“Routine drill is a poor substitute for the fun of utilizing ears and rhythm for making music.” –Abby Whiteside, pianist Abby Whiteside on Piano Playing, p. 5 “Tick, tick, tick,” drones the metronome. “Plunk, plunk, plunk,” goes the music student. What’s wrong with...
“Fortune favors the prepared mind.” –Louis Pasteur, scientist I often hear creative people attribute their breakthroughs to luck: “My ideas come to me out of nowhere,” they’ll claim. I don’t think so. Although breakthroughs may seem fortuitous, they actually...
“The simplest things are the ones that count.” –Pablo Casals, cellist Casals and the Art of Interpretation, p. vi Have you ever dealt with discomfort caused by sitting? Most of us sit for hours each day as we practice, study, and use computers. I’ve observed, though,...
“The most important practice session of the week isn’t the one right before your lesson; it’s the one right after.”–The Musician’s Way, p. 296 As lessons or performances approach, many music students ramp up their practice time; then, afterward, they ease off. I think...
“Research has shown that people who adopt mastery goals experience the lowest levels of performance anxiety.” –Music Educators Journal, Dec. 2010.* When we step on stage, nothing affects our state of mind more than our goals. Mastery goals inspire us to be artistic...
