“The beauty in playing the instrument is not to be better than the next person but to stay true to oneself, to set one’s own standards and keep to them.” –Andrés Cárdenes, violinist The Musician’s Way, p. 305 In many ways, we succeed or flounder as...
The June/July edition of The Musician’s Way Newsletter brings together 18 articles and online resources of value to musicians and all creative people. For instance, resilience is essential to creative work because it enables us to learn from setbacks and keep...
“To be on stage is to be in charge.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 179 Take a moment to recall the stage presence of some memorable soloists: Don’t they convey authenticity and enjoyment? Authenticity and enjoyment are common features of commanding performers, so it...
“Display confident body language, come what may.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 194 Are you confident in your ability to deal with on-stage mistakes? I’ve found that rising musicians seldom practice handling errors, so they typically don’t manage them as gracefully as they...
“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?” –Henry David Thoreau In a classic episode of the animated comedy South Park, the main characters track down a clan of gnomes who have been stealing the townspeople’s...
