“Don’t give notes. Give the meaning of the notes.” –Pablo Casals, cellist The Musician’s Way, p. 34 What does it take to give meaningful performances? To begin with, we have to awaken our imaginations so that every pitch we play or sing vibrates with life. Then,...
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” –Erich Fromm, psychologist and author Is there a state of mind more adverse to creativity than rigid certainty? I doubt it. To create, we have to generate ideas that take us beyond the familiar confines of...
“At each concert, music is created anew, according to a performer’s imagination.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 112 Whenever we perform, we aim for that “in-the-moment” feeling. We strive to immerse ourselves and our listeners in the emotion of the music. Yet although...
“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...
“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...
“For you to perform with native inflection, you have to listen and listen until you break through to the soul of a style.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 98 We all enjoy listening to music. But there’s a level of musical perception that transcends ordinary hearing. Deep...
“Even the greatest virtuosos practice the fundamentals, because they are the basis of all playing.” –Wynton Marsalis Marsalis on Music, p. 124 Scales, arpeggios, exercises . . . boring stuff. Right? I don’t think so. In fact, I find the practicing of such basics to be...
“If excellence is a habit (which it is), then students must consistently play in ways that are fundamentally excellent nearly all the time.” -Robert A. Duke Whether we’re practicing or performing, all of us musicians are striving for excellence. But do students really...
It’s 10:00 a.m., and I’ve already practiced for a couple of hours. I practiced yesterday, too, and I’ll practice tomorrow. Like musicians everywhere, practice is central to the rhythm of my life. What keeps us musicians practicing? Self-motivation is a big part of it....
