Billie Holiday's "I Cried for You"

I had a very old and well worn tape of Billie Holiday's music that I would listen to all the time when I was growing up. I loved the sound and I could imagine myself in a dark club somewhere all dressed up listening to her sing and watching the band play. I am new to "I Cried for You" that was recorded in 1936. This was Holiday's biggest hit for the Brunswick recording company. Enjoy!

Quote of the Week "You can't copy anybody..."

" You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music."

- Billie Holiday

Ella Fitzgerald's "Summertime"

I had such a hard time choosing one video of Ella Fitzgerald's singing. They were all so good. After a lot of thought this week's video is Ella Fitzgerald singing Gershwin's "Summertime" at a concert in Berlin, Germany. I absolutely love that song and Fitzgerald's version is fantastic. Enjoy!

Quote of the Week "It isn't where you came from..."

"It isn't where you came from, it's where you're going that counts."

- Ella Fitzgerald

The Sassy One -Sarah Vaughan

I came across a list of quotes from famous female musicians while reading about women's history month this past March. This list prompted me to become more familiar with these women and their bodies of work. For the next few weeks my quote of the week and the video of the week will honor one of these fine musicians.

Today's clip comes from http://www.jazzvideoguy.tv and is an excerpt from the 1955 film, Rhythm and Blues Revenue. Jazz critic Leonard Feather called Sarah Vaughan "the most important singer to emerge from the bop era." Ella Fitzgerald called her the worlds "greatest singing talent." For more information on Sarah Vaughan's 50 plus year career click here

Quote of the Week "When I sing, trouble..."

"When I sing, trouble can sit right on my shoulder and I don't even notice."

- Sarah Vaughan

A New Take on the Hallelujah Chorus

I don't want to give too much away about this unusual video choice this week. I can only tell you that the artists come from a rare mute monk order from Molalla Oregon and are performing the hallelujah Chorus. Enjoy!

Quote of the Week "You may be disappointed..."

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try."

- Beverly Sills

Finding Your Next Music Teacher Online

So you have decided that you want to take music lessons. That's an exciting decision, but how do you find a good teacher? Where do you start your search? I would suggest trying a free search on the internet for qualified teachers. There are several great websites that I have found in the last year that let you search for teachers by region and type of instruction. Some even offer background checks and let you see resumes, etc. The listings of sites offering these services keeps getting bigger by the day. I keep finding new ones all the time to list with and offer my services at the Elliott Music Studio. Today, I thought I would list a couple of my favorites. Happy Searching!

Craigslist
I have used Craigslist from the beginning as an easy and free way to publicize the music lessons I have been offering in my community. You can find all sorts of things on this site. I would offer a couple of suggestions when you do your search here, though. Look for additional information on personal websites if they offer them before you make your call or reply. If they don't have a website link in their ad, reply and ask for one. I find that more serious teachers have websites where you can get info and see how they run their studio. Ask for references and education. Anyone can list here so you have to do some weeding out to find the good ones.

Care
At Care you can find tutors and instructors in several areas of study. If you are looking for something specific in your area you can post a job and have instructors apply to you for consideration. Or you can search for listings based on your zip code. They also offer background checks for instructors and complete resume profiles.

Teach Street

Teach Street lets you browse through thousands of listings in tons of categories. You also get to read reviews and see what other people think. Instruction is listed as classes, seminars or events so you can choose which is perfect for you. Each instructor has a profile with important information to help make your selection easier. You can also read instructor posted articles on topics of interest.

I hope your search goes well and if you are in my area please consider the Elliott Music Studio for your piano and voice lesson needs. I look forward to sharing music with you!