BY MICHAELA O'DONNELL
ISSUE NO. 38 | APRIL 2022
As Modern Day Music continues to grow, we are excited by all the new opportunities this brings for our students - the most recent being a new instrument! We are happy to announce that beginning in April, we will be introducing the kazoo as the newest addition to MDM’s offerings.
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF MODERN DAY MUSIC SCHOOL
Often know as America’s ‘buzziest’ instrument, the kazoo brings a whole new element of fun and technique to lessons! The excitement for our newest instrument has been growing among our coaches for some time, as we prepared to launch this addition. When asked about why he is so drawn to teaching the kazoo, guitar and kazoo coach, Gabe, noted that “Kazoo is really the most emotional instrument. Nothing separates you from the buzz, people don’t understand how personal it is." "Something like a piano has keys, or a guitar has frets. Kazoo has every range in the books," Gabe added. "My favorite bands that use kazoo are Led Kazooplin, Red Hot
Introducing You To…The Kazoo!
Chili Kazoos, Kazoohead. The list goes on.” We couldn’t agree with you more, Gabe! One of the benefits of our newest addition, is that anyone can pick it up and learn to play! According to drum and kazoo coach, Joe, “Kazoo is actually the people's instrument, as far as I'm concerned.” This easy to learn instrument spans a number of genres from jazz to folk to metal and beyond, and welcomes people from all walks of life in to the world of music. Our kazoo lessons aim to teach students everything they need to know to get started, including the structure of the instrument, how to find your personal style and sound quality, which Kazoo is best for you, and proper humming technique. Plus, our coaches are all familiar with more advanced techniques such as how to stylize your kazoo for different genres or how to kazoo simultaneously while playing another instrument. The possibilities for your kazoo are endless! Here is a sneak peak at some of the topics you might learn in kazoo lessons. For starters, kazoos can be found in a variety of sizes, colors, materials and resonance. They come in plastic, metal, wood or even electric depending on what style you are going for! Additionally, although the popular train of thought is that one should blow in to the Kazoo much like a horn or wind instrument, proper Kazoo technique actually involves humming in to the instrument. This has proven extremely beneficial for vocalists in particular as it can play a role in learning breath control, pitch, timing and rhythm, among other things.
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Humming is also a great way to warm up and practice without putting too much strain on the voice! In addition to our private kazoo lessons, we will also be launching a new weekend group kazoo program, lead by guitar and kazoo coach, Tony! Beginning this Saturday, 4/2, Tony will be leading our kazoo students in our first ever kazoo duel, aptly titled the Kazoo Debut. Tony is excited to share this championship experience with those kazoo students looking to go above and beyond with their technique. To top it off, the winner of each Kazoo Debut session will be crowned at the end of our Rock School 101 Band Show and given the opportunity to close out the show with a solo kazoo performance! We can’t wait to see the creative performances our kazoo students come up with to out duel each other this session. With so many areas of the kazoo world still left unexplored, the boundaries are just waiting to be broken by their new and exciting ideas! As piano, studio and kazoo coach, Ben, mentioned in our kazoo meeting, “People are just waiting in the wings for the next big kazoo player. It’s been years since Skip O’Leary dazzled audiences across the world. That void hasn’t been filled in years. The people are waiting.” The world really is in need of the next big kazoo players, and we aim to find them among our incredibly talented and creative students! Let the office know if you would like to sign up for private kazoo lessons or our Kazoo Debut group program. We can’t wait to hear everyone kazooing through the halls of MDM!
This month, we were excited to sit down with studio engineer and studio and piano coach, Ben Zoleski, after his return from a 2-month tour. As an actively touring and gigging musician, Ben knows what it takes to find the perfect balance between music happening both inside and outside of MDM, so we wanted to learn more about the journey that brought him to where he is today! Ben’s music journey formally began when he started learning about music around age 8, but he has always had an interest in it. From listening to the radio or cassettes in his parents car to self teaching, public school education and private lessons, Ben has done it all! As a multi-instrumentalist, Ben likes to say, “I haven’t met an instrument yet I haven’t been able to sort of figure out.” The impressive list includes his very first instruments, flute and piano, plus a number of instruments that he learned over the years such as guitar, bass, drums, vibraphone and ukulele to name a few. When asked which of these he gravitates towards the most, Ben highlighted guitar and piano. “Something about them just makes every time I play a fun little experience.” This has proven true during his time at MDM where he previously coached guitar and now coaches piano! Once his journey began, Ben knew that he wanted to go to school for music, and put in the hard work to make that happen. His dream school at the time was Berklee College of Music, where he was soon accepted and later graduated from.
For our current students who are considering or already attending music school, Ben was happy to share some advice: “One takeaway that I have from music school is, everyone has their journey in music, and just because someone has one path, doesn’t mean it’s the path you have to take.” Every musician’s journey is going to look a little different, but that is part of what makes this field so exciting! Ben’s journey did not end there. After graduating in 2012, Ben joined the then small roster of coaches at MDM and has been a foundational part of the team ever since! He brings a light to MDM that is evident in everything from his fun quips and jokes to his student-focused teaching and fine-tuned ear in the studio. As a coach, one of Ben’s favorite parts of teaching is “seeing when a student surprises themselves with something new that they can do.” Ben also pioneered our Rock School 101 band program as the Band Director in the early days of the program. He directed our student bands for a number of years before heading out on a multi-year tour as the Children’s Musical Director on the First National Tour of "School of Rock" The Musical. Since returning to MDM, Ben has jumped in to direct a few of the Rock School 101 band sessions, and now facilitates the studio version of our band program as our engineer! Ben’s work in audio engineering began while in college by learning how to make his self recordings sound like the music that he was already hearing out in the world.
When asked about what drew him to engineering, Ben shared that, “It’s really an art form in and of itself.” Working in the studio gives musicians a whole new look at music that you can’t get from playing live. Ben compared it to “almost like trying to put together a puzzle” by figuring out how to get the best sounds you can and then blending them all together in the most pleasing way possible. As MDM’s studio engineer, Ben engineers recording and mixing sessions for both students and outside clients alike. He has recorded everything from a solo artist with just themselves to an entire band with a number of moving parts and instruments to coordinate. When recording our Rock School 101 student bands, Ben loves to see “how pumped some of the kids who come to the studio to record get about recording something, especially if it is something they wrote.” In addition to engineering sessions, Ben also teaches studio lessons for all of our budding audio engineers! These lessons are set up the same way as our instruments, but the lessons themselves look a bit different. Ben explained that, “For one, you are learning how to manipulate sound and technology in studio lessons as opposed to keys or strings in piano or guitar lessons. Each has its own sort of knowledge base you have to gather in order to function.” Just like any other lessons though, studio lessons require practice, practice, practice to retain the things you learn! “Whether it be playing scales or learning how to EQ drums, you have to work on it to get better at it.” Outside of MDM, Ben is an actively touring and gigging musician, most recently as a guitarist with Base Hologram’s "Rock and Roll Dream Tour.." This hologram show featured the music of Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly, and took Ben along the East Coast and in to the Midwest. As a touring musician, Ben has traveled across a good portion of America, and abroad to Canada and a number of countries in Europe as well.
Two of the highlights of touring for Ben have been experiencing all of these new places, and the food! Ben noted that “you can tell a lot about what food means to different cultures, and even from city to city, by the type of food you can find.” He even shared that some of the best Ethiopian food he has ever had was in Fairfield, Iowa! Even when he is not on tour, Ben can’t resist the urge to perform and is frequently out playing local gigs here in the Capital Region, both solo and with his band, "Under the Den." Ben’s favorite part about playing live in general is “the fact that I’m sort of flying without a safety net and whatever happens, happens. There’s something about the spontaneity of playing live in front of people that just makes it a fun time, every time.” Ben is most excited for "Under the Den’s" upcoming shows, specifically their show on April 22nd at Empire Underground where they will be joined by some killer local talent. Make sure to check out the calendar for more information on all of Ben’s upcoming gigs! To wrap up our time together, Ben shared one tip that applies to all of our students, whether you are looking to record, play live, apply for/attend music school, or just learn for fun: PRACTICE. “Practice with a click for bonus points. Music is about expression, but if you don’t practice, it will show when you go to record a song, or play it live, or even if you’re trying to go to music school.” Ben also added it is important to “learn about different styles and learn how it all works. If you know a bit of theory, learning music and understanding it and choices made become fascinating. Though, I will admit that a very subjective point of view! Work hard, know your goals, be honest with yourself, and don’t be afraid to work harder than you think you need to.” We are excited to have Ben back at MDM again after his tour, and can’t wait to see our talented students following in his footsteps!
APRIL CALENDAR
1 - Vagabond (Tony), Twisted Vine, Delmar 1 - Ben Solo Acoustic, Spa City Tap & Barrel, 6:30-9:30pm 3 - Capital Region Wind Ensemble, SUNY Schenectady's Carl B. Taylor Auditorium, 3pm, (MDM Student, Lucas) 4 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena, 7-10pm 6 - Poetry Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena, 7-9pm 8 - Ampevene (Gabe), No Fun, Troy 8 - Under the Den (Ben), Spa City Tap and Barrel, 10pm-2am 10 - Under the Den (Ben) w/ others, Pauly’s Hotel, 7pm 11 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena, 7-10pm 15 - Under the Den (Ben), Jay St. Pub, 8pm-12am 15 - Good Friday (MDM Open) 17 - Easter Sunday (MDM Closed) 18 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena, 7-10pm 18 - Easter Monday (MDM Open) 22 - Under the Den (Ben), Empire Underground w/ Sydney Worthley, Bad Mothers and Seize Atlantis, 8pm (16+) 25 - Open Mic Night, Caffe Lena, 7-10pm 27 - Acoustic Blues Open Mic Night and Jam, Caffe Lena, 7-9pm
This newsletter includes a special ‘April Fool’s’ article, so please do NOT reach out to the office about our kazoo programs! We hope you enjoyed this ‘new addition’ to MDM and are aware that we do not actually offer kazoo lessons. We are always happy to give it a shot though if you have a kazoo to bring in!
Michaela's Corner
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS in MARCH!
Brian Z Ava L Ava S Jaydon S Deven A Brianna S Adam S Ryan J Mia D Carter M Thanya Sai N Olive B Terry B Luke L Skylar B Dean B Beau B Charlie D Chinalu (CJ) A Kyle W Evan B Kendall W Madison C Charlie D Isabella O Robert O Laszlo L Logan P Tom C Abraham W Annabelle L Jude F Liam B Claire V Landen B
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