“The habits that enable you to perform expressively in public can only be instilled through practice.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 149 When you’re onstage, do you feel secure and creative? If not, the reasons probably stem from the habits you reinforce in practice....
“What is best in music is not to be found in the notes.” –Gustav Mahler (Gunther Schuller, The Compleat Conductor, Oxford, 1998, p. 106) If you’re a classical musician who aspires to a concert career, you’re in danger. In danger of becoming a commodity. That’s because...
“Playing is never difficult; it is either easy, or it is impossible.” -Kato Havas, violinist The Musician’s Way, p. 21 We all love how it feels to play or sing with ease. That sense of freedom we enjoy when physical tension melts away and mental...
“You can control your performance but not the result of an audition or a competition.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 221 Whenever you audition or compete, you offer yourself up for criticism. That criticism may be overt, as when judges provide comments, or it may be...
“By safeguarding your hearing, you don’t just look after your music career; you preserve your quality of life.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 278 If you’re fortunate enough to have healthy hearing, it’s likely that you take your ability for granted. Yet...
