Music is the ultimate form of expression. When you consider how much every note or chord means to our daily lives, it’s easy to see why people are making the choice to begin playing an instrument. That’s why Musical U has become a go-to site for budding musicians.
Joining Musical U provides you with a great place to become part of a thriving community, where you can learn at your own pace and keep track of your progress or jump in on a discussion and get valuable help and feedback from other members.
We recently talked to one of our users, CarolG, about her experiences with our website and what she hopes to achieve going forward. This recent retiree loves singing, but the gift of a keyboard was the start of her musical journey.
A Quick Introduction
MU: Where did your username come from?
CarolG: It’s my given name!
MU: Where in the world are you?
CarolG: Canada.
MU: What instrument(s) do you play:
CarolG: I play the piano and keyboard, and I sing.
MU: What’s your main musical ambition?
CarolG: To accompany myself on the piano/keyboard as I sing.
MU: What have you struggled most with in music in the past?
CarolG: I just started to study keyboard (my retirement gift to myself), so I’m struggling with just getting my hands to cooperate.
MU: What’s your #1 favorite music track?
CarolG: “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.
Getting Started with Musical U
MU: How did you become interested in Musical U?
CarolG: My plan for retirement includes learning to play a musical instrument. Being a “techie,” I signed up for music lessons on the keyboard and started to study theory. The theory is easy, but I was a bit nervous about what musicality meant and concerned that I likely didn’t have any. I saw the “SingTrue” app and loved it; then Musical U was released.
MU: What do you like about the site?
CarolG: To my surprise, this site is really designed to enable the user to develop their musicality. The program is completely flexible, with the design being driven by the user’s personal goals and objectives. Progress is self-paced with immediate feedback.
An excerpt from CarolG’s Progress Journal
Since the top ten scores for each test are posted, there is a bit of fun competition to see how your tests stack up against other members. This really boosted my confidence and it’s motivating to see a positive record of each test immediately upon completion… and such a positive history each time at log in!
Members share their own experiences, both highs and plateaus, so I feel like there are fellow novice musicians sharing my journey.
The Road to Learning
MU: What information has stood out during your journey?
CarolG: I’m amazed at how few chords are associated with a mass of popular music and the video of the “Axis of Awesome” was really fun. It was helpful to hear the progressions alone and then with an actual current song. I plan to start listening more closely for these in the music on the radio.
Musical U: How have your plans changed along the way?
CarolG: Based on my progress through the Interval Recognition 1 and 2 modules, I revised my goals to focus on internalizing the intervals and then just playing around with simple tunes on the piano.
Keeping a Progress Journal
MU: Has keeping a progress journal helped your musicality?
CarolG: As the team suggested, I’ve committed to making more regular updates to my progress journal. Some milestones that I’ve already hit on my musical journey are the completion of Alfred’s Piano Course for Adults Books 1 and 2, and “Basic and Intermediate Theory.” I’m impressed that I can play these pieces since I was totally petrified about learning to play any instrument.
I also get some comfort from others’ journals. I’ve been working on major and minor thirds, and I’m challenged with the harmonic intervals. I’m only getting the melodic intervals by comparing to reference songs, and I keep wanting to see the interval to imprint the sound….maybe at the expense of not listening closely enough to the sound.
An excerpt from CarolG’s Progress Journal
An excerpt from CarolG’s Progress Journal
Since chatting with us, CarolG has continued to reach new heights. She updates her practice journal regularly and has completed new modules in the Musical U program. We’re looking forward to charting her progress and wish her all the best as she continues learning through our website.
No matter your age or skill level, Musical U is always on hand to help you reach your goals. From teaching tools to expert guidance, we have everything you need to find and exceed your expectations.
Join us today to get involved with other musicians like CarolG that will help encourage you to meet your musical goals.
