Useful content especially for students created by Elefante teachers and staff
Featured Videos
Instructor Dave Heilman explains his creative, outside-the-box method, where anything is an instrument.
Join us this summer
Choosing Your Instrument Made Easy
Interested in band or orchestra and not sure which instrument to choose? We’re here to help. Our Choosing Your Instrument page features video demonstrations for the most common instruments available for first-year school programs.
Essentials For String Players
How to Measure for a String Instrument
Before renting a string instrument for a younger player, be sure to take a measurement first so you get the right size.
Tune Your Violin or Viola
Learning to tune your violin or viola can seem complicated at first. In these videos, our string instructor Nicole explains the process so you’ll be more at ease.
How to Tune Your Violin
How to Tune Your Viola
Essentials for Percussionists and Drummers
Anthony’s perspective on maintaining the momentum on your musical journey. Prepare to be inspired.
Meet our drum instructor Dave Heilman and hear his philosophy on playing during a pandemic.
Jazz Comping Using Syncopation: Anthony teaches a short but sweet excerpt from Ted Reed’s book Syncopation.
Learn how to assemble your percussion kit
Upright bass, also called string bass or double bass, is a member of the orchestra family. Just as often, however, it appears in jazz, bluegrass, folk, and other genres. With a large hollow body and 4 thick strings, the tones produced by the upright bass are low and rich. The instrument is capable of long, expressive tones when played with a bow; and short, percussive tones when plucked with the strings. String bass is a dynamic and impressive instrument to play!
The oboe is a woodwind and a member of the double-reed family. It is played by blowing air through the reed, attached at the top of the instrument. The reed consists of two very thin pieces of cane, pressed together with a small opening to allow air to pass through. The sound can be high in pitch, but it has a variety of colorful tones, from bright and piercing to low and mysterious.
