“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 196 In Chapter 10 of The Musician’s Way, I emphasize that musicians should view errors not as shameful failures but as neutral information. Having such a healthy...
“Advantageous postures have an active quality; they’re always subtly in motion.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 251 In his book, On Piano Playing, Gyorgy Sandor identifies two features of beneficial postures: stability and mobility. That is, they support the weight of...
“It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I knew I was on to something.” -Ornette Coleman, saxophonist & composer The Musician’s Way, p. 190 In the discovery phase of practice, all of us make errors as we try out interpretive and technical...
“Only after I have become familiar with the style and character of the work can I start shaping an interpretation.” Yo-Yo Ma The Musician’s Way, p. 24 On a primary level, musical interpretation conveys fluctuations in emotional intensity. And one of the best ways to...
“Mr. Klickstein presents so much helpful information that you will be itching to sit at the piano with his book beside you while you practice.” -Natalie Wickham, Music Matters Blog Thousands of readers are now enjoying the Spring 2018 issue The Musician’s Way...
“Whatever music you play or sing, your aim is to express musical ideas, not spew out notes.” The Musician’s Way, p. 24 Many years ago I had lunch with two veteran music teachers who advocated what I call the “notes first” practice method. In their estimation, students...
“Collaborative music making is one of life’s true joys.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 114 It’s difficult to describe the magical feeling of synchronized music making. Suffice it to say that when we make music together, we ascend to loftier planes. But to reach...
“The Musician’s Way articulates both an artistic approach to attaining mastery of an instrument/voice and a practical approach to achieving professional goals.” -Philosophy of Music Education Review, Vol. 19, no. 1 The Winter 2018 issue of The Musician’s Way...
“There can be so much to cover in a practice session that it can seem overwhelming.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 6 Even for professional musicians, it isn’t easy to manage large numbers of practice tasks. But whatever our level of musical development, all of our...
