“Music is indivisible. The dualism of feeling and thinking must be resolved to a state of unity in which one thinks with the heart and feels with the brain” –George Szell, conductor (George Szell: A Life in Music, p. 212) Have you ever heard a note-perfect performance...
“Ultimately, your musical progress will depend more on your skillfulness with the creative process than on any talent.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 313 We dedicated musicians invest heavily in growing our abilities because we know that the personal and professional...
“Everything you know is important. But you shouldn’t assume that the poem or music you create will come from what you know; it comes from what you don’t know.”* –W.S. Merwin, poet Suppose that you’re about to practice, compose, or improvise: Do you aim to restate past...
“When, through repetition, you practice being inventive and playful, your concerts will resound with those same spontaneous traits.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 53 We musicians do a lot of repeating. In practice, we necessarily repeat material to refine our skills, learn...
“Your imagination with programming can make the difference between your becoming either a busy performer with an eager audience or one who performs little.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 216 Why do people attend concerts by rising musicians? Primarily because they feel...
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” –John Steinbeck* If you’re a musician who brims with ideas, you’ve probably learned piles of repertoire that you’d like to maintain. Still,...
