“Ultimately, your musical progress will depend more on your skillfulness with the creative process than on any talent.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 313 When I teach introductory workshops on The Musician’s Way, I organize concepts using frameworks that musicians can...
“As your performance abilities and coping skills grow, your confidence will become unshakable.” The Musician’s Way, p. 170 The Winter/Spring 2022 issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter compiles resources tailored to novice and veteran musicians alike. From tips...
“Herein lies the secret to artistry on the concert stage: Artistic performers are prepared performers.” The Musician’s Way, p. 155 The Fall 2021 issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter brings together dozens of resources for music students, professionals, and...
“We get messed up because we don’t have a clear image . . . and therefore give ourselves too many conflicting messages about how to play.” -Eloise Ristad A Soprano On Her Head, p. 116-117 When we set out to learn a new piece, it can resemble a romance, and we’re...
“You adapt yourself to the contents of the paintbox.” —Paul Klee, painter The Musician’s Way, p. 121 Like a painter dipping into a limited palette, a musician practicing an isolated part has to adapt to material that’s incomplete. A part played or sung out of context...
“When I sit in Paris in a café, surrounded by people, I don’t sit casually – I go over a certain sonata in my head and discover new things all the time.” —Arthur Rubinstein, pianist The Musician’s Way, p. 34 Like Arthur Rubinstein, countless expert musicians use...
“When you’re thoroughly prepared for a concert, you’ve taken charge of the personal, task-oriented and situational components of performing.” The Musician’s Way, p. 155 The Winter 2020 issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter is now available....
“It’s very gratifying to improvise in front of people. I feel I’m including them in what I’m doing, taking them someplace they might like to go and haven’t been before.” -Jim Hall, guitarist The Musician’s Way, p. 102 Improvisation is the most playful way that we can...
“It’s better to do 30 minutes of high-quality work than to spin your wheels for hours.” The Musician’s Way, p. 312 Although we musicians strive to maintain regular practice schedules, we all confront periodic obstacles that prevent us from working as...
