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are you ready to rock?

9/9/2013

KJ ROCK!
You have all been introduced to our KJ Rock Bands ‘Public Propaganda’ and ‘Deafening Riot.’ Well now it’s time to put your rock star skills to the test and join our KJ ROCK PROGRAM.

The program has been running in Western Sydney for the last 4 years but now it has moved exclusively to Penrith. In the next coming weeks we will be issuing invitations to students who have displayed their rock star skills to join the next round of bands to be formed in KJ ROCK.

The KJ rock program is designed to help students gain an understanding and build skills of the music industry as a whole. It allows young musicians to gain experience performance, band management, production and recording processes and equipment and songwriting.

Each band is entered into festivals, band competitions and performances throughout the year to help hone their performing arts skills and build confidence.

Each band meets once a month for two hours with a different focus each session. The cost is $40.00 per session. This majority of this covers the cost of the venue hire and equipment maintenance.

If you think that you are ready to join the KJ ROCK team and join a band ask Emma for an expression of interest form and tell us what type of band you would like to be in.

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It's HSC TIME - Kalinda

6/9/2013

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It’s that time of year. If you are in year 12, then this is the time of year that you are getting little to no sleep, eating nothing but sugar, madly working on your major works and are hating anyone and everyone who has a semblance of a life outside of the HSC world.

In this issue we explore many of the issues facing HSC students and their families. We offer study tips and guidance on how to get through the next 5 months.

This is the time of year where we see HSC students and their families feeling an enormous amount of pressure. Everyone is on edge and nerves are frayed….stop…breathe in…breathe out.

Parents… let go a little… this is the time where you need to kick the little chicks off the branch and hope that they fly. Ultimately there life will not be destroyed if they don’t get a 99.5 ATAR. There are many roads that lead to the same destination.

Students… although the HSC is important… THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND YOU AND ONLY YOU. There are thousands of students in the same position as you are now and millions before you. We do understand what you are going through. We have all been there or at least in a similar situation and it is meant to be hard. Use the experience of those around you to help you. ASKING FOR HELP DOES NOT MAKE YOU WEAK! It shows strength and humility. The only way you will get through this is with the support of those around you. However, it will be hard to find someone to help you if you take anyone’s head off that is in your line of fire, as you are coming down from sugar high induced by 4 cans of ‘Red Bull’ and a packet of ‘Tim-Tams.’

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HSC Time - Alex

6/9/2013

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Wow! What a crazy past two months it has been here at Kalinda Jade Studios. As many of you may know the HSC once again got well underway for year 12 students some weeks ago and even earlier for our year 12 music students who attend the studio. For those music students, we first had the practical music examinations where each student was required to perform at least one song and present another three major bodies of work which could either be another song, composition or musicology. Thankfully though, due to the extremely passionate and dedicated teachers here at the studio, this was made a far less stressful process than it needed to be. Speaking from experience, this year I was lucky enough to have performed my songs to the judges with the professional accompaniment of Ata and Kalinda who were able to help me and the other students take our performances to a new level of professionalism. One student in particular who achieved great success with her HSC performances was singer Emma Mylott who has been nominated for Encore, which is annual concert at the Opera house where the board of studies showcase the best of the HSC performances.

Not only did HSC music students from Kalinda Jade Studios excel in their practical examination, with the help of Kalinda, the students were also able to gain the skills and abilities to conquer their aural exam. In this exam the students are required to listen to an excerpt of music a set amount of times and the answer the question given, they must do this for four separate questions. Even though the results have not come out yet, the teachers here at the studio are sure many of the students will have assassinated great results.

In saying all this, I would like to say on behalf of the HSC music students of 2012 at Kalinda Jade Studios, that we can not thank you enough, It was because your care, hard work, patience and motivation that we were all able to have the confidence and abilities to complete our exams to the best of our abilities.

To the rest of the HSC students in NSW we want to wish the best of luck to you in your final exams and all the best for whatever the future may hold for you.

Alex McPherson

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And then there was 'Spotify' - Kalinda

6/9/2013

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First there was ‘You Tube’ and ‘Itunes.’ While one allowed you to buy and download your music it proved to be an expensive endeavour; especially when you have a house full of teenagers all having access to instant downloads. On the other hand ‘You Tube’ allowed you to listen to your favourite tunes in the form of a video however streaming all of those videos takes up plenty of your download limit and you have to sit through every man and his dog’s ambition to be the next Martin Scorcese by watching poorly edited video including their ridiculous interpretation of each musicians lyrics! Well the answer to all our problems is here and it is ‘Spotify’!!!

‘Spotify’ is a program that you can download to your computer, similar to itunes. It allows you to search a catalogue of millions of songs, including most of your favourite artists and you can listen to them absolutely FREE! You can create play lists and share them with your friends and subscribe to others lists. If you find a song that you really dig then you can click on start radio and ‘Spotify’ will play 20 other tunes similar to your choice that you may like. I have found hundreds of artist that I usually would never had heard of had I not had my ‘Spotify’ account.

It’s usefulness a teaching tool for both teachers is as significant as the introduction of IPADs into the studio. Check out ‘Spotify’ at www.spotify.com and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask any of the crew at the studio.

Kalinda Jade

Music rots when it gets too far from the dance. Poetry atrophies when it gets too far from music. ~Ezra Pound

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Got Muscles - Ata

3/9/2013

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Drummers need to have muscles. Having a good set of them comes in handy when employing techniques that demand high levels of stamina, speed and mobility; especially in a live performance or studio context.
In the drummer's universe, trained muscle is far more useful for the faculties listed above, rather than for doing what most people would assume we use our muscles for; hitting stuff hard.

Certain styles of music necessitate such techniques more so than others, but regardless of what styles you fancy, the ability to play fast, succinct strokes (whether as a fill, solo, or a more typical rhythmic orchestration) WILL come in handy. Trust me on that one. In order to be at the top of the "percussive food chain", chances are you're gonna need to bulk up if you want to be able to hit light speed with your strokes.

Now, I bet you're wondering; "I've seen Ata before, and he's scrawnier than a vegan spider monkey with a bowel infection". This (embarrassingly), is true. But you see, I'm not referring to the 'muscles' that you think I'm referring to. I'm talking about the fingers.

The fingers are arguably the most critical feature of a drummer. They allow us to control and regulate our strokes, play faster, and manage our dynamics easier. Compared to the rest of our arm, the fingers are a much more sensible choice of muscle for playing things in the upper quadrant of the metronome because of their weight, dexterousness, and low energy consumption rate.

When playing with a matched grip (students of mine: you all play matched grip), the middle, ring and pinky fingers are the virtual 'motors' that (should) propel your strokes at certain 'higher' tempos. The forefinger and thumb merely act as a 'securing point' (more rightfully The stronger those three 'motor muscles' are however, the quicker you will be able to perform certain techniques and for longer, also.

To strengthen your finger muscles, try out some of these simple exercises;

1- Squeeze a tennis ball (or firm stress ball) for five minutes, three times a day.
2- Do 'weights' with your fingers by lifting a ceramic mug (yes, you heard correctly) by it's handle, one finger at a time for five lifts a finger.
3 - 'Finger sit-ups' can be achieved by laying your hand flat on a table, getting a golf ball sized wad of blu-tak, attaching it to the end of one selected finger at a time and lifting that finger off the table to hold for ten seconds.
4 - Moving one finger at a time in a 'spiraling motion' for fifteen seconds each, and repeating for five minute sessions, three times a day.
5 - Start lifting your mama's shopping bags with your fingers, NOT your arms each time she needs help carrying them from the car (haha)

I've seen many young drummers try to play brisk sixteenth note orchestrations (for example) with their whole arm. At a certain point, this becomes completely exhausting, and the young drummer either loses time, is unable to continue playing at all, or even (in the absolute worst case) sustains a minor injury.

The forearm muscles are heavier, slower, and require more movements to actually articulate when laying the drums. It is just simply impossible to play certain techniques with your whole arm.

If you dont believe me, try playing 16th notes at 260bpm with your WHOLE arm. I'll give away a cash prize for any drummer who can pull such a feat off for even sixty seconds. It just isn't going to happen.

So why stop there? Come and see me, and we will get to talking about proper grip technique, the efficiency of using the fingers as opposed to the arm for various types of strokes and techniques, and how you can further your finger exercises to add strength and endurance to your playing.

And no - before you ask - picking your nose isn't one of them.

Happy travels,
Ata.

(No matter how strong you think your fingers are, you must practice hand safety to avoid injuries to the fingers. According to professionals at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, you should take regular breaks from repetitive-motion activities, such as the exercises listed above).

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Teaching Artists

This blog contains all of the articles and editorials, written by our Teaching Artists, and our Creative Director, Kalinda Jade.

You can also find copies of these articles and editorials in Quarterly Newsletter and our monthly E-Newsletter.

Creative Director -
Kalinda Jade

Teaching Artists
Alex - Guitar / Piano
Ata - Drums
Charles - Guitar / Bass
Emma - Vocal / Piano
Kalinda Jade - Piano / Vocal - Specialist in HSC, University and Specialised Tuition, KJ ROCK
Mick Chambers - Drums / Production and sound engineering

are you ready to rock?

It's HSC TIME - Kalinda

HSC Time - Alex

And then there was 'Spotify' - Kalinda

Got Muscles - Ata

Teaching Artists

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