Cates Music Center & School of Music

Why You Can Never Tune a Piano

Grab a cup of coffee, put on your thinking cap, and start working through this newly-released video from Minute Physics, which explains why guitars, violins and other instruments can be tuned to a tee. But when it comes to pianos, it's an entirely differently story, a mathematical impossibility.

Why we will no longer be a welcoming church

We’ve decided to quit being a welcoming church. No kidding. We’re giving it up. Like so many congregations, we’ve sunk an amazing amount of time and energy into becoming a welcoming church. We changed worship styles, trained greeters and ushers, wore name tags, brewed coffee, went to workshops on hospitality and put our friendliest people …

3 Things Parents Must Tell Their Children When They Begin a Musical Instrument

“You are allowed to fail, and you will become better because of your failures.” There are no red pen marks for missed notes in music the way there are on tests — there is nothing to feel bad about when you play something “wrong” in music. To become skilled at a musical instrument — and to become great at anything — one needs to struggle a little. In your child’s case, they need to sound bad before they sound good; they need to…

Jimmy Page Tricked You: Why You're Playing "Stairway to Heaven" Wrong—and How to Fix It

I know what you’re thinking: “I can already play that perfectly well, thank you very much!” And, of course, you can. You’ve got the intro and verse rhythm

5 Reasons to Learn a Musical Instrument

Benefits of music education and reasons why you should learn to play a musical instrument.

Stop Forcing Your Kids to Learn a Musical Instrument

Our daughter Rebekah, who is in second grade, takes three after-school classes every week. On Monday there is violin; on Wednesday, Hebrew; and on Thursday, ballet. One of these classes connects her to a religious tradition going back three thousand years. Two of them are pretty well pointless.I don’t mean that as a bad thing. Pointlessness rules, as far as I am concerned. Lots of great activities...

21 Benefits of Learning a Musical Instrument

The benefits of learning a musical instrument are numerous. They range from improved social interaction skills and increased empathy to refined time, money and people management skills.

Health benefits for seniors learning to play musical instruments

Singing in a choir or playing a musical instrument can result in significant physical and mental benefits for people aged over 65.

Rebuilding the sound of musical instruments

Is it possible to rebuild the sound of instruments captured long ago on vintage recordings? It seems movies can be modernized by colorization, but what about recordings?

18 Benefits of Playing a Musical Instrument

The Chinese philosopher Confucius said long ago that "Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without." Playing a musical instrument has many benefits and can bring joy to you and to everyone around you. This article will provide you with 18 benefits of playing an instrument and will hopefully give you a better sense of appreciation and pride for music.

A Musical Instrument That Generates Power When You Play It

The Spark sounds like a maraca but is actually an energy-generating gadget.

5 More Reasons Your Child Should be Learning a Musical Instrument

Neuroscientists say benefits of learning a musical instrument at a young age include improved memory, discipline, self-confidence, and verbal skills.

How To Protect Your Musical Instruments

We love our instruments, but if you’re a professional musician, they can take up a lot o...

Have Kids Build STEAMy Musical Instruments at Home

Engage your homebound students with sounds they can make using STEAM-y musical instruments they craft themselves. Project ideas from STEM expert Anne Jolly.

9 Reasons Learning a Musical Instrument Benefits Kids

From improving math skills to providing stress relief—learning a musical instrument has a host of unexpected advantages.

What Should You Pay for a Child's Guitar (Or Any Musical Instrument)?

We ought to put every object of child desire through its own wants-versus-needs test, one that inevitably ends with a question about how much is enough.

How well do you know your musical instruments?

There are some obscure instruments out there, and we reckon you probably can’t name every single one...

Pick Some Animal Noises To See Which Musical Instrument You Are

Which Musical Instrument Are You Most Like Based On Your Personality?

Everything you wanted to know about musical instrument insurance

If you’re a working musician and don’t have instrument insurance, you may want to give it a second thought; having instrument insurance will help you...