“The ease of your entry into the music profession will largely depend on the doors you open while you’re a student.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 305 If you’re studying music with the intention of becoming a professional, then, to succeed after graduating from a...
“To achieve your musical potential, you have to commit to the creative process, take risks, and follow your heart.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 112 To gain a deeper understanding of something, it often helps to consider its opposite. So, in the interest of helping you...
“The Musician’s Way should be on the shelf of every aspiring professional musician and every serious music educator.” —Clavier Companion, May/June 2010 This week marks the two-year anniversary of the launching of MusiciansWay.com. And what an incredible two...
“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 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...
“Practicing well is virtually an art in itself – the art of achieving economy of time and means.” –David Soyer, cellist The Musician’s Way, p. 20 When we practice well, we don’t just get great results; we also reach our goals with optimal efficiency. We work...
“I will cast this spell: I know I can open this door and show you something unforgettable and transforming, and I’m determined to take myself there and to take you with me.” –Jeffrey Kahane, pianist The Musician’s Way, p. 177 When was the last time that you cast a...
“Auditions may be among your most significant career-building performances. Why not enjoy them?” –The Musician’s Way, p. 222 Having heard countless auditions over the years, I’ve learned that few young musicians audition well. Time and again, gaps in their judgment...
“I get an audience involved because I’m involved myself. If the song is a lament at the loss of love, I get an ache in my gut. . . . I cry out the loneliness.” –Frank Sinatra The Musician’s Way, p. 188 Some concerts provoke such deep feelings that audiences...
