“People have often said to me, ‘You’re so relaxed when you play.’ Relaxed my elbow. It’s practice.” –Benny Goodman, clarinetist The Musician’s Way, p. 199 It may seem that elite musicians like Benny Goodman excel on stage because...
“Your central tasks are finding inner peace and strength, on the one hand, and being very well-prepared for your performances, on the other.” -Eric Maisel, author & psychologist The Musician’s Way, p. 146 In my previous post, “The 3 Roots of Performance...
“No matter how much I rehearsed, I never felt ready for the stage. Instead, I felt like a deer stumbling into oncoming traffic on a dark road.” –Shannon Sexton, singer & writer The Musician’s Way, p. 140 I expect that every performer knows what it’s like to...
“Artistic performers are prepared performers.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 155 Imagine that you’re backstage, minutes before the start of a concert: Are you feeling confident, or are you worried that things could go awry? Unlike less-experienced...
“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...