Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a time when you were conducting on the podium and cued a much anticipated, exposed and important snare drum roll. What did it sound like?

I clearly remember the first time I heard – or rather, felt – a snare drum. It was during the annual Memorial Day parade in my hometown of Montville, Connecticut, and I was no more than 5 years old. 

For over 30 years, I have had the tremendous privilege of playing trumpet for audiences around the world.

Flutist Mimi Stillman compares her role of managing the chamber music group Dolce Suono (“Sweet Sounds”) to running a small country.

Mimi Stillman was only 12 years old when she started working toward her bachelor’s degree at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

As you prepare for the next musical journey with your students, here are some ideas to help your young timpanists.

What makes the trombone special? The sound of the trombone is one of the most profound and glorious of the brass family.

The clarinet is the coolest and perhaps most versatile instrument in the band. It has an amazing 3.5-octave range, the greatest dynamic capabilities of any band instrument, and is used in many different genres of music from jazz to klezmer to classical.

If hornist Larry Williams were a superhero, he might be called The Juggler. 

“The world of musicians is small,” says Larry Williams, a French horn performer and teacher. 

"Being a 21st century artist is different than when I went to school,” says Larry Williams, a French horn performer and teacher. 

“The quest to explore different traditions from around the world outside of classical music has really felt like a quest to discover more about myself,” says Mike Block. 

Cellist Mike Block, an associate professor at Berklee College of Music, remembers a huge moment from when he was in college at the Cleveland Institute of Music.