Songwriters/ Arrangers

10 Lessons Songwriting Duo Kooman & Diamond Have Learned from Working in Television

BY MICHAEL KOOMAN & CHRISTOPHER DIAMOND via www.breakingcharactermagazine.com Over the course of the last few years, we have had the privilege of serving as songwriters for the Disney Junior animated TV series “Vampirina,” which follows a family of friendly vampires who have recently moved from their home in Transylvania to Pennsylvania.  By the end of the show’s second season, we will have written 100 songs. As lifelong Disney nerds, this opportunity has been a dream come true. We’ve had the chance to work with an amazing cast featuring some of our childhood voiceover heroes like Cree Summer, as well as a number of Broadway icons such as Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Christian Borle. Needless to say, however, for theatre songwriters who had never previously written songs fo...

5 Exercises to Improve Your Rhythmic Precision and Feel

BY DIEGO MALDONADO via www.learnjazzstandards.com When we are new to learning a musical instrument, we want to learn the cool stuff; the stuff that has a bunch of notes in it. We want to show off to our peers how good we are getting by playing complicated stuff filled with a whole lot of notes. In the process, we overlook the silence or the rests in music. It is a phase we all go through, and it is necessary and valid. However, when we start maturing and comparing our playing with professional musicians, it hits us, and we start realizing what makes the difference between a professional sounding player and an amateur musician. It is phrasing and rhythmic precision; the space in between the notes and between the phrases. It is not how many notes they play, but the ones they don’t. It is not...

National Association of Music Merchants – 2018 NAMM Show

THE NAMM SHOW  is the definitive platform for the music, sound and event technology communities to unite with the mission of strengthening the music products industry and promoting the pleasures and benefits of making music. Held in Anaheim every January, The NAMM Show offers the latest products from more than 7,000 brands, cutting edge industry education across hundreds of sessions, as well as special events, concerts and experiences where “only at NAMM” moments take place.  This year’s NAMM Show will take place January 25-28, 2018. As an attendee, you can… Explore products from more than 2,000 exhibitors, showcasing over 7,000 brands. LEARN from industry experts at hundreds of educational sessions. Connect with other industry professionals at more than 150 networking events. Spot i...