“Like visual artists who learn to work safely with toxic paints and chemicals, musicians need the expertise to handle high-intensity sounds.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 283 We musicians fundamentally rely on our hearing, yet music school curricula have scarcely addressed...
“By safeguarding your hearing, you don’t just look after your music career; you preserve your quality of life.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 278 If you’re fortunate enough to have healthy hearing, it’s likely that you take your ability for granted. Yet...
“Nearly all musicians’ injuries are preventable.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 230 Whenever school years or music festivals begin, music students dive into intense practice schedules. But those fresh starts come with high risks of injury. The Dangers of Overuse...
“I continued to play with a sore arm with the rationalization that I could play through the pain and that the discomfort would just miraculously go away as I got into better shape as a cellist. But the pain didn’t go away. It got worse.” –Janet Horvath, cellist The...
“Begin slowly and increase gradually any unaccustomed use of the hands.” –Michael Charness, MD The Musician’s Way, p. 237 Guitarists Billy McLaughlin and Liona Boyd, pianists Leon Fleischer and Gary Graffman – all are musicians whose careers were upended by the...
“Breaks are as vital to musicians as they are to athletes.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 75 If you’re like me, you typically become absorbed during practice sessions, so much so that it often doesn’t seem that breaks would be necessary. But even when we feel mentally...
“The simplest things are the ones that count.” –Pablo Casals, cellist Casals and the Art of Interpretation, p. vi Have you ever dealt with discomfort caused by sitting? Most of us sit for hours each day as we practice, study, and use computers. I’ve observed, though,...
“Of all my skills, none is more important than the ability to organize my time.” –Twyla Tharp, choreographer The Creative Habit, p. 178 Whether you’re a mature musician or a rising one, your creative output will hinge on your knack for allocating practice time and...
“I ignored all my body’s warning signals in the name of ‘dedication’ to what I was doing. I had absolutely no idea that this little problem would in fact threaten my career.” –Christine Harrison, violinist The Musician’s Way, p. 238 We may not like to admit it, but we...
