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Mysterious Melodies and Masquerades – 5 Ways to Make Any Music Sound Spooky

Oct 314 min read

Mysterious Melodies and Masquerades – 5 Ways to Make Any Music Sound Spooky

Any Melody Can Be A Spooky Tune Halloween is here again, and with it comes a time for all things spooky and mysterious! It's a night when...

Janae Jean

Jul 1614 min read

What Makes Music Classical?

Classical Music Is Not Any Piece of Music That Isn't Contemporary Pop, But What Is It? So what makes music Classical? When you think...

Aaron Copland: Distinctively American Part 2

Janae Jean

Jul 38 min read

Aaron Copland: Distinctively American Part 2

In part two, we learn how Copland created his distinctly American style and how McCarthyism impacted his career.

Aaron Copland – Distinctly American Part 1

Janae Jean

Jul 27 min read

Aaron Copland – Distinctly American Part 1

Aaron Copland created an All-American sound for the orchestral hall. What Is The American Aesthetic? In our last post, we met Carl Maria...

Music Theory and Practice – Classical Counterpoint

Janae Jean

Jun 295 min read

Music Theory and Practice – Classical Counterpoint

The Continued Evolution of Counterpoint Refresher: What is Counterpoint? In the post, Music Theory and Practice – Introduction to...

Janae Jean

Jun 36 min read

Storm and Stress: Carl Maria von Weber

Carl Maria von Weber composed in an uniquely German Sturm und Drang style and is often considered the first Romantic composer.

Janae Jean

Sep 4, 20235 min read

Composer Biographies – Erik Satie

The Velvet Gentleman’s Intentional Notes "I have never written a note I didn't mean." - Erik Satie Erik Satie (May 17, 1866 – July 1,...

5 Chicagoland Arts Events for the Final Days of Summer

Janae Jean

Aug 27, 20234 min read

5 Chicagoland Arts Events for the Final Days of Summer

Arts Events for September School may be back in session, the sunset's may be coming noticeably earlier, and the most precocious of the...

Women in the Arts – Fanny Mendelssohn: A Prodigious Talent

Janae Jean

Jul 2, 20234 min read

Women in the Arts – Fanny Mendelssohn: A Prodigious Talent

Meet the F. Mendelssohn While not as well-known as her younger brother, Felix Mendelssohn (Feb. 3, 1809 - Nov. 4, 1847), 19th century...

Janae Jean

Jun 26, 20234 min read

A Midsummer Night's Wedding March

Felix Mendelssohn's Wedding March It’s June! Wedding season is here! One of the most popular pieces of music performed at weddings was...

Janae Jean

May 5, 20231 min read

2023 Summer Discount Codes!

Announcing TWO DISCOUNT CODES for new and returning students! If you are a student new to Perennial, use the code NEWSTUDENT when you...

Music Theory and Practice - Musical Motives or Motifs

Janae Jean

Mar 25, 20233 min read

Music Theory and Practice - Musical Motives or Motifs

Finding The Motivation Motivic Development What Makes A Musical Motive? A musical motive (sometimes motif) is the smallest...

Music Theory and Practice – Common Practice Voice Leading

Janae Jean

Mar 6, 20235 min read

Music Theory and Practice – Common Practice Voice Leading

Voice Leading or Chorale Writing What Is Voice Leading? Voice Leading, also called Part Writing or Chorale Style Writing, is...

Music Theory and Practice – Figured Bass

Janae Jean

Mar 5, 20233 min read

Music Theory and Practice – Figured Bass

Exploring Harmony Through Real Music Beginnings in The Baroque Era The Baroque era was a historical artistic period in Europe that...

Music Theory and Practice – So What's Bach Ever Done for us?

Janae Jean

Dec 27, 20225 min read

Music Theory and Practice – So What's Bach Ever Done for us?

Or, how studying music history makes you a better musician–no matter what genre you work in. Studying the history of music is beneficial...

Frohe Weihnachten! – Silent Night, O Christmas Tree, and Still, Still, Still

Janae Jean

Dec 24, 20225 min read

Frohe Weihnachten! – Silent Night, O Christmas Tree, and Still, Still, Still

The Stories of Three German Christmas Songs Nothing evokes the feeling of Christmas to us like sipping hot chocolate on a crisp afternoon...

One Picture Is Worth One Thousand Notes – An Interview with Composer John Dante Prevedini

Janae Jean

Dec 20, 202214 min read

One Picture Is Worth One Thousand Notes – An Interview with Composer John Dante Prevedini

Our First Featured Interview! For our first interview on the Perennial blog, I spoke with composer and educator John Dante Prevedini. ...

Music for Mousers and Mutts - 3 Works of Classical Music for Pet Appreciation Week

Janae Jean

Jun 10, 20229 min read

Music for Mousers and Mutts - 3 Works of Classical Music for Pet Appreciation Week

Music Composed In Honor of Our Furry Friends More than two-thirds of households in the United States have a companion animal family...

The Musical Bridge – Celebrating Cherry Blossom Season with Japanese Arts – Creating A Haiku Song

Janae Jean

May 12, 20224 min read

The Musical Bridge – Celebrating Cherry Blossom Season with Japanese Arts – Creating A Haiku Song

The Musical Bridge – Celebrating Cherry Blossom Season with Japanese Arts – Part 2 – Hanami and Haiku In our previous post, we were...

The Musical Bridge – Celebrating Cherry Blossom Season with Japanese Arts – 5 Musical Instruments

Janae Jean

May 5, 20227 min read

The Musical Bridge – Celebrating Cherry Blossom Season with Japanese Arts – 5 Musical Instruments

5 Traditional Japanese Musical Instruments So far on our musical journey around the globe, we have visited China, India/Pakistan, France,...

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