“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...
“Slow practice can establish habits that are completely unrelated to the coordination demanded for speed.” –Abby Whiteside, pianist The Musician’s Way, p. 48 All of us acknowledge the value of slow practice: by working at deliberate tempos, we cultivate the ease that...
“How you shape your practice schedule will in many ways determine the course of your creative life.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 11 The February/March edition of The Musician’s Way Newsletter has landed in subscribers’ inboxes and is being forwarded widely. As...
“Routine drill is a poor substitute for the fun of utilizing ears and rhythm for making music.” –Abby Whiteside, pianist Abby Whiteside on Piano Playing, p. 5 “Tick, tick, tick,” drones the metronome. “Plunk, plunk, plunk,” goes the music student. What’s wrong with...
“Fortune favors the prepared mind.” –Louis Pasteur, scientist I often hear creative people attribute their breakthroughs to luck: “My ideas come to me out of nowhere,” they’ll claim. I don’t think so. Although breakthroughs may seem fortuitous, they actually...
“The most important practice session of the week isn’t the one right before your lesson; it’s the one right after.”–The Musician’s Way, p. 296 As lessons or performances approach, many music students ramp up their practice time; then, afterward, they ease off. I think...
“How can we have a goal in practice, feel inspired by a sense of purpose and direction, and yet avoid becoming caught in a tangle of straining and striving?” –Joseph Goldstein, author Insight Meditation, p. 29 Have you ever felt entangled by your musical aspirations,...
