“We first make our habits and then our habits make us.” –John Dryden, poet The Musician’s Way, p. 20 When you practice, are you consistently focused and productive? If not, the reason may be due to chronic habits that undermine your attention and creativity. Here are...
“One must approach music with a serious vigor and, at the same time, with great, affectionate joy.” –Nadia Boulanger, pianist & composer The Musician’s Way, p. 292 When listeners, journalists, and concert presenters visit musicians’ websites, they absorb the...
“Practice holds a place of honor in the life of a musician.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 4 All of us veteran musicians share the same twin aims when we practice: to polish our skills and prepare music for performances. We also know how to accomplish our goals efficiently....
“I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning. …Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” -Miles Davis, trumpeter and composer (The Musician’s Way, p. 309) Thanks to the code-happy primates at...
“I continued to play with a sore arm with the rationalization that I could play through the pain and that the discomfort would just miraculously go away as I got into better shape as a cellist. But the pain didn’t go away. It got worse.” –Janet Horvath, cellist The...
