“One must approach music with a serious rigor and, at the same time, with a great, affectionate joy.” –Nadia Boulanger The Musician’s Way, p. 292 How we sound in performance is a direct result of how we practice. So even though practice entails focused work, it’s...
“Your artistic evolution is best served by steady, judicious practice.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 11 Consistent practice empowers us to become the artists we aspire to be. But skillful practice doesn’t just happen – we have to learn how to...
“I think it’s beautiful to practice. I LOVE to practice.” -Claudio Arrau, pianist* To be a musician is to be someone who practices. Day after day, we musicians work in solitude to learn new repertoire, refine old repertoire, and polish our skills....
“The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.” -Duke Ellington The Musician’s Way, p. 14 We veteran musicians know that our creativity blossoms when we perform music that fits our style and technique. Students, though, often attempt to...
“To escalate the tempo of newly learned material, you first have to reduce the effort required to play or sing it at your initial tempo.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 73 Some of the thorniest challenges we encounter in practice surround increasing the tempos of newly...
“How you shape your practice schedule will in many ways determine the course of your creative life.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 11 Consistent, deep practice is the rocket fuel of musical development. When we live by regular practice schedules we reap countless benefits....
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” -Victor Hugo The Musician’s Way, p. 5 All of us musicians feel something within us that cannot remain silent. But to forge lasting, full-time music careers, we have...
“For music and service to become your way of life, you must confront economic realities.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 299 Aspiring classical musicians commonly study in a context resembling the ancient “master-apprentice” model. That is, they take...
“Take the action and the insight will follow.” –Anne Lamott, author The Musician’s Way, p. 107 Suppose that you want to start a creative project – compose a solo, write a song, design a logo, or whatever. You’ve done your research and set aside time to...
