“Beyond personal fulfillment, the decisive aim of practice is to prepare performances because, as an art form, music centers on the interaction between performer and listener.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 4 For vocalists and instrumentalists alike, music making cycles...
“When you step on stage, your awareness of your material will anchor your control and set your creativity free.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 37 The Spring 2025 issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter is now available With dozens of articles curated by Gerald...
“We get messed up because we don’t have a clear image . . . and thereby give ourselves too many conflicting messages about how to play.” -Eloise Ristad, A Soprano on Her Head, p. 116-117 The first stages of working on a piece set the foundation upon...
“Confidence doesn’t hinge on eliminating all nervous interference; rather, it results from knowing that you’re able to perform well whether you deal with interference or not.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 182 The Spring 2024 issue of The Musician’s Way...
“Deep practice integrates all that you are – your body, mind, and spirit.” The Musician’s Way, p. 20 Expert musicians possess numerous abilities that are apparent on stage – rich tone, fluent execution, dramatic interpretation, secure memory, and so forth....
“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 The Musician’s Way, I show that stage fright arises due...
“Security in performance doesn’t result from purging all nervous symptoms. It arises from knowing that you can perform well whether you feel jumpy or not.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 150-51 The Winter 2023 issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter has arrived in...
“I suppose that when I play in public it looks easy, but before I ever came on the concert stage I worked very hard. And I do yet – but always putting the two things together, mental work and physical work.” -Jascha Heifetz, violinist (1901-1987) The Musician’s...
“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...
