“The real essence of art turned out to be not something high up and far off – it was right inside my ordinary daily self.” –Shinichi Suzuki, violinist, author & teacher The Musician’s Way, p. 109 I’m always surprised when I hear people attribute creativity to...
“To achieve your musical potential, you have to commit to the creative process, take risks, and follow your heart.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 112 To gain a deeper understanding of something, it often helps to consider its opposite. So, in the interest of helping you...
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” –Erich Fromm, psychologist and author Is there a state of mind more adverse to creativity than rigid certainty? I doubt it. To create, we have to generate ideas that take us beyond the familiar confines of...
“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...
“The route to becoming an accomplished musician is seldom smooth and trouble free.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 202 We musicians may dream of performing brilliantly at every show or audition, but, in reality, things don’t always go as well as we’d like. Especially for...
“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...
“A concert hall is like a shrine that people turn to for something that they can’t get anywhere else.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 154 If we’re to fill seats in concert halls, we have to present programs and experiences that resonate with audiences. And one way to design...
“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...
