“Practicing a new piece of music is like starting a love affair.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 106 The June/July issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter features news, tips, inspiration, and resources in a collection that you won’t find anywhere else. Ever have...
“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...
“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...
“The road to improvement is paved with evaluations.” The Musician’s Way, p. 296 Whatever our level of artistic development, we’re always aiming to grow. And one of the primary ways that we advance is through critiques because other viewpoints alert us to our blind...
“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,...
“Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations.” –Rollo May The Courage to Create, p. 115 I’ll bet that nearly all of us could be more creative than we are. Why don’t we create abundantly? One reason is that we often flee from the...
“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...
“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...
“Learning the basics in a rote, unthinking manner almost ensures mediocrity.” –Ellen Langer, psychologist The Power of Mindful Learning, p. 14 How does mindfulness apply to music making? When we’re mindful, we notice. We attend to our sound, emotions, execution, and...
