Can Practicing Be...Fun??

Depending on what musician you ask, the idea of practicing can illicit a wide range of responses. When I asked my students about their practice routines, I hear a lot of “eh, practicing is going okay”, or “I know I should do it but sometimes I forget”, and once in a while I’ll get something like “oh yeah I love it! But…I don’t have much time for it”. Actually quite a few of my students have mentioned that they do enjoy practicing certain things, but it’s hard to find time for it. 

It seems like that feeling of being too busy starts with the 8am-ish to 3pm-ish grind of going to school as a child, and honestly, it never really goes away! I’ve also heard students say “sometimes I’m just too tired after school, sports/band/after-school stuff, and homework”. And years ago I would have sarcastically thought “oh really? You, a child, are too busy?” But the more I think back to that time, the more I think about the times that I had sports and after-school activities going on, practices, rehearsals - it really was a busy time! And who wants to practice on the weekends?!

So what I’ve been thinking about lately is that even though we’re all busy (and we tend to stay that way for weeks and months at a time without a break), we still get around to doing things that we enjoy. For me? Video games. Playing music. Rehearsals. I make time for those things because I know they’ll be fun. So does that mean…practicing drums, or guitar, or piano isn’t fun? The answer here is complicated. Sometimes it’s just not! Sometimes it feels like a slog, and that happens whether I have a million other things to do, or an entire day free!

With that said, what I’m asking myself (and my students here in a couple of hours) is the simple question of “is practicing fun? Are you enjoying it?” Again, I think the more I perceive something as fun and enjoyable, the more I’ll do that thing first and let other things slide or put them off until later. There’s only so much time in the day, and the thought of doing something boring or that I have to do just plain stinks. And I think asking the question “well how can we make practicing our instruments more enjoyable?” is a great starting point toward wanting to do it and building some intrinsic motivation.

A question I usually ask at the beginning of each lesson is “what did you practice the most this week?” It’s not a terrible question. I’d say 50% of the time it gets us to the answer I’m really looking for - but today I’m going to be a little more direct and ask “what have you really been enjoying lately as you’ve been practicing?” And I bet I’ll get a couple of “I don’t know’s”, maybe a mumble here and a grumble there…but for the most part, I think it will be a good way to move more in the direction of what motivates each musician.

I have a lot more thoughts on this, but I’ll table it for now and report back tomorrow! 

Music Lessons with a New Goal in Mind

It’s wild for me to think about, but I’ve been teaching for over 16 years now. I never thought I would enjoy teaching more than performing, but dangit, it’s just so much fun! I’m in a brand new area teaching music lessons in Kingsport, TN now, and I’m so excited to be able to share some of what I’ve learned with new people who I’ve been connecting with. 

Speaking of which, I’m realizing that in the past few years my goals for the students I’ve been teaching has changed - when I started, it was mostly “let’s get the basics first” and then “let’s start playing along with songs”, and honestly, it kind of stopped there in my mind. Like that was the big goal to work toward, but now, I have something different in the back of my mind: all of those basics and playing along with songs alone can and should lead to an even bigger goal of playing with other musicians! 

I remember starting out on drums when I was about 14 years old. I was a sophomore in high school who had just quit playing soccer to devote more time to Halo 2 (yes, I realize this dates me a bit), and I asked for a drum set. I don’t remember what that conversation with my parents was like, but I know they were supportive, AND they had just built a detached garage with an upstairs - a great place to not hear all of the drum noise. Anyway, it was sometime in that first year or year and a half of me taking lessons and learning the basics that some friends from church asked me if I wanted to be in their band, and I jumped at the chance! I mean sure, it was fun practicing and playing along with songs that I enjoyed listening to, but actually getting to play songs, write songs, and perform songs with other people?! Heck yes.

Although I was always a quiet kid, I definitely had more extroverted than introverted tendencies. I practiced for hours a day back then (this was when the internet was not nearly as widespread or even widely used as today), but as soon as these opportunities started popping up to play with others, I was completely on board. I teach quite a few people like that too. Some are quiet and don’t even enjoy the thought of playing on stage necessarily, but being able to write some songs with other people and play their instruments together? That’s where it’s at. To lead worship with a band and perform with that sort of purpose in mind? I think I have a few who would love it!

So, I’m going to try and open up some hour-long lesson times at least 2 or 3 times a week so that I can get some of these music students into bands together! That’s what I try to do as much as possible whether I’m teaching online lessons or in-person lessons. If it’s a guitar student, we’ll spend 15 or 20 minutes working on whatever we’ve been working on. But then I’ll hop on the drums and play a simple beat so they can try those same things with a little groove behind it! Or vice versa, I’ll play an easy song on guitar during a drum lesson to give them the feel of playing in a band setting.

That’s what I’ll keep working toward and try and pair up some students who are close to the same level and have the same goals in mind. If it’s something you’re looking for, shoot me an email at chwstudios865@gmail.com and I’ll do whatever I can to help you!

What Do I Do As A Musician?

Sometimes people ask me what I do, and I have a strange relationship to that question as well as the answer that I typically give: “oh, I teach music lessons for a living!” It’s true, and it’s one of my favorite things that I get to do, and it’s how I make much of my income…but it’s not really the whole story, and it’s not even the whole story of what I’m working toward/what I want to be doing. Any musician who is reading this and has also played music for the past 15 years or so is probably thinking about the 3-5 other things that they do to keep a steady income!

I’m writing this for three reasons: 

  1. I want to share a bit about what CHW Studios does in a really tangible way. I absolutely hate the recent trend of self-help, “give us $1000 and we’ll help you live a better life/make more money” and the multi-level marketing companies that lay out how you could make a bunch of money peddling their products. Those things may be true, but they cast a wide net, and (in my experience) they don’t care much if people get hurt or if the promises don’t come true.

  2. By sharing those things in a tangible way, my hope is that other musicians can find their own path to doing what they love for a living, or at least doing music as a main source of income.

  3. I want to hear your story of how you’re doing with all of this…is being a musician a struggle? Are you thriving in a touring band? Are you teaching lessons because you feel like you have to, but it feels like a slog?

I would really love to hear from you, share ideas, etc. so email me at chwstudios865@gmail.com (this won’t subscribe you for anything) or you can type in a message at the bottom of the page (also will not subscribe you for an email chain!).

So, ok, I guess I’m also trying to be one of those “self-help” gurus, but I’m not selling anything (really), nor am I making any promises. Sure, I would love to sell a helpful course one day or maybe hold a big online workshop, but I’m hesitant to start things like that (anyone else out there procrastinating on a big idea?) because I want to make absolutely 100% sure that it IS TRULY HELPFUL!

In the meantime, here’s a quick list of what I do on a weekly, monthly, even yearly basis, as a working musician:

  1. Teach Music Lessons

  2. Performing at Live Shows (sometimes festivals, sometimes cover gigs, private parties, you name it. My gigging life is all over the map, literally!)

  3. Studio Recording Gigs (from my home studio! Also for various artists, I’ll go into it a bit more later.)

  4. Podcasting (specifically producing, editing, mixing, mastering, occasionally I’m an actual voice on a couple!)

  5. YouTube (I don’t make a dime yet, but it’s been a fun way to create things and connect with people!)

Here’s a brief synopsis of what this looks like for me:

Teaching Lessons - I’ve been teaching for 15 years, basically all of my adult life. I started by teaching drums to a few people I met at church who wanted lessons, and that has grown into my main source of income for almost 3 years now! I teach a few other instruments, it’s a fairly steady monthly income, and it’s one of those things that I encourage ALL musicians to do, even if it’s just 5 or so students per week. It’ll help you stay on top of your instrument and grow as a musician.

Performing at Live Shows - This has not really been a thing for the past year as I’m writing this (July of 2021), BUT THEY’RE COMIN’ BACK! I just played a private party a couple weekends ago, will be playing with a band at a festival up in Ohio next week, and I have a handful of shows booked for the Fall, from original material to a fun cover gig doing some Foo Fighters, Green Day, and some other pop-punk covers from the 90s/early 00s. So excited. ***Also, they’re all paying gigs! I very much encourage musicians to not take hardly any gigs that don’t pay something. Your time is valuable.

Studio Recording Gigs - I just finished recording drums on a single for an artist (I’ll tag her in an upcoming post and on social), and I was able to get some amazing sounds in my home studio with reasonably affordable gear. I’ll do a studio rundown sometime, but again, feel free to ask about what equipment I’m using!

Podcasting - Ok, now we’re getting into something that fell into my lap because, yep, everyone has a podcast (or maybe you had one with two of your best friends for 3 years that went absolutely nowhere but it was a blast!). I currently produce/edit/mix/master 4 podcasts, and then I do a couple others for fun. If you’re a musician who is using any recording software, even Audacity or GarageBand, you have the potential to do this as well. Sometimes it’s a little tedious, but it keeps me current on technology, plugins, exercising my creative mind with questions like “how do I get this to sound the best it possibly can with what equipment I have?” I love it. 

YouTube - And now we’re officially to the one thing on this list that I make zero money doing but have an absolute blast doing it! Sometimes it will just be a goofy video, sometimes a downloadable drum loop, and sometimes I’ll teach through a pattern that I find myself using frequently. As I’m writing this I have 326 subscribers, and yes I would love to get to that 1000 mark and monetize - but for now, I’m honestly content to have fun creating and hope that it’s helpful for others.

That’s a wrap - I hope listing these things out gives you a visual of what you can be doing as a musician. I know that for me, even going to college to study music, I wasn’t sure that I would ever make a living using my music skills. But with a little creative thinking and leaning into things that were sometimes fun, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes a slog, I’ve been able to do a bunch of things that I love and make money doing them!

Leave a message below if you’d like - it can be completely anonymous, or add your name and email and I’ll hit you back! Again, it won’t sign you up for anything.

What Podcasting Gear Should You Use?

No matter what equipment you have, if you have an idea for a podcast that you believe in, or one that will help your business, I say freaking go for it. I’m not saying you should keep talking into the mic on your smartphone month after month, but don’t let “having the right gear” hold you back. When I recorded my first-ever episode, I talked into a ridiculously expensive condenser mic with two of my best friends…and it sounded terrible.

So all of that to say, this is just what I use, and my studio has grown quite a bit over the past 4 years of being in the podcasting world. I want to share what I’ve learned with you including what I currently use vs what I started out with. Let’s start with the main equipment:

Microphones:

Currently using: Shure SM7B, Rode Procaster, occasionally Shure SM58

In the past I’ve used: Neumann TLM103, Audix i5, Blue Yeti, Shure, SM57, Shure SM58

Notice that the Shure SM58 is in both categories here - if you’re just starting out I would highly recommend investing in one or two or three of those, depending on how many people will be speaking on your podcast. At around $100 each new (maybe 15-25 less if you can find them used), they sound great AND if you are looking to expand your recording studio, you can use them for more than just podcast audio.

Quick review of my current gear - Shure SM7B’s are some of the greatest all around microphones I’ve ever used. Since I also record instruments in my studio, they work really well on Snare drum or as a room mic, so I love their versatility. Plus Joe Rogan uses them on what is currently the most famous podcast (I think), which was actually a selling point for a past client. Laugh out loud. At $400 new they are just a bit pricey though! The Rode Procaster is awesome for vocal audio, podcasting, voiceover, and not quite as versatile BUT they are also much cheaper at $229 new. They have different models as well - if it’s just you talking, the USB option let’s you bypass spending even more money on an interface and cables - just something to think about! One last note on the Procaster - as much as I love them, they are extremely heavy, so make sure you have a mic stand that will hold it up!

Interface:

Currently using: Zoom Livetrak L-12, Scarlett 2i2 (mobile rig)

In the past I’ve used: Presonus Firestudio, Scarlett 2i2

Maybe I should have just done a product review for the Zoom Livetrak series, but seriously, DO NOT BUY the Rodecaster Pro. For the same price, you can do so much more with the Livetrak, and yes I am biased and yes I have only used the Zoom so far. But from talking with others who have used the Rodecaster, the Zoom far outshines it. You can have 5 separate mixes, and 12 inputs (not that you would need that many for podcasting, but I also record drums at my studio, so the extra channels are a plus!). They also make a $399 model with 8 channels and 4 mixes (L-12 is $599 new, and you can find them used for about $480 as well). I’ve never done this either, but you can use it for live sound as well! It also makes podcasting remotely very easy, which I should probably write more about in the future.

Headphones:

Currently using: AKG headphones, KZ in-ear monitors (Amazon)

In the past I’ve used: Shure SE215, whatever was laying around, skull candy, etc.

Allow me to sing the praises of another underrated product that seems to be getting a little traction in the music community: the KZ in-ear monitors that you can buy for about $20 on Amazon. I don’t think every podcaster would enjoy these since they are made more for musicians and therefore fit in the ear a little too well - but they are SO GOOD on a budget! I have multiple pairs that I use for podcasting and recording music. The others I keep in the studio are various models of AKG’s over-the-ear headphones. Since I sometimes record multiple hosts in my studio (or at least I did pre-COVID), these closed-back models work really well. They have a couple different models but I believe mine were around $40 or $50 per pair.

Regardless of what you use, make sure you use them! It’s so much easier to tell if you’re getting too close to the mic or too far away, and you can prevent a lot of editing trouble on the back end.

DAW:

Currently using: Logic Pro X

In the past I’ve used: Logic Pro X, Audacity, Cubase, ProTools

As a Mac user, I’m partial to Logic Pro X since I’ve been using it for around 10 years now. If you’re starting from 0 and looking for something free that still gives you some features to mess with EQ, Compression, Limiting, etc., download Audacity and get started! I know Reaper also has a DAW you can use for free or do a free trial, and I’ve listed a couple other popular ones that I’ve used a couple times. Bottom line is that they are all pretty much equal, you’ll just need to spend time with them and get more comfortable - so with that said, try sticking with one for a while to learn everything you can about it!

Other Gear:

- Phone adapter with “Y” cable, aka 3.5mm to split 1/4” L & R (for one of the podcasts I produce, I play music from my phone, which allows me to send it remotely to the hosts easily)

- XLR Cables (necessary to connect mics to your interface, I use cheap ones from Amazon of varying sizes)

- Headphone extensions and adapters (to go from the aux mixes on the L-12 to my clients, I also use fairly cheap ones from Amazon, the brand is “Pig Hog”)

So hopefully this wasn’t like trying to drink water from a fire hydrant, but either way, get in touch with me! I would love to help you find the podcasting gear you need and help you get started with your podcast. Email me at chwstudios865@gmail.com.

Teaching Music Lessons: How I Run the "Business Side" (in 5 steps)

About 10 years ago I had one of the toughest realizations about being a musician up to that point - I had to start managing my finances, my schedule, learning songs, rehearsals, and that list seemed to go on forever. Once I decided to start teaching more seriously, I added scheduling lessons, preparing materials for students, managing payments…it was honestly overwhelming! That is, until I started putting good systems in place, which I’ll list out below.

If you’re just starting out with running a home studio and teaching music lessons, my hope is that this will help ease some of those tensions and set you on a path to continue following your dreams as a musician. If managing a professional home teaching studio is stressing you out, follow these steps and I PROMISE it will make your teaching experience simpler and easier!

For CHW Studios, I break down the “business side” into 4 main categories, with one extra “mindset shift” as the last point:

1. Free Meet and Greet for new students

I know this may seem counterintuitive to making money teaching lessons, and at first it was a hard step for me - but after seeing how much it helps, I’ll never go back! The free “meet and greet” is such an easy way to get new students in the door, plus it takes so much pressure off of the student and parent. The way I set these up is by offering an available 30-minute time slot in my schedule (important: make sure this is a time when you would normally schedule a weekly lesson - if it works for the meet and greet, you can easily transition to a normal lesson time). Then I let the parent know that we’ll just take 20-30 minutes total to talk about goals for music lessons, what kinds of music the student is into/wanting to learn, and I go over scheduling, payments and policies. I even have a cheat sheet printed that I go over, keeping the information the same every time! It takes a lot of the stress and thinking out of it.

Also, and it may go without saying, but I’m saying it - people love free! Do I have some people who do the free lesson and never come back? Absolutely. But 80-90% of the time, they show up for an enjoyable experience and then keep coming back!

2. Scheduling (weekly, yearly) 

Ok, on to the specific that I go over for the “meet and greet”. Let me say this first - DO NOT offer lessons every week out of the year. Out of 52 weeks, I teach a total of 44, taking time off according to the local school system (Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, one week each in June and July). This also may seem counterintuitive to making more money, but it has actually done the opposite for my business while giving me more time off each year - with 0 complaints from parents or students. It makes it easier for them to schedule vacations and trips throughout the year because the time off lines up perfectly with the school schedule! Oh and another thing that I’ll likely write more about later - while each lesson has a specific cost, I combine that cost for the year (or 44 weeks) and spread it out so that the monthly cost stays exactly the same. It makes it so much easier for clients rather than going lesson by lesson.

As far as your weekly schedule, make sure you create a schedule and stick to it. This past year (2020) has been absolutely insane - when we were just getting into quarantine and I went fully online, I spent about 4 or 5 months offering way more of my schedule than I normally would (Saturdays, later evening times, etc.) and didn’t realize it was stressing me out until about September! So the bottom line here: if you’re just starting out, don’t leave your schedule wide open. Instead, offer lessons Monday through Wednesday, 3pm-6pm. If you start getting home-schooled students who are interested in earlier times, open up just one day, maybe Wednesday morning from 9am-11am. As much as I want you to be successful and make money teaching, it is equally important to protect your time. And as a musician who will hopefully be playing a lot more gigs in the next few months, your time is extremely valuable!

Something you probably have questions about that I’ll get into later is make-up lessons - while I had a good system in place pre-COVID, I’ve had to change that up a bit, and suffice to say that moving to more online lessons has made make-ups much easier. But more on these in a later post.

3. Policies

To save some time on this one, here’s a link to my policies page: https://www.chwstudios.com/policies Disclaimer: hardly anyone ever visits that page BUT it’s important to have handy and always be pointing back to it when students or their parents have questions. This will also protect you legally in case anyone slips and falls in your driveway when it’s raining - I know that sounds really specific, but thankfully nothing like that has ever happened at my studio! While the top portion of that page lists some of what I offer for lessons, the bottom half or so lists specific policies that every home studio should have.

4. Getting Paid & Budgeting

Ok just a little math for you here: as I mentioned above, I charge the exact same rate every month by taking the cost per lesson, adding it all together, and then dividing by 12. So let’s say you wanted to charge a competitive rate in your area, somewhere around $20 per lesson. I would recommend rounding that up to $20.50 per half hour lesson, and let’s do the math on what you would charge per month. $20.50 x 44 = $902 per year. To get a more even rate per month, I would round that down to $900, then divide by 12 to get your consistent monthly cost of $75. Yes, I realize that’s an odd number, but when I say “even rate” I really just mean more manageable!

I will likely be changing this around later this year, but I currently take payments through Venmo and PayPal, with just a couple stragglers who pay by cash or check. This is very much a “do as I say” scenario, and if you are just starting out you are in a better position to do this: taking payments by only offering one payment method is WAY EASIER than doing what I’m currently doing! What I’d like to have set up by this summer is an auto-draft system to where I don’t have to go looking for monthly payments ever again. Ever. While it’s not that hard to manage, taking some of that stress away will be so much easier and free up my time.

Budgeting is also something I’ll address later on, probably in a bigger “making a living as a musician” angle, but if you’re utilizing a home studio, your cost should be pretty low month to month. But once you start budgeting, it makes it that much easier to set aside money for tax season, plus you can start saving for upgrades to your gear, speakers, recording equipment - the list is endless!

5. Care and Generosity, especially during COVID

Last thing, and I’ll keep it brief - run your studio with generosity and care in mind. Do not, and I repeat, do not ever hold money with a higher regard than your relationship with your clients! Here’s where I’m coming from: I recently had a couple of students temporarily stop lessons, but they had already paid for their next month. While it was not an easy thing to offer financially, I told them we could credit the payment to the next month when they are able to start back, likely in 2-3 months, or I could refund them the money. They took the refund. While it may have been a bit difficult, it was SO WORTH IT in the long run because I have maintained a good relationship with them!

Bottom line here: running a business well means caring for your clients, and in the world of teaching music lessons, sometimes that means offering a refund during a pandemic. Sometimes it means breaking policy to let someone know you care about them as a person, not just as a client. I know there may be situations where you shouldn’t be a glutton for punishment or abuse from an angry parent, but as much as you can, be generous and operate your business with care in mind!

If this has helped you or if you have questions, I’d love to hear from you! Shoot me an email at chwstudios865@gmail.com to let me know, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

5 Things I've Learned about Producing Podcasts (helpful DIY tips!)

I’ve been producing podcasts at CHW Studios for around 3 years now, and doing something consistently for that amount of time has taught me some important lessons. While this isn’t a comprehensive guide to producing the perfect podcast, my hope is that it will be a great jumping-off point for anyone who’s been thinking of starting one - especially if you’re feeling a little anxious or apprehensive about it. Here are five things I’ve learned that I think will help you out:

1. It’s simple, but not easy.

The process of podcasting is simple: plug in some mics, hit record, start talking. The “not easy” part comes in when you start thinking about what you’re going to talk about, how many hosts to have on your podcast, how many podcasts already exist for people to listen to, should you have guests, how long you should talk about whatever niche subject you decide on (by the way, niche is good!), what mics to use…it can get overwhelming! I highly recommend sketching it out on paper or in a note on your phone before hitting record. Seeing a visual of what you’re about to do can help calm you down if you’re nervous, and placing some guidelines for how long to talk through each section can help you stay on track and not ramble, unless of course you want it to be a bit ramble-y (go find Adam Scott Auckerman for an example).

Let’s say you’re looking to spend 15 minutes per week talking about your business or you’re a musician sharing about your songwriting process. Here’s a possible flow you could follow:

  • Intro (1 minute) - music fades in, introduce yourself, give a tag line, introduce what you’re going to talk about

  • Content - give 3 main points on your subject and talk about each one for a few minutes

  • Outro (1-2 minutes) - music fades back in, thank everyone for listening, let them know how to find you and support you (social media, Patreon, email, etc.)

It really can be that simple! On a personal note, if I get too detailed on my outline, I tend to stop and start a lot, it doesn’t flow naturally, and I give myself a lot of editing to do on the back end. If that sounds like you, I recommend just making a few bullet points and try to really “own” the information - in other words, keep it as natural and conversational as possible.

2. Microphone choice is extremely important.

Ah yes, tools of the trade. The first time I ever recorded a podcast, I made the mistake of using a Neumann TLM 102 with myself and 2 friends sitting around it having a conversation about…I don’t even remember what (you can search for “These Are Words” and have a good laugh!). If you’re not familiar with that microphone, imagine a beautiful $700 piece of equipment that sounds AMAZING…IF you’re in a vocal booth with acoustically treated walls/floor/ceiling OR if you are looking to pick up every sound in the room! Needless to say, it was a fun conversation but it sounded like garbage.

What I learned from this (and from messaging some audio friends who had way more experience than me) is that expensive condenser mics have their place, but for a simple, DIY setup we were better off using less expensive mics. Shure SM58’s with some cheap pop filters sounded 1000% better, and the cost there was only about $300 (you can go used for even cheaper). The big lesson here is that dynamic mics on each person, with the hosts and guests speaking more directly into them, will sound so much better than an expensive condenser in the middle of 2 or 3 people. If you can set up some acoustic foam, it will help, but the main thing here is using something that won’t pick up all the noise in the room (keeping the gain in the mid-range will help too).

***Side note - here’s a list of some of the hardware I’m currently using: Zoom Livetrak L12 Mixer, Shure SM7B, Rode Procaster, headphones for each person. I’ve done some upgrades for sure, but again, 3 SM58’s and a Scarlett Interface will sound just fine. Feel free to shoot me a message with questions on what equipment to use!

3. Editing is a fine line.

For anyone who doesn’t know, the editing process for podcasts happens in a DAW (digital audio workspace) such as ProTools, Garageband, Reaper, Cubase, Logic (which is what I use). It essentially gives you a visual of what you are recording on the front end (make sure it’s not too quiet!) and gives you the freedom to turn volume up and down, take out annoying mouth sounds and breaths, etc. on the back end. When I say editing is a fine line, I just mean that you can go to EXTREMES with taking out noise, editing the space between people talking, making things sound “perfect”, whatever that means to you.

My recommendation here is to try to make things sound as natural as possible. A couple examples: I’ve been in plenty of situations where the people I’m recording are taking 6-10 seconds to form their thoughts before saying a paragraph’s worth of content. I think it’s a great idea to take that space down to about 2 seconds! Otherwise, the podcast gets a little…sluggish, especially if it’s happening frequently. Also, taking out “ums” and “uhs” is always a good idea, in my opinion. BUT sometimes taking out all of them can make the podcast feel less natural - thus the fine line. If you hear a dog barking from the other room and you want things to be as distraction-free as possible, by all means take out as much as you can. But if it becomes a fun back-and-forth between the hosts about hilarious dog stories or memes - definitely keep it in if it feels good!

Bottom line: with editing, there’s formulas you can follow, there’s science to it, and sometimes you just have to “feel” it. Let me know how I can help you with the editing process for your podcast, and I’ll try and point you in the right direction!

4. Mixing and Mastering is WAY simpler than I thought it would be.

Ok, this does fall into the “simple, not easy” category for sure - but I have a couple pointers for you that I think will help. First, try not to overthink your mix. I used to spend way too much time analyzing every little detail of a mix before sending something out into the airwaves. The most important things to remember are making sure the volume of each host is as close to the same as possible (although if you’ve listened to enough podcasts, you know that that’s not even a dealbreaker!), and go for as natural a vocal sound as possible.

To get that natural vocal sound, try to use as few plug-ins as possible. I would start with EQ and Compression for each mic, then an overall gain boost/limiter on your entire mix. (Not a sponsor, but I tend to use the stock EQ plugin in Logic because I like the visual in real-time, then a C1 Compressor/Gate to even out the levels and limit the background noise that comes through when someone isn’t talking). This is a huge can of worms to open, so I’ll leave it at that for now, and I may do a future blog/video/podcast on signal chain and what plugins I like to use!

***Some other plugins I use from time to time, as necessary: Izotope’s RX7 Vocal De-Noise, Waves’s De-esser, De-Breath, and Vocal Rider. If things get really bad as far as noise, or if you leave an electrical chord resting on an XLR…not that I’ve ever done that…Waves has X-Noise and Z-Noise that can lessen those things consistently in a mix.

5. Great content is more important than sound quality and flow.

Look, I’m not saying you’re going to get a thousand subscribers in your first month because you know everything about your niche topic. What I mean by this is that it’s important to go ahead and start. You wouldn’t believe how many podcasts I’ve started listening to on episode 10, or episode 100, or if it’s Joe Rogan, episode 1285 (estimating here). By that time, those hosts probably have a great flow, they’re making a little money with sponsors or Patreon subscribers or YouTube, and if you scroll alllll the way back down to episode one (if they have it listed), it’s bound to be a little rough. Quick example, I really love the goofiness and rapport and subject matter of My Brother My Brother and Me, but I went to the bottom and listened to episode 4 and, yes, it was rough!

So if you believe in your content, or even if your 50/50 on your subject matter, go ahead and start - you can and will get better as you go!

I would love to help you however I can - shoot me an email at chwstudios865@gmail.com or find CHW Studios on social and I’ll do my best to give you some pointers. I’d love to hear where you are int he process of podcasting as well as how this was helpful for you!

- Asher

Learning Jazz Piano - Chords for "Afternoon In Paris"

I’ll be the first to admit I am no good when it comes to playing jazz piano! Imagine reading a thousand books about something but never physically being able to put anything into practice…that’s totally how I feel about jazz piano. I can analyze solos, tell you chord progressions, name instrumentalists on various recordings, BUT all of that is just analytical knowledge that I have really put off applying! So here we go, a simple jazz standard called “Afternoon in Paris” that I’m learning through on 4 different instruments. This might be the hardest one, so join me on this journey, struggle through some chord voicings with me, and let’s get better together!

Drum Vlog: Double Kick (Episode 1)

So much of what we see on social media, especially from musicians, is this “highlight reel”, the best of the best, something edited to be as close to perfection as possible - I want to flip the script and show my students, and really anyone who is learning an instrument, that an entire journey has to take place before becoming proficient! Check out the video below to see what I’m talking about, and check back in or sign up for my email list by clicking here for updates! I’ll be doing different vlogs for piano, guitar, and bass as well.

I am crazy out of practice with my double kick pedal, and since we're currently quarantined, I busted it back out to start practicing with it again. We're go...

Practicing Your Instrument During the COVID-19 Crisis

This is nuts. I bet you’re in a similar situation as me right now - a little , or maybe a lot of, extra time on your hands! What have you been doing with it? Netflix? Disney Plus? Checking the news WAY more often than usual? Walking the dog more? Spending more time reaching out to friends and family? Learning how to bake bread?

What about practicing your instrument? This is by no means a slap on the wrist kind of thing - I have been doing all of the above lately with the novel Coronavirus dominating the media, social media, and many of my conversations. It’s necessary to engage with as well as get away from all of the crazy that’s going on right now.

As someone who teaches multiple instruments at a home studio, this has been a huge opportunity for growth as far as my business AND musicianship. I’ve gone completely online, using Skype, Zoom, shooting extra videos for students (these are really coming in handy so that I can get into the specifics of some things from lessons - online is working well, but it is NO substitute for in-person lessons!). I’ve been practicing multiple times per day doing new exercises, learning new songs, recording, etc.

Maybe that was you when this whole quarantine first started. But have you hit that wall yet where you just aren’t motivated to practice? You KNOW you should be thankful for and utilize the extra time…you KNOW you should see the silver lining of being stuck at home…and you KNOW that extra practice time won’t numb your mind like binge watching Tiger King.

It comes and goes for me. Some days I can REALLY schedule out multiple times to practice and hit all of them and feel so successful and know that I’m improving - there’s nothing like it. But some days I pick up a guitar, I run through a couple scales that I want to master, play through a song or two, and the whole time I just feel “bleh”. What I want to share with you today are a few things that have helped me get motivated, STAY motivated, and sometimes just lean in to the times when I have NO motivation. Check out this list and see which ones might be helpful for you:

  • Schedule out a practice routine for the upcoming day, morning/noon/evening for 30 minutes each.

  • Plan EXACTLY what you will practice for each session. Keep it simple: 3 exercises or songs for 10 minutes a piece.

  • Schedule down time. Watch the news, check your phone, stream JUST ONE episode of Atlanta…ok maybe two because they’re short, but limit yourself a little so that you DO have breaks but avoid becoming a blob!

  • Spend WAY MORE TIME connecting with other musicians via social media. Reach out just to say “hey, how are things going for you? What have you been practicing?”

  • Ok now for something I’m not good at - annoying motivational speakers call it “celebrating the win” - I call it looking back on what you HAVE accomplished and not getting bogged down by all of the things you didn’t do on a particular day. Oof.

  • Let yourself off the hook. You probably already know that learning an instrument is incredibly fun (I hope you know!), but that it’s a long journey to master your craft. Especially now during this crazy time, don’t worry if you set a schedule and didn’t follow it perfectly! You’ll likely have more time…now. Or now! Or…now.

  • Last thing - connect with me and let me know what you’re practicing! Drop your name and email below with a quick message - I’ll send you updates on when new blogs and videos go live (which you can, of course, opt out of if you’d like!), but more than anything, I want to help you be as successful as you can during this time.

The Curse Of Knowledge

Hey Music Teachers,

My last post was about the Sunday Scaries (check it out if you haven’t already read/listened to it). I got some great feedback from you on how helpful it was, beyond just teaching music lessons! Thank you so much for listening and responding, and hopefully this will continue a helpful train of thought for you.

So let’s say you did all of those things, gave your week some structure, prepared well for lessons, etc. but then your lessons went horribly and now you’re back to anxiety-ridden beginnings to the week!

Today I want to tell you about something you can avoid so that you can teach the best possible lessons:

The Curse Of Knowledge (intense thriller-movie music plays here)

So what is it? To be honest, the first time I saw those words put together in that sequence, I thought “yeah, like ‘I’m so smart it hurts’ or something”. Put simply and in this context, the curse of knowledge is when you’re teaching and you assume that your students know exactly what you’re talking about at all times.

Here are a few examples (I’d watch the video here for the full effect):

- Guitar Teacher: “You played the correct frets, but you were supposed to do that on the E string.”

- Guitar Student: “The what string.”

- Guitar Teacher (frustratedly): “You played it on The A string, it needs to be the E string…”

- Guitar Student: “I’m not sure if I even know the alphabet.”

or

- Drum Teacher: “You technically played the correct notes, but it needs to groove more.”

- Drum Student: “It needs to what.”

- Drum Teacher: “You know, like DIG IN to the song…”

- Drum Student: “…uh huh…”

If you’re a student and you’ve been in that situation before you know it sucks! It’s so hard to communicate with ANYONE who assumes that YOU know exactly what THEY are talking about.

SO HERES THE SOLUTION:

Be prepared to break down whatever you’re teaching to the foundational level.

I’m not saying do this ALL THE TIME for ALL OF YOUR STUDENTS, that might be even more obnoxious! But practice this with whatever song or pattern or exercise you’re going to teach next.

For example, let’s say your teaching the Shrek…I mean Rufus Wainwright version of “Hallelujah”:

First of all, slow it down! Then, make sure you can explain, clearly and efficiently, each thing that happens in order.

- Piano Teacher: “Ok here’s how the song starts, ring finger with your right hand plays E4, thumb with your left plays C3, then thumb with your right hand plays G3, then pointer with your right hand plays C4.

It’s that simple. And it’s better for your student to leave a lesson feeling confident about practicing 6 notes (they can work on speeding them up as well) than feeling confused about a whole sheet of music that they may or may not be able to get through once they leave your studio.

Lastly, I’m going to keep repeating these things but make sure you write down exactly how far your student played so you know where to pick up with the next lesson!

Thank you again for your feedback so far - if this has been helpful for you, please share it with another teacher, and let me know about it!

The Sunday Scaries

Recently, I was watching Good Morning America. Yes, the (mostly) mindless entertainment talk show at 8am on ABC. They started throwing around a phrase I had never heard before: The Sunday Scaries.

Maybe you’re already familiar, but if not, they described this phenomenon as the anxiety about Monday/starting the work week that starts creeping in and ruining your weekend - and your Sunday night sleep schedule!

This obviously comes in all shapes and sizes for different people, but for working musicians (myself included), this could apply to upcoming gigs, songs you need to chart out and learn, trying to squeeze in time to practice, and of course, teaching music lessons. Or maybe you teach lessons on top of a 9-5, which takes up evenings and maybe even weekend times. No matter who you are, thoughts of the impending Monday morning and subsequent work schedule can swirl in our minds and cause stress on days that we’re trying to relax.

BUT it doesn’t have to be this way! I’m going to give you four things that will not only help you get one step closer to teaching stress-free music lessons, you can transfer these principles to whatever you do as a musician or throughout the week:

1. When you start getting the “Sunday Scaries”, lean into them and start thinking about your lessons. This may seem counter-intuitive…aren’t we supposed to avoid stress? I say take a different approach: get specific, in your head or on paper, about the things that are stressing you out about upcoming lessons (Tough students? Feeling unprepared, as far as what to teach each one? Students who have repeatedly not practiced? Overbearing parents who want high achievement and success?).

GO WAY BEYOND JUST YOUR LESSONS! In my experience, stress is a compound equation. If I’m stressed about a big project on Thursday, I’ll have a hard time focusing on my lessons Monday through Wednesday. But if I take a few minutes and lean into my scaries, I’ll start to realize that if I plan time each day to work on that project and plan for my lessons, that stress starts to go away!

2. Plan time to practice what your students are working on - remember you are the expert! Part of fighting off the scaries is having confidence in yourself, and having confidence in yourself as a musician and teacher starts with knowing what you’re about to teach that week, inside and out. Like I said in the first video (here’s a link), write down names of your students and list out each exercise they’re working on. Then think back to when you were first practicing those things so that you’ll know the best way to teach them to your students.

Recently I realized I was playing 3 notes completely incorrectly on a waltz I’ve been teaching a new piano student! I had been taught how to play it incorrectly (yikes), so I sat down for 20 minutes, listened and charted it out. Take 2-5 minutes per student and make sure you know what you’re teaching each one this week. Then schedule 5-10 minutes to practice through the things they are working on, which will build your confidence and reduce your stress level. I know this may be tough for you full-time instructors with 40 or 50 students per week, but hopefully they are doing some similar exercises!

3. Ok, let’s say you’ve done all of numbers 1 & 2. Here’s the simple but sometimes not easy part: put EVERYTHING in your calendar. Take this extra step so you don’t forget anything! Hopefully your lessons are already in a google calendar or something similar - if not, do that first! Then plan for the other stressful things in your life as well - for example, my wife and I are going out of town for a wedding this weekend, and we have a house sitter coming to watch our (adorable, amazing, awesome, aussie…) pups. That means that, for me, on top of teaching my music students, I’ll be cleaning all around the house, editing audiobooks (strange side gig), listening to and learning songs for upcoming studio sessions and live shows, etc. I don’t list all of those things to brag about all of the amazingly fun things I get to do, and honestly the list feels overwhelming as I’m typing it! But when I sit down for a few minutes and schedule blocks in my calendar like “9am - 11am record and edit CHW podcast”, “12pm - 1pm lunch meeting”, and “2pm - 3pm prep for lessons”, those Sunday scaries start to disappear.

4. This last one is also simple, not easy: STICK WITH THIS! Don’t just have one week of amazing, stress-free music lessons and scheduling and then say “that was great” but go back to being stressed out by the Sunday Scaries. Lean into them, write them down, and make a plan.

Has this blog/podcast/YouTube video been helpful for you? I want to hear from you! Leave a comment or question right here and I’ll get back to you or address your question in a future post (this will also sign you up for the email list to receive future updates).

10 Questions Every Music Lesson Teacher Should Be Asking

QUICK NOTE: I’m releasing a podcast episode and my very first YouTube video THIS WEEK where I’ll be talking through 10 questions that every music teacher should ask when it comes to teaching lessons. I’ll be covering that same information in this blog post, so feel free to read on, or subscribe to the YouTube channel or podcast if you prefer!

Last week I posted about knowing your teaching strengths, and it really comes down to self-awareness as a music instructor. If you haven’t already, go to chwstudios.com/teachers, and sign up so that you can get access to a free pdf that will help you think through your strengths and blind spots. To continue with that idea this week, I’ve put together 10 questions you can ask yourself that will help you communicate better with your students and teach the best possible music lessons!

1. Are you working on starting your own home studio? What is your biggest hangup so far?

- I have had a long and sometimes incredibly tough journey from when I first started teaching from home until today. The great new for YOU is that I have done a lot of the thinking for you and I want to share what I’ve learned with you! I would love to hear about your biggest obstacles, either to starting from scratch, or an ongoing problem, so that I can help.

2. Do you have clear Policies and payments? Do you have them printed out, ready to hand to new students, with monthly payments and a yearly schedule?

- A great benefit of teaching at a local music lesson studio is that they generally have policies laid out for you, and it’s as simple as following them. If you’re teaching from your home studio, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for this! I will be sharing my policies and how I go about communicating them to students and parents in an upcoming post. Bottom line: having them printed out for that first lesson looks and feels way more professional.

3. Are you constantly improving your teaching space? Outside look?

- If you have your own home studio, are you keeping it clean? Does your home look inviting from the outside? This is something that I have to stay on top of week in and week out, but with a simple checklist and some planning ahead, this can be a really simple daily task.

4. Are you struggling with finding more students?

- I have tried websites, Facebook ads, Craigslist, and you might be surprised at what has worked best for me when looking for new students!

5. What do you love about teaching music lessons?

- Maybe you’ve been teaching for years and you know the answer immediately. I love seeing my students working through a new part in a song and finally getting it after weeks of practice! I also love that each student is different and unique - having to think differently during each lesson means I get to constantly grow as a musician.

- Maybe you JUST STARTED teaching lessons this week. If that’s true, pay really close attention to questions 5, 6, and 7 and let me know how I can help.

6. What’s the hardest part about teaching music lessons?

- I’m going to leave this one open-ended so that you can think through it and give me some feedback! Think about the most recent time you were frustrated during a lesson and let me know.

7. How do you deal with tough students or students that don’t listen?

- I’ve heard this question from other music instructors more than anything else. Stay tuned for a future post, and see the next question to start on something that will help you.

8. Have you spent time teaching yourself to think like a student?

- One quick tip on this: things that are SO EASY for us as teachers now were once difficult, or at the very least, brand new concepts for us to think through. Try as much as you can to train yourself to get into the mind of your students by thinking back to when you first learned whatever it is that you’re teaching.

9. What are your teaching strengths? What about blind spots? Are there words or phrases you’re using that are confusing to your students, or that you haven’t explained and need to explain?

- Again, check out my last blog post and sign up to receive a free PDF that will help you think through these and even write them out if that’s helpful for you.

10. Are you using books, materials you’ve created, teach mostly by ear, etc.? Do you keep track of what each student is working on?

Ok, that’s a lot to chew on, and based on your feedback, I’ll be addressing each of those topics over the next few months. Again, if you haven’t subscribed already, go to chwstudios.com/teachers and sign up to receive updates on new blog posts, podcasts, and videos!

- Asher