That darned reed! If you're a clarinet or saxophone player (sorry double reeds, I won't even attempt to go there!) you will know about this little piece of timber that is so, so important to creating a good sound. However, some days, it just doesn't sound good! This blog goes through understanding reeds on a clarinet and saxophone. Important things you should know! What is a reed? A reed is a piece of cane (a plant akin to bamboo) that is secured to a mouthpiece with a ligatu

Online learning has become a powerful alternative to traditional education, but is it effective? Research shows that well-structured online lessons can match or exceed in-person learning outcomes. Students benefit from flexibility, personalised pacing, and access to expert teachers anywhere. With interactive teaching, clear goals, and consistent engagement, online learning supports strong progress, confidence, and long-term skill development.

The saxophone is a woodwind instrument however, it is made of brass - so why is this? Let's start with a little history. The saxophone...

Lack of motivation to practice is a common problem that almost all musicians will face at some point in their life. It's normal, frustrating and can be caused by any manner of different things. So the big question is - how do we overcome this lack of motivation? Goals There are a few key things to help you find your drive once again, the first one is to find a goal. This could be to learn a particular skill or piece by a set date, to learn a part to play with a friend, achiev

We're all a little impatient sometimes and we all seem to think that we need to practice for hours at a time in order to improve quickly....

To play rich, beautiful low notes on the flute, there are a few things you need to consider. Air Direction To play low notes we need to make sure that we are blowing down. Imagine that there are four points that you need to hit. To get low notes we want to blow down (photo 1). Moderate low = photo 2, moderate high = photo 3, high = photo 4. A tool to help visualise this is called a pneumo pro, a yellow headjoint with four fans (google it!). Okay, so we have the note but it do

If you're anything like me, you have days or moments when you just can't stop squeaking! You're playing a beautiful melody and then it...