Phoebe Bridgers – Tips of The Trade

Phoebe Bridgers: Tips of The Trade Singer, songwriter Phoebe Bridgers discusses Tips of The Trade. Learn how Phoebe has grown as an artist with both commercial and critical success, hear the best advice she ever received, and how she has been able to build on local gigs and social media to spread the word about…

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The Life and Times of Composer David O

David O is a composer and musical director primarily based in the U.S. He is also a warm, funny and generous artist who has a lot to share when it comes to how he made a successful career happen. David O David wasn’t always an aspiring musician. “I got the theater bug in high school,”…

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3 Audition Tips from the Spotlight Program

“Hey, have you heard about The Music Center’s Spotlight Program? You should audition for that! High school students can win scholarships for college.” “Who me? No way, I’m not good enough for that! Auditions sound scary.” But then that little voice in the back of your head says “Well, maybe I could try…” So if you decide to…

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5 Ways to Know You Have Arts “Dabbler” Syndrome

Photo courtesy of Scillystuff As a young girl growing up, I used to take 20-30 hours of different dance studio classes a week, aspiring to join American Ballet Theatre or New York City Ballet someday. I’ve practiced everything from ballet, hip-hop, salsa, pointe and beyond. And while dance continues to be my passion to this day,…

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Who Wants A Career in Animation?

Artzray Q & A – Associate Professor Sharon Sussman is a digital artist and animator who worked at DreamWorks Feature Animation. She teaches digital arts and animation in Hawaii. Ms Sussman shares some valuable insights into the field of animation. Chasing Paradise, was written and created by the New Media Arts Animation student cohort of 2013 and took…

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Best Holiday Gifts For Artists

Knock, knock. Who’s there? The holidays! The time for turkeys, menorahs, and Christmas trees is upon us, and while the holidays are first and foremost about family and love, the material side is still very prominent. If you can’t find anything on Etsy, here are some suggestions for the perfect gifts for artists in your…

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What Artists Are Good At (Besides Making Art)

I spent my grade school and high school years heavily engaged in artistic pursuits: drawing and painting, music (classical piano), theater and improv comedy. I was never discouraged from being creative, but early on I certainly got the impression that it was much more practical and useful—and therefore “better”—to be good at stuff like math,…

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5+ Reasons to Enter a National Contest from The Next Level Brothers

Ever think about entering a national contest in your art form? We are D’Angelo McCornell and Martel McCornell (The Next Level Brothers), two, real life brothers, from Cleveland Ohio who are full time film students at the Art Center College of Design in California. Here is our entry into a national contest and our top five…

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Jazz Piano Techniques for the Classical Player

Crossing Over:Jazz Piano Techniques for the Classical Player In the 1984 classic, The Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi agrees to train Daniel LaRusso in the fabled art of karate. But for the first several weeks of training, he makes a frustrated Daniel do nothing but the same chores around the house, over and over again. (Bear with…

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Along The Way – Amanda Kopcsak

Amanda Kopcsak – Musician and Music Educator, Wilson Middle School, Glendale, CA Photo by Steve O’Bryan The most powerful things I’ve learned along the way: • To never give up on your dreams and passion. • Success is based off of how hard you work. Always take ownership of all that you do, and if you do not…

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