“With a commitment on your calendar, your practice becomes targeted toward an exhilarating purpose.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 108 Some musicians relish daily practice; others struggle to work consistently. Whatever our relationship with practice might be,...
“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...
“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....
“Your music teachers should have high expectations for you, and you for them.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 295 Few things have greater impacts on our musical development than our choices of teachers. How can aspiring performers single out teachers who can not...
“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....
“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...