“A mediocre music teacher tells. A good music teacher explains.
A superior music teacher demonstrates.
A great music teacher inspires.”

— William Arthur Ward

September is Classical Music Month! 1994 President Bill Clinton proclaimed Classical Music  Month to be honored in September. Although classical music falls into a category much  different from today's popular music, it ultimately led to the music we create today and is the  foundation for all music played. 

“I’m wishing he could see that music lives. Forever.

That it’s stronger than death. Stronger than time.

And that its strength holds you together when nothing else can.”

— Jennifer Donnelly

Nestled on Encinitas Boulevard, in the quiet heart of Encinitas, two blocks from Rancho Santa Fe and four miles from Moonlight Beach, is a wonderful little Music School called Leading Note Studios. For the past 15 years, children and adults of all ages have attended this school for music lessons.

“I think music in itself is healing.

It’s an explosive expression of humanity.”

— Billy Joel

There are many apparent reasons why people are attracted to music. A great song can put you in a fantastic mood to start or end your hectic workday. But music and its enormous mental and heart health benefits are becoming necessary in our daily lives.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane, by those who could not hear the Music.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Do you remember your first concert? I certainly do!! I was in High School, and it was the summer of 1978. Bruce Springsteen was promoting his album Darkness on the Edge of Town. I had never been to a concert before. I didn’t know anything about Springsteen … his concert was …, to say the least… spectacular!!

“You are always changed when you come back from Summer Camp.”

— Emma Stone

Summer camp is beneficial for all children. It helps them develop social, emotional, and cognitive skills, and it is fun!

Best of all, Summer Music Camps create memories that last a lifetime!

Why go to Summer Music Camp?

Studying music and engaging in hard work are synonymous with one another.  

If you already play a musical instrument, sing, or have studied music in the past - you know this!   Let's explore music students' qualities and the qualities they invariably will maintain as a result of studying and playing music! 

“Music is so important. It changes thinking, It influences everybody, whether they know it or not. Music knows no boundary lines.”

— Iriving Berlin

Music and humanity cannot function without one another. Imagine a world without music.  Imagine a sports event without the National Anthem, a retail store without background music, or your car without a stereo. Imagine a tree without its rustling leaves or the ocean without the sound of the waves hitting the shore. 

What is Music? 

“Music is life; that’s why our Hearts Have Beats.”

— Cecily Morgan

It’s Valentine’s Day this month, and as we enter this iconic holiday, we will explore how music and love have existed in people’s lives throughout the many different music genres.

“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. 
Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks, and invents.”

— Ludwig Van Beethoven

New Year's Day is a celebration of Joy! It is also an opportunity to remember our unique achievements for the past year and our hopes, wishes, dreams, and challenges. It is a time to look forward to the new year, continue to work on those challenges, and initiate new goals, hopes, and dreams. These are unique "resolutions" and are vital changes necessary for personal growth and development.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and Life to Everything.”

— Plato

Music brings happy moments and memories and is an integral part of family traditions, especially around holidays. Singing and dancing while you decorate at home or at a holiday party create memories and emotional bonds with extended family and friends.

“If I weren’t a director
I would want to be a film composer.”

— Steven Spielberg

Quentin Tarantino remarked that movies and music go hand in hand. When writing a script, one of the first things he does is find the music he will feature for the opening sequence.  

“Music is indivisible. The dualism of feeling and thinking must be resolved to a state of unity in which one thinks with the heart and feels with the brain,”

— George Szell

Music is a powerful and fantastic tool that brings individuals together, encourages empathy and communication, and helps heal social divisions. A scientific understanding of how music provides brain-to-brain social connections helps to continue to highlight that music isn’t just mere entertainment but instead is a core feature of human existence.

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.”

— Aristotle

Does Music Help You Study?

What if there was a more beneficial practice other than spending hours of silence studying in your bedroom? Music helps you study because it activates both the left and right brain simultaneously, and activating both hemispheres and can maximize learning and improve memory.

“Summer and fall waltzed to the wind
in a stolen sweet romance.”

— Angie Weiland-Crosby

Songwriters have found every topic in the world to write songs about, romance, breakups, and makeups; you name it, there has been a song written about every aspect of life. That is why Music is so global and universal, so expansive, expressive, and so important in all the world's many cultures.  

“Music doesn’t argue, discuss or quarrel. 
It just breathes the air of freedom.”

— Harold Arlen

Happy 4th Of July! Time to bust out the sunscreen, visit your favorite snow cone stand, enjoy a few weeks of relaxation or read a good book. But wait— it's also the perfect time to make plans for summer music lesson and summer camps!

Summertime! Jumpstart Your Summer with Music By Amber Flynn "It's a smile; it's a kiss, It's a sip of wine. It's Summertime…" ~Kenny Chesney

It’s Summertime! Time to plan a vacation, attend a music festival, go to a concert, and even go to the symphony. Turn up your radio, kick off your shoes, and play your favorite songs!

What is it about Summer that makes us want to listen to music?

“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more Memories we have of it.”

— Stevie Wonder

This ability of music to bring up clear and emotional memories is a phenomenon well-known to medical doctors and brain researchers. Music can trigger intense recollections from the past. It can trigger our senses, even such senses as taste and smell. It can also provoke strong emotions and memories from early life experiences. But why?

“Music is therapy. Music moves people.
It connects people in ways that no other medium can.
It pulls heartstrings. It acts as medicine.”

— Maklemore

Music has always been a powerful tool for stress reduction, relaxation, sleep, and drug-free pain management. In addition, new research provides continuing evidence for the healing power of music as Heart medicine.  Research suggests that music can heal the Heart.

“The first blooms of Spring always

Make my heart sing.”

— S. Brown

Spring is here! And we welcome this season of longer days, warm breezes, and the excitement of the sun, the birds, the rabbits, and the bursting of spring flowers!! It is the season of renewal and joy as we come out of the cold and dark of winter.

But what does music have to do with this season?

“I never loved someone

The way that I love you.”

— "Fallin" by Alicia Keys

We all know emotions from songwriters inspire love songs. But there is something extraordinary about a love song inspired by a real-life love story. Some of the greatest love songs are about genuine relationships, and we love their truth and the story behind them.