“Meaning, not originality, is what matters most in your day-to-day practice.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 312 Psychologist and author Eric Maisel writes about three types of meaning that people experience in life. One is received meaning, the kind that’s...
“The Musician’s Way is unique in that it articulates the universal elements of the musician’s creative process.” I’m pleased to share with The Musician’s Way community the text of an interview I did with the noted website, BandDirector.com. In...
From 2026-2031, the college-age population in the U.S. will decline sharply, about 15%, due to the reduced birth rate during the great recession.* Combine that with competition from online learning, and numerous brick-and-mortar colleges are expected to shut down...
“I recognized a gap between what we musicians typically learn during our schooling and what we actually need to know.” -Gerald Klickstein In September 2018, Yamaha Music Media published a Japanese translation of The Musician’s Way, which rocketed to the top of its...
“The earlier the symptoms are recognized and treated, the sooner and more completely recovery occurs.” -Richard Norris, M.D. The Musician’s Way, p. 246 At some point in our lives, most of us musicians incur injuries that affect our ability to play or sing....
“The vocal folds need to be lubricated with a thin layer of mucus in order to vibrate efficiently. The best lubrication can be achieved by drinking plenty of water.” -Texas Voice Center The Musician’s Way, p. 270 The human voice is perhaps the most sublime of...
“Whatever music you play or sing, your aim is to express musical ideas, not spew out notes.” The Musician’s Way, p. 24 Many years ago I had lunch with two veteran music teachers who advocated what I call the “notes first” practice method. In their estimation, students...
“There can be so much to cover in a practice session that it can seem overwhelming.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 6 Even for professional musicians, it isn’t easy to manage large numbers of practice tasks. But whatever our level of musical development, all of our...
“When I finally saw how I looked, I realized that I was distracting the audience from the music.” -Alfred Brendel, pianist The Musician’s Way, p. 171 Imagine standing backstage prior to your entrance at the start of a concert: as the house lights dim, the...
