· Forte Releases
New Instruments, Genres, and Features!
At Forte, we’re always looking for ways to make your music-learning experience even better. Whether you’re just starting out or continuing your musical…
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The Forte blog
Stories and practical advice for students, families, teachers, and anyone building a life with music.
69 posts
The Forte Music Lesson Experience
At Forte, we believe the only thing standing in the way of someone’s musical aspiration is access to the right teacher and great music lessons. That’s why…
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· Other News
How music lessons can enrich your life
Music is a universal language that transcends boundaries and cultures, offering an array of benefits that extend far beyond the simple act of playing an…
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· Other News
Summer Progress: Avoid the Summer Slump
Summer is a time for relaxation, rejuvenation, and all the fun things… pool and lake time, vacations, outdoor activities, camping, ice cream, grilling out,…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Featured Teacher: Lucas Vieira
We are excited to introduce you to this week’s Forte Featured Teacher, Lucas Vieira. Lucas teaches guitar and ukulele on Forte, and his studio is always…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Featured Teacher: Jessi Jordan
Today, we introduce you to voice, songwriting, and production/engineering teacher Jessi Jordan, one of the most popular teachers on the Forte platform.
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Featured Teacher: James Woolwine
We are pleased to introduce you to this week’s Forte Featured Teacher, James Woolwine, who teaches both piano and guitar.
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Featured Teacher: Julia Dawson
We are so happy to introduce you to this week’s amazing Forte Featured Teacher, Julia Dawson.
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Featured Teacher: Nancy Gosset
We are excited to introduce you to this week’s Forte Featured Teacher, Nancy Gosset.
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· Other News
How often should I take music lessons?
You’re learning an instrument (yay!). You’ve found the perfect teacher for you (excellent!), and you know that working with this great teacher is the best way…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Featured Teacher: Jeff Baker
We’re thrilled to highlight voice and songwriting teacher Jeff Baker today.
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· Other News
April: Jazz Appreciation Month
April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Jazz Appreciation Month (or JAM) was created by the Smithsonian in 2001 to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary…
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Forte Featured Teacher: Dorothy Gal
Today, we introduce a new series called Forte Featured Teachers, which will highlight outstanding Forte teachers and give you the inside scoop on what makes…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Featured Teacher: Glafkos Kontemeniotis
Glafkos has been teaching piano for over 30 years and has loved every minute of it! For him, teaching is about sharing his love and passion for music and…
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· Forte Resources
Singing Lessons: Voice Teacher or Vocal Coach?
So you want to work on your voice. Excellent! Having a great teacher to guide you is super important. Or, do you need a great coach to work with you? What’s…
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· From the desk of the Chief Education Officer
Music Theory Matters
When taking music lessons, we often want to jump straight to the fun, active stuff: learning cool repertoire, performing, playing along with recordings. In…
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· Other News
Why a Growth Mindset May Be Your Ticket to Musical Mastery - Part 1
We get it… Learning music can be challenging! You always focus on correct technique, style, and phrasing. Learning to read music and understand music theory…
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· From the desk of the Chief Education Officer
5 Ways to Develop a Musician’s Growth Mindset - Part 2
As we learned in our last post, musicians with a Growth Mindset are motivated to learn and happy to embrace challenges. They understand that their effort…
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· Forte Resources
How much do online music lessons cost, and are they worth it?
Private lessons for instruments like voice (yes, your voice is an instrument), piano, guitar, violin, and drums range in price based on the teacher’s…
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· Forte Resources
Forte Community Office Hours and Schedule
We love our Forte teaching community, and we want to do everything we can to help you be the best Forte teacher you can be. With that in mind, we’re…
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Forte Teacher Spotlight: Peter Luha
On Forte I teach: Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele (beginner – advanced)
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· Product Recs and Reviews
Forte’s 2023 Holiday Gift Guide
With the holidays quickly approaching, Forte wants to help you find the perfect gift for the musician in your life. Sometimes it’s the little things that can…
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· Forte Resources
Get more students on Forte: Adding External Student Reviews
Forte teachers with more ratings and reviews get more requests from potential students. Most prospective students searching for teachers on Forte are looking…
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· Forte Resources
Get More Students on Forte: Share your Forte Profile Publicly
This is a subline
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· Forte Resources
How to Maximize Your Profile’s Visibility in Student Searches
Forte was built around the idea that music students would progress faster and enjoy learning more if they could be matched with a teacher who is a truly great…
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· Other News
Forte featured on the "Who Smarted?" podcast
Exciting news: Forte is now featured on the fabulous Who Smarted? podcast!
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: John Charles Cook
I studied under a well known guitar book author, John Knowles, at Blair School of Music in Nashville, TN. I continued my studies at Hart School of Music’s…
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· Forte Releases
Creating additional instrument profiles on Forte
If you teach more than one instrument, you need more than one profile on Forte. It’s easy! Katie Hone Wiltgen walks you through it in this tutorial – or you…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Tom Sitzler
In 2009, I started performing professionally with my first role being in Il Trovatore with Union Avenue Opera. That was followed by premiering the role of Bob…
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· Forte Resources
Completing Your Teacher Profile
Forte makes connecting music teachers to new prospective students easy. Complete these three steps to ensure you are visible to new students: (1) set up your…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Bülent Güneralp
I was introduced to opera by, and received my first vocal training from, my mother, dramatic coloratura soprano Aysel Tunalı in Istanbul, Türkiye (Turkey).…
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· Other News
The positive impact of learning music on mental health
Most people agree that the global pandemic was a challenging time. One of the good things to arise from it, though, was the increased awareness that mental…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Yu-Ting Wu
Taiwan-born and Maryland-raised, I started violin lessons at the age of 4. My father, a seasoned violinist and instructor, was my guide and mentor in those…
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· From the desk of the Chief Education Officer
Violin for Beginners: Everything you need to know to get started and find success
We know it’s complicated and can feel overwhelming when you’re starting a new instrument. There’s so much to figure out, and it can be hard to even know…
Read article· Product Recs and Reviews
The ideal microphone and camera setup for your online violin lessons
The great thing about Forte is that it was built for music lessons. That means nearly everyone can have a great music lesson without the hassle of having to…
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· Forte Resources
Voice Lessons: What to know before choosing a teacher or starting vocal study
You are passionate about singing! No matter what level you are or whether you like to sing on stage, at school, at church, professionally, or even in the…
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Forte Teacher Spotlight: Glenn Tinturin
I began to study classical guitar at the age of seven with the acclaimed teacher, Guy Horn. At the age of ten, I gave my debut performance as a soloist with…
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· From the desk of the Chief Education Officer
Fiddle vs Violin: What's the difference?
“Is that a violin or a fiddle?” It’s something string players are asked all the time, and the answer, somewhat confusingly, is yes! They’re the same instrument.
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· Forte Resources
Set yourself up for success on Forte
You’ve signed up for online music lessons, and you’re excited to start learning on Forte! We want to make sure you are ready to go when you log on for your…
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· Forte Resources
Things to consider for a strong and steady internet connection
To make sure you’re set up for the best possible experience with online music lessons, it’s very important to have a strong and steady internet connection.…
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· From the desk of the Chief Education Officer
Which keyboard is right for me?
You’ve decided to take piano lessons, but you’re not ready to invest in an acoustic piano. A digital piano is much less expensive, much more portable, and…
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· Other News
Forte celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month
Did you know that April is Jazz Appreciation Month? Jazz has deep significance to American culture. Some even say that it was America’s first true original…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: JonNichimyoun Taylor
I am a music educator, composer, and music producer. My main instrument is the piano, where I have had over 60 years of experience in performance and travel…
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· From the Founders
Meet Katie Hone Wiltgen, Forte's Chief Education Officer
In April 2023, Forte welcomed Katie Hone Wiltgen as its Chief Education Officer. Forte Co-Founder, Mark Murtagh, had some thoughts about this exciting…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Dr. Richard Bosworth
DM in Piano – Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music MM in Piano – Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music BM in Piano – Eastman School of Music
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Dennis Frehse
I am a professional drummer and drum teacher of 20+ years from Germany, living in Japan since 2009. I studied music at Berklee College of Music, from where I…
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· Other News
Forte's Liam Day perfoms on stage at the Met
Forte’s Artistic and Education Director, Liam Day, a regular guest performer at the Metropolitan Opera, was spotted on the Met’s Instagram recently rehearsing…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Jessica Erlendson van Remmen
Bachelor of Arts – Music – University of Calgary (with a minor in Anthropology) Diploma in Jazz – Music – Jazz flute/piano – Mount Royal University Private…
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· From the Founders
The global origin of Forte's audio logo
Everyone agreed it was a magical evening. Under date palms and a starry, Arabian night sky, an array of international musicians had come together for an…
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· Other News
Forte on the Piano Pod Podcast
The Piano Pod is a bi-monthly podcast hosted by Yukimi Song and Clara Zhang. Twice a month they interview guests who have been breaking exciting new ground in…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Gabriel Lee
Singaporean violinist Gabriel Lee enjoys a multi-faceted career: he performs in diverse sound worlds with his baroque and modern violins, and builds new…
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· Forte Resources
OBS for musicians
Open Broadcasting System (OBS) is free and open-source software that allows you to take still images, video, and audio from any source and combine them into a…
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· Product Recs and Reviews
2022 Holiday Gift Guide
This holiday season, treat the musician in your life (or yourself!) to a gift that will make a difference every day of the year! As many of you know, Forte is…
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· Product Recs and Reviews
Forte Gear Review: Mackie Chromium Mic
Have you been struggling with an effective and easy way to use your electric piano or electric guitar in your online lessons? Some impressive ingenuity has…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Anna Fagan
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Central Florida. Church organist/pianist for over 30 years at the Church of the Lakes in…
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· Product Recs and Reviews
Gear we love for online studios
At Forte, we put music teachers and their teaching style at the center of the educational experience. We believe that Forte’s technology should only do one…
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· Teacher Spotlights
A conversation with Rosy Sackstein
My mom, pianist, Rosalina G. Sackstein, came to the U.S. from Cuba as a refugee with nothing but her education, and ended up being globally recognized as not…
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Stephen Borgovini
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· Teacher Spotlights
Forte Teacher Spotlight: Rosy Sackstein
Bachelor of Music, University of Miami; MFA, California Institute of the Arts. Alumna of Aspen Music Festival and Tanglewood Music Festival. Over 50 years of…
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· Other News
A Forte student's journey to the New York Youth Symphony
The past two years have seen a lot of technological innovation in the world of music education. New tools, like Forte, have emerged that make it possible for…
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· Other News
How COVID drove innovation in music
Forte's Artistic and Education Director Liam Day shares his experience teaching and performing throughout the pandemic. See full article here
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· Forte Resources
From ZOOM to Forte: Improving online music education
Director and Faculty of Digital Media Ali King spoke with CIM alumnus Liam Day (BM ’05, Sachs) about performing with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra,…
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· Other News
The brave new normal of online teaching
Violist and musicologist Dr. Andrew Filmer holds a PhD in Musicology from the University of Otago and an MA in Viola Performance from Indiana University South…
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· Forte Releases
Forte's Dual Camera Feature
Having more than one camera angle can be a huge advantage when it comes to teaching an instrument online. Forte already has the ability to toggle between…
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· Other News
Aspen PALS and Forte
It goes without saying that the last 18 months have been tough. Professionals moved into their home offices, students logged on to classes from their…
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· Product Recs and Reviews
The case for external mics
When giving a lesson online, using your computer’s internal microphones and speakers is certainly the most convenient option. However, it’s not necessarily…
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· Forte Resources
Background noise in online music lessons
Over the past month, we’ve received reports of some users hearing excessive background noise during a lesson. The problem appears to be most common with…
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· Forte Resources
Music Education Resources for Teachers
These challenging times have forced music educators to showcase our flexibility and ingenuity. As our lessons have shifted online for over a year, we have had…
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· Other News
Forte's partnership with Laurel Springs provides students with access to world-class musicians
Coral “Coco” Chapman’s earliest memory is playing the piano in a music and movement class at 16 months old, choosing high or low-pitch sounds to represent…
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