fifth: Part I
This is the first in a series of posts called How to Memorize the 15 Key Signatures. Since different people absorb information in different ways, I have included a 2-minute

Your Ears Are Amazing
This is the second in a series of articles called “More Than You Wanted to Know About Sound Systems.“ Your Ears Respond Differently as Volume Increases Your ears have a

A Tutorial In Scientific Pitch Notation
I’ve been studying and teaching music for over 25 years, and I only got myself squared away with this topic after COVID hit. I needed to be able to communicate

How Loud Does Your Audience Want You to Be?
This is the first of a series of articles called “More Than You Wanted to Know About Sound Systems.” Let’s Discuss Volume To discuss sound we need units of measurement.

Musical Meditations
For any type of relaxation or meditation, I recommend that you be comfortable, either lying down or sitting with your back supported or straight. Start with 2-5 minutes and if

How to Count “Pickups”
What Is a Pickup? In music, a pickup is an unstressed lead-in note or group of notes that take place before the first accented note of a phrase. They can

Embrace Your Voice “Cracks”
Most singers deal with what many of us would call voice cracks. Here are a few tips on how to make them work for you.

10 Steps for Memorizing Lyrics
Many people have trouble memorizing song lyrics. Here are ten steps to help you in your endeavors to memorize and become a better performer.

Free Your Feet
Why are your feet important? Why is this post on a music site? Some musical instruments actually use the feet of course. Many musicians stand on stage to perform. How

Take Care of Your Hands
If you are a performer of any kind, I urge you to pay attention to your hands. Scratch that — I want everyone to pay attention to your hands. If

How to Follow Signs in Sheet Music
Musicians use all kinds of ways to communicate with each other about what notes to play from scribbles on a napkin to full-fledged orchestral scores, but one of the most

Wanna See My Uvula?
After nailing intonation and getting your mouth Opera Open, getting the back of your tongue down can drastically improve your singing tone.

Does Your Dog Encourage Your Singing?
***Let’s get the disclaimers out of the way. I have a ridiculously small (just over 10lbs) grey fluffy dog named Sasha. She is not particularly obedient, and I am not

How I Prepare to Perform a Song
Kirsten provides a step-by-step guide on how she prepares her vocal performances so they feel practiced, meaningful and personal.

Chart for July Tree
I asked John to write a chart for Eowyn O’Hara who wanted to sing this song in a higher key than Nina Simone’s, and here is the email message to

Diphthong Management in Singing
Learning what diphthongs are and how to manage them is one of the most effective ways to improve your singing.

Breathe to Prepare
Help for Introverts and Others Everything is opening up and it’s really exciting (right?)!!! We’ve all been isolated… in-person interactions and performance opportunities have been limited. So, let’s get out

My Favorite Dan Reeder Songs
Introducing Dan Reeder If memory serves me, the first song I ever heard by Dan Reeder was “Born a Worm.” I don’t know if it came up on my Spotify

Live Music Returns to The Roxy in New York
Last week, we ventured into New York City for the kids’ spring break and had a wonderful time returning to some of our favorite spots and exploring some new ones.

New Releases April 2021
Since Abigail Connolly had to study for an exam at culinary school, I took matters into my own hands to cull some new releases for everyone this week. As it

Learn How to Pronounce “STR” Consonant Combos
People everywhere have gotten lazy pronouncing the consonant combination “str.” Learn how to say words with “str” more clearly.

Play Guitar Like a Horn Player
Learn a Harmonized Blues Scale – Easy and Fun! My inspiration for this column is from Rich Severson, guitarist, and host of GuitarCollege.com. Rich is one of the smoothest jazz

I Can Tell You Are From Connecticut
Find out what one habit of speaking particular to native Connecticuters should be addressed upon learning good vocal technique.

The Golden Age of Guitar Instruction
YouTube and the internet could be considered the golden age for guitar and music instruction –– so much content for no cost-but where do you start? Justin Guitar For all

Glottal Stop Management
Learning what glottal stops are helps you learn how to manage them in your singing. It’s a good technique to add to your vocal tool kit.

Practice Tips From a Non-Professional
As we slowly emerge from the fog that was the last 12 months, we’re starting to find our schedules busier again and more time spent on the go. As the

“I Will Follow You Into The Dark”: Learn a Strum Pattern
There’s a lot to learn from this tune by Death Cab for Cutie. A link to the video is below for reference. I’m not going to teach the song –

Just Tell Me the Truth About How Much You Practiced
People come to me for voice and piano lessons from all walks of life. I have: five-year-olds whose parents bring them and help them learn many 9-13 year olds who

Standing Up to Play Keyboards?
Sitting: My Preference Many keyboard players choose to play from a seated position. I am one of those players and this post will help explain why this is and always

Alligators & Lizards Part 2
Let’s go to the videotape! For this column, I made two short videos demonstrating “free playing” over a loop of GMaj7 – Dmaj7, the main Ventura Highway chord progression. In

Drill In & Work Out
Most songs have some sort of challenge section to them. In the case of some songs, it can just be one hairball measure. Here is a practice technique that can

March 10, 2021 New Song Releases
Hello! I’m happy to be back and writing. I was complaining to my mom that I had run out of things to write about so she tasked me with posting

Zoom: Etiquette for Hosts
If it’s your turn to host a Zoom meeting, check out Melissa Greenberg’s checklist of things to learn and test before the big day.

Alligator Lizards in the Air–Flying Over “Ventura Highway”
Steve Shelton explains how to pick up our guitars and immediately start shredding along with the famous song “Ventura Highway.”

A Playlist to Cook & Eat By
I listen to a lot of music. I mean A LOT. Part of my job requires it as I get a continuous stream of requests from students to sing and

Rocketbook
I came across this latest tech organizing gadget last year and immediately fell in love. Rocketbook is a hybrid of a notebook and whiteboard that, along with the Rocketbook app,

The Dead Covers Project
Living With Robots gets together with some friends and records videos for the Dead Covers Project.

How Many Vocal Registers Are There?
Now I’m getting into dangerous territory for a voice teacher. Coming right out and saying what you believe are the “official registers” is akin to declaring your political party in

Opera Open
Next to learning good intonation, I consider this is the number one thing that 99.99999% of beginning singers need to learn: get your mouth open! Dana Shelton calls it “Opera

The Importance of Stage Monitors
Monitor vs. Monitor Mix Monitors (stage wedges) are the speakers that the band uses to hear itself on stage. The size, shape, and format of these devices vary greatly, but

Zoom: Etiquette for Participants
As we’ve become more comfortable hosting and attending Zoom meetings throughout the last 12 months, it is important to check ourselves on Zoom etiquette. There are basic standards such as

“Blackbird”: Learning the 10th Interval
Start With a Major or Minor Third In my last post, we looked at “Brown Eyed Girl,” a song where intervals of major or minor thirds played from the key

Zoom: Logging In
Zoom is an excellent tool that allows millions of people to connect remotely everyday in work-from-home capacities as well as to friends and families near and far. However, as it

How to Draw a Stage Plot
Preparing for the Big Gig OK – We have learned to disinfect our microphones, how to get paid for gigs, how to perform on boats, and lastly a crash course

The Three Ways to Begin a Song
If you are a singer working with a band, you can be helpful during rehearsals if you know how to begin and are prepared to count in each section of

“Brown Eyed Girl”: The Classic Riff Explained
Expand your soloing by learning the concept behind this classic riff. You’ve heard lots of songs with guitars playing melodies or solos not just on single strings, but in two

Another Hendrix Chord?
The Hendrix Chord: E7#9 Lots of guitarists call the 7#9 chord – the “Hendrix” chord, after the legendary Jimi Hendrix who employed it often, but you can really hear it

Zoom Visuals
Continuing with the theme of troubleshooting Zoom, this post will address another frustration: camera and video issues. Last week’s Clef Notes post addressed audio concerns and many of those resolutions

The Tricky Thing About Tempo
The tricky thing about tempo is that even though it can be measured in an objective way (60 beats per minute is 60 beats per minutes), it can seem subjective.

Busking
BUSKING: “The activity of playing music in the street or another public place for voluntary donations” Great Practice & Exposure to New Crowd Sometimes, musicians must accept that there are

Seven Things You Need to Know About the Song You’re Singing
Pre-COVID times, I used to run open mics. Lots of them. Every week in several different venues. Keeping everything running smoothly and keeping all the musicians in the room happy

Can You Hear Me Now?
This blog post is part-one of many posts to come addressing everything Zoom. At first glance, Zoom seems straightforward and simple enough with few buttons and settings. So how hard

Try Some of Our Fine Arpeggios
Lots of students learn scales and can get them running up and down in short order. Arpeggios are key notes from scales that are used to play the harmony of

Plays Well With Others
Let’s take a break from all that chord chemistry and talk about something practical (and musical) when playing with another guitarist or keyboard player. I’ve found that if guitarists each

Bookmarks For Online Loft Students
This past year has proven that the willingness to adjust and adapt to a new format can bring success. Crescendo Music Loft is no exception. Students have had the option to

Find the One Note & Fix It
Often, a person can sing a song most of the way through, but there’s one section that is bringing the whole thing down. A Typical Popular Song Form For the

Google Drive, Part 2
Google Drive is an extensive platform that deserves a second look and follow-up post to A Guide to Google Drive. This post highlights a helpful Google app that automatically syncs with

Gigs on Boats
Sooner or later, most musicians find themselves booked to perform on a boat. I remember playing on several local vessels including the Lady Catherine, Becky Thatcher, and the somewhat infamous

What Songs Are Your Children Listening To?
An Instructional Conversation with a Thirteen-Year-Old About fifteen years ago, I was teaching a guitar lessons to a teenage boy and struggling to find some way to inspire him to

A Guide to Google Drive
Google Drive is a Google platform that brings together Google files you have created or opened. Google Drive can appear overwhelming at first, but I’m here to break it down in

Practicing Backwards
This is not what you think. What I’m talking about is starting your practice work at the end of a piece and methodically working your way backwards to the beginning.

A Deeper Dive Into the Guitar Fretboard
If you read my first two articles (Use Major Chords to Find Minor Chords on Guitar; Find the Sevenths in Guitar Chords You Know), the main point was to get

A Quick Small Guide to the Bon Iver Albums
I LOVE BON IVER. I’ve mentioned them in a few previous posts. Bon Iver initially started as just Justin Vernon and expanded to a band including Vernon, Sean Carey, Matthew

Find the Sevenths in Guitar Chords You Know
This post is a continuation of my previous post in Clef Notes: Use Major Chords to Find Minor Chords on Guitar. Let’s apply the same concept used to find the

How to Be A More Effective Student
Expectation | LET IT GO Expectation is where everything starts to go wrong. Expectation is the death of acceptance. When we were tiny, our brains were ready to accept lots

How to Slow Down or Speed Up a Video on YouTube
Changing the speed of a video on YouTube is a simple process with a big effect. You may want to change the speed for a variety of reasons such as slowing

GarageBand 101 for Singers: Part 1
GarageBand Can Be Fun I’ve been having a lot of fun lately with many of my voice students making GarageBand recordings during lessons and special sessions. Over two Saturdays in

Some Beautiful Music
This week, I offer this playlist of nine of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. These are not my top nine, but just a collection of music I adore

Use Major Chords to Find Minor Chords on Guitar
Where are the thirds of the chords that you know? A way to learn more chords is to know fret/string location of the thirds of any particular chord. Start by

What I’m Thankful For at The Music Loft
A Nine-Year-Old’s Perspective While we all have plenty to be thankful for at Crescendo Music Loft, my nine-year-old daughter and Voice student of CML is taking the lead on this

Be True to Your Spirit: Sing Songs That Fit Your Personality
In my last post, “How Using Solfege Helps You Sing Better,” I discussed the idea that in order to get the best intonation possible, the body and mind need to

Reverse Karaoke
The Issue I probably don’t have to tell you that lately, life’s been tough for the live-performing musician. Because of Covid-19, performances big and small have been canceled or made

Soundtrap: How to Record a Vocal Track
Even before the pandemic, I was looking for a simple way to record and collaborate in a fun and casual way — especially vocals — and my nephew turned me

A Crash Course in Online Core Curriculum
Online Courses In Core Curriculum Are Now Available Another week, another tech-tutorial! This Crash Course in Online Core Curriculum will get you prepped and ready to dive into the Crescendo

How Using Solfege Can Help You Sing Better
Many musicians use a system called “solfege” to make the task of singing and understanding melodic lines a little bit easier. Solfege is used in conservatories and schools all over

Why You Need a Collaborative Playlist
Spotify Hosts Collaborative Playlists I adore Spotify, they make me feel known and suggest heavily curated music that I like most of the time. They also have a collaborative playlist

Welcome to Crescendo Music Loft, New Students!
Rudiments, Diction & Tiny Books, Oh My! These days, like many other small businesses, Crescendo Music Loft has adjusted to a new normal with technology leading the way, making this

Gigging for Beginners: Getting Paid for Gigs
The First Type of Gig: Public Public gigs are where you and your band are hired to provide music and/or entertainment to the patrons of an establishment – usually in

Communal Shower Music Listening Etiquette
Communal bathrooms are one of the great joys of dorm living. I have enjoyed listening to music in the shower and singing for as long as I have had some

Let’s Sing Rounds Together!
I’ve always loved to sing in groups. It’s fantastic for those of us who are self conscious because it gives us a level of anonymity. This brings me to one

What I Mean By Daily Vocal Workout
Establish a Regular Routine of Working Out The first piece of advice I give anyone wanting to improve their singing voice is to establish a regular routine of working out.

Seven Ways to Motivate Your Children to Practice Their Instruments
For whatever reason, you’ve spent some money on an instrument, and you’ve enrolled your child in some music lessons. Now the weekly practice grind begins. At first, your child will

Jesus Christ Superstar: Mary Magdalene or Judas?
Rock operas were once big in my world — when I was thirteen, I even had a music teacher who decided that Tommy was of such intrinsic value that we

Gigging for Beginners: The PA System
Congratulations – you’ve gotten yourself a gig! Now is the time to access what you will need in the way of a PA system so that all your fans can

A Christmas Song to Listen To
as You Await Election Results or Mourn/Recover/Celebrate Election Results I am writing this post on 11/3/2020, election night, as we await results. My friend Christopher sent me this song, and

Danger Is My Business
Most people know me by my given name, Charlie. I’ve earned other names, too. Badges of honor, if you will. When you’re good at your job cool nicknames kind of

Personal Musings on Track 10
Some background: Vulfpeck listed their 10th track spot for their new album “The Joy of Music, The Job of Real Estate” on eBay back on August 7th. Fans had the

Gigging for Beginners: Preparation!
You’ve practiced, rehearsed and honed your craft and are ready to put your talent on display for the world. Now it’s time to learn a new lesson – selling the

Vocal Warmup Fun from “The Wizard of Oz”
I have a friend who loves to sing (as do I). We can’t help revisiting familiar songs and musicals together, sometimes with karaoke tracks so we can sing along with

Steps for Creating a Gravatar
An “avatar” is an image that represents you online—a little picture that appears next to your name when you interact with websites. A Gravatar is a Globally Recognized Avatar. You

How to Take Pictures with Your Computer and iPad
Knowing how to take pictures with you computer is an easy and efficient task that can save you time and frustration. The new online curriculum with Crescendo Music Loft will

“Song Exploder” on Netflix
Last weekend I discovered “Song Exploder” on Netflix. Each episode takes us inside a particular musician’s process in creating/constructing a song from concept to completion. Episode 2 grabbed me and

Melissa Greenberg: Goddess of the Gigabyte
Crescendo Music Loft is pleased to introduce Ms. Melissa Greenberg as its newest staff member. Melissa will serve as our Gigabyte Guru assisting students and faculty with her information technology

“Shot Glass” John Hurley
Crescendo Music Loft is thrilled to announce a new staff member – Mr. John Hurley – who will serve our students as our “Lesson Lieutenant.” John will assist in reviewing

Ten Songs for Your Listening Pleasure
1. Poinciana performed by Vulfpeck New Vulf is coming, and this is my favorite single so far. I should note for the true Vulfpeck fans that I am aware this

Slow, Fast, Slow, Faster: Sal Salvador’s Genius Practice Technique
I took jazz guitar lessons with the late Sal Salvador for about three years. He taught me an extremely valuable practice technique that I call “Slow Fast Slow Faster.” Step

Introducing the Amazing Slow Downer App by Roni Music
Reader’s note: This post is geared towards students of Crescendo Music System but others will find it useful as well. The Amazing Slow Downer (ASD) app is a great tool
Handheld Microphone Hygiene in the Age of COVID
As Holidays approach, singers can expect bookings at gatherings where microphone use will be necessary. Before Covid, using a borrowed microphone or sharing yours was quite common but now, extra

Finding Inspiration In Hiromi Uehara
Finding Inspiration for Young, Female Piano Students I often talk to my students about playing music with feeling and about how moving their bodies can help in that regard. Last

Steps I Use to Teach Someone to Learn a Song
Steps I Use to Teach Someone A Song After over 20 years of teaching voice lessons, I have settled on something of a method to helping someone learn to sing

How To Use the ProMetronome App by EUMLab
Help! This Metronome App Thing Is Confusing! Note to readers: This post is geared towards Level 1 Students of Crescendo Music System but others should find it useful as well.

Sign Up for Fall Lessons 2020
Sign Up for Fall Lessons 2020 Ready to Book Now? If you’re ready to book a lesson right now, you can visit our Loft Schedule page to check for available

Groove T-Shirts Are Here!
At long last, the Uzo produced t-shirts designed by Abigail Connolly are in! They are being modeled here by the artist and Keelyn Ervin. How to purchase: come by the

We’re Making Our Space Safe for You
We have made a number of changes at the studio to comply with new Connecticut state regulations. We are delighted to report that we have enough space in our performance

Joe Pecoraro: Business Planner & Resident Slave Driver
Affectionately known to us and others as “Joey Yeah Yeah,” Joe is our Czar of Cash and Manager of all things money here at CML. Essentially, Joey Yeah Yeah keeps

Ken Hickmott: Grandmaster of Graphics
Ken Hickmott is our Grandmaster of Graphics joining us after relocating to Connecticut from Northern California. Ken’s experience as art director for a commercial printer as well as his exposure

Tony Cafiero: Sultan of Spin
Tony is our wizard of the written word, sultan of synonyms, and the prince of prose writing copy for our press releases, posters, web and social media articles When not

Abigail Connolly: Empress of Virtually All Tasks
Abigail (Abi) is our youngest and most diverse management member at Crescendo Music Loft who enjoys pointing out that she rightfully could do everybody’s job but simply doesn’t have the

Master Class with Christine Ohlman – CANCELED
Master Class: Canceled After multiple postponements, we have canceled our Master Class with Christine Ohlman. We find ourselves in an unprecedented situation without firmly-established protocols for the type of indoor

The Groove Jr is Happening!
A Performance Opportunity for Middle Schoolers As many of you know, each month The Music Loft hosts two events for high-school-aged teens: a rehearsal to prepare (Get Your Act Together)

Summer Voice, Piano, & Music Theory Lessons 2020
Seven-Lesson Package Choose seven dates between July 6 and August 31 on any weekday (no lessons available July 20-24). Existing students may keep their current day and time if they

Kirsten Livingston: Maven of Marketing & Scheduling
Kirsten Livingston is the latest addition to our talented support team here at Crescendo Music Loft bringing her 25+ years of graphic design and project management skills to our dynamic

Ted Ervin: Factotum
Factotum of the Loft Ted Ervin is Crescendo Music Loft’s Minister of Technology and the “go to guy” for needs regarding scheduling our rehearsal and performance space and anything related
The Groove: Open Mic for Teens is Holding a T-Shirt Design Contest!
We here at The Loft are thrilled to be sponsoring a T-shirt competition supporting our teen music series The Groove. Between now and midnight Feb 28 2020, submit artwork and

Sandy Connolly: High Priestess
Sandy Connolly is our fearless leader at Crescendo Music Loft handling all aspects of teaching in addition to running the business. Classically trained in music (opera) but having heard the

Chords in E minor for “Lights” by Ellie Goulding
I worked on this with Morgan Oakes today. It’s the chord progression for Ellie Goulding’s “Lights” transposed from G#m to E minor. It would be far easier to play it
Sandy’s Top Three Tips For Your First Open Mic
Make Sure You Have all the Gear You Need in Working Order. If you’re a guitar player, make sure you have a fresh battery in your acoustic guitar, all six

Whiteboard Song Map: Danny’s Song
This is the first in a series of what I will call Whiteboard Song Maps. I write thousands of them (not exaggerating), and up until the end of 2019, I

Joe McCarthy to Teach Intensive Drum Set Workshop
Saturday, January 4 & Sunday, January 510:00 am – 4:00 pm | $125 Latin Grammy Award-Winning Drummer Joe McCarthy presents his Intensive Drum Set Workshop. Spend two days in

Steve Shelton to Host Tuesday Night Music Club in November
I met Steve Shelton a few years back at a gig he was playing with The Reactions at June’s Outback in Killingworth, CT. I had gone out to see my

Sign Up by December 1 to Perform in the Christmas Concert
Rehearsal – Saturday, 12/14, 3:00 – 5:00 pm Concert – Sunday, 12/15, 3:00 pm Sign up NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 1 Crescendo Music Loft is starting to work on its Christmas

Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman of SNL Band to Give Workshop on Stage Presence
If there’s one person I would love to get instruction from on how to connect with your audience from a stage, it would be Christine Ohlman. She immediately puts you

Rehearse with Brian Wilkens on Tuesday Nights in October
Brian Wilkens is the kind of guitar player that some guys I know would admit to having a man-crush on. I’m not a guy, but I’m guessing it has something

Joe McCarthy to Teach Afro-Cuban Hand Drumming Class
Thursdays, October 3, 10, 17, 247:00 – 8:30 pmLimited to 20 participants$99.00 This group class will focus on some of the foundational rhythms and grooves of Afro-Cuban music and the

Introducing The Groove Club: New Music Opportunities for Teens on the Connecticut Shoreline
As many of you know, we here at Crescendo Music Loft strive to build community through music in offering teens a space where they can gather in a safe and

Audition Requirements Set for Uzo’s House
Auditions for Uzo’s House are set for June 1 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., and here are the audition requirements. Visit our new webpage: Uzo’s House to find out more

Auditions for Uzo’s House Set for Saturday, June 1
Crescendo Music Loft is pleased to announce its upcoming auditions for “Uzo’s House” – the house band for our increasingly popular “Groove” monthly open mic for teens and related “Get

Take Piano & Voice Lessons This Summer
Crescendo Music Studio is excited to have so many students participating in its Summer Voice and Piano Lessons program and would like to announce a new incentive program for those