A Disney Experience from Orchestra Hall

Written by Trinity Grewell   On Friday, November 30th, I attended Orchestra Hall in Downtown Minneapolis with my mom, Kathy Petersen, and my younger brother to see the Disney Pixar film Up, with the music being performed live by the Minnesota Orchestra. (If you...

Music in Pop Culture: Melanie Martinez

Written by Trinity Grewell   Pop music is taking a turn toward a more alternative perspective, and one amazing example of alternative pop music is Melanie Martinez. A native New-Yorker, Melanie grew up singing and playing guitar as well as writing her own songs....

Musical Memes

Written by Trinity Grewell   As a viola player, I often face backlash from the musical community simply because the viola is an “inferior” instrument. My way to cope with this backlash is with humor, specifically memes that are related to music. I have an entire...

Top 12 Tips for Performing Live Music

Written by Ethan Teel, Instructor and Writer for Opus Music Academy  On May 31st, 2014; my alternative rock band, The Owl-Eyes, had our first live gig in front of an audience. At the time of our first gig, I was excited to see that after months of searching for...

Making Music a Priority

In a busy, fast moving world filled with a variety of activities and opportunities, it’s understandable that music sometimes gets pushed aside. We often get preoccupied with other things in our lives, especially things our society and culture tend to value more than...

So What is Music Therapy?

Music is known for how it can evoke deep emotions from its listeners; from sadness, to love, to loneliness, to happiness, and everything in between, music undoubtedly expresses human emotions in a very profound way.  What is music therapy?Music therapy is the...

Do I Need to Learn to Read Music?

By Kellen Baker, Instructor at Opus Music Academy A lot of beginning guitarists and people new to making music wonder: is it really necessary for me to learn how to read music? After all, neither Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, or Jimi Hendrix ever learned how. Many...

Why consider In-Home Music Lessons?

You don’t have to travel to a music class or facility to take lessons. You can easily join other Twin Cities Area  music students just like you who are enjoying music lessons in the comfort of their own home. Although in-home lessons isn’t the preferable option for...