“I continued to play with a sore arm with the rationalization that I could play through the pain and that the discomfort would just miraculously go away as I got into better shape as a cellist. But the pain didn’t go away. It got worse.” –Janet Horvath, cellist The...
“Few occasions in life are more hopeful than when musicians team up to form ensembles.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 115 If you’ve performed with a band or other group, then you know how magical collective music making can be. You’ve probably also learned that...
“The purpose of technique is to free the unconscious.” –David Mamet, playwright & director On Directing Film, p. 6 When we acquire robust technical skills, barriers to musical expression drop away. We internally “hear” musical gestures, and then we...
“The Musician’s Way should be on the shelf of every aspiring professional musician and every serious music educator.” —Clavier Companion, May/June 2010 This week marks the two-year anniversary of the launching of MusiciansWay.com. And what an incredible two...
“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...
“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...
“The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” –Carl Jung, psychologist Psychological Types, p. 123 Can deliberate practice be both productive and playful? That is, can we zero in on specific tasks in practice, work intensely, and feel exuberant at...
“As a member of a quartet, you come to realize that you’re responsible for other people’s reputations and livelihoods as well as your own.” –Michael Tree, violist The Musician’s Way, p. 115 Few things in life bring as much joy as collaborative music making. When we...
“The simplest things are the ones that count.” –Pablo Casals, cellist Casals and the Art of Interpretation, p. vi Have you ever dealt with discomfort caused by sitting? Most of us sit for hours each day as we practice, study, and use computers. I’ve observed, though,...
