“Wherever you hope to travel on your musical journey, practice is the only route to getting there.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 3 People often refer to accomplished musicians as “talented,” but research shows that artistic and technical abilities primarily...
“If you have a passion for music, I hope that these pages will be a beacon on your journey toward limitless artistic growth.” The Musician’s Way, p. vi To succeed at university-level music studies, newly enrolled students require skills to practice and perform,...
“For you to achieve your promise as a performing artist, you need a profound understanding of performance preparation.” The Musician’s Way, p. 154 We music educators know how rewarding it is to teach instrumental or vocal performance. We also know that teaching can be...
“Beyond personal fulfillment, the decisive aim of practice is to prepare performances because, as an art form, music centers on the interaction between performer and listener.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 4 For vocalists and instrumentalists alike, music making cycles...
“Performance anxiety doesn’t yield to band-aid solutions, nor does it abate on its own.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 146 Camille was a 19-year-old amateur pianist who excelled in school but was petrified to play in public.* Her anxiety had surfaced in...
“We get messed up because we don’t have a clear image . . . and thereby give ourselves too many conflicting messages about how to play.” -Eloise Ristad, A Soprano on Her Head, p. 116-117 The first stages of working on a piece set the foundation upon...