“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” –Albert Einstein* Is there anything that we creative types prize more than imagination? I expect not. One way that we can support our imaginativeness is to preserve...
“Out of discipline comes freedom.” –Vincent Cichowicz, trumpeter (ITG Journal, 2007) Imagine that you’re about to practice, write, compose, or perform. How do you transition from daily life into creative mode? Specifying goals is crucial but, on its own, may not...
“At each concert, music is created anew, according to a performer’s imagination.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 112 Whenever we perform, we aim for that “in-the-moment” feeling. We strive to immerse ourselves and our listeners in the emotion of the music. Yet although...
“Practicing well is virtually an art in itself – the art of achieving economy of time and means.” –David Soyer, cellist The Musician’s Way, p. 20 When we practice well, we don’t just get great results; we also reach our goals with optimal efficiency. We work...
“I get an audience involved because I’m involved myself. If the song is a lament at the loss of love, I get an ache in my gut. . . . I cry out the loneliness.” –Frank Sinatra The Musician’s Way, p. 188 Some concerts provoke such deep feelings that audiences...
“Expertise with sight-reading belongs at the top of your list of priorities.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 99 Musicians who sight-read fluently enjoy numerous artistic and professional advantages. Professionally, because they can perform with minimal rehearsal, they’re the...
“Errors are inevitable, but suffering as a result of them is optional.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 193 Of all the skills I teach to performers, one of the most challenging ones for them to master involves the handling of on-stage mistakes. All too often, errors churn up...
“To get to authenticity, you really keep going down to the bone, to the honesty and the inevitability of something.” –Meredith Monk, singer and composer The Musician’s Way, p. 19 A music student performs a new piece, but numerous things go awry – technical glitches,...
“Creative activity could be described as a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.” –Arthur Koestler, author (Drinkers of Infinity, p. 235) The tricky passage that finally rings true, the ‘aha’ moment, the transcendent...
