by Gerald Klickstein | Apr 30, 2024 | memorization, music practice, The Musician's Way
“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...
by Gerald Klickstein | Feb 20, 2024 | music performance, performance anxiety, stage presence, The Musician's Way
“ Confident performance is not a fluke, but the product of imaginative and consistent synthesis of technical and emotional work. ” -Frank R. Wilson The Musician’s Way, p. 146 In a highlight of the 2024 Grammy Awards ceremony, singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman sang her...
by Gerald Klickstein | Oct 26, 2022 | creative process, music performance, performance anxiety, The Musician's Way
“Give yourself over to the emotion of the music while you also lead the music, directing your execution and the emotional flow.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 187 Aspiring musicians work hard to develop technical and interpretive skills. After all, those are the most...
by Gerald Klickstein | Jun 17, 2018 | music performance, music practice, performance anxiety
“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...
by Gerald Klickstein | May 16, 2017 | music performance, music practice, performance anxiety
“Without inclusive preparation, musicians can’t be cool in high-stakes situations” –The Musician’s Way, p. 148 Performance anxiety stifles the ambitions of countless musicians. Yet the path to becoming a fearless performer is open to any musician who chooses to...
by Gerald Klickstein | Feb 28, 2016 | creative process, music practice, The Musician's Way
“My biggest kick in music – playing or writing – is when I have a problem. Without a problem to solve, how much interest do you take in anything?” –Duke Ellington The Musician’s Way, p. 54 No matter how musically advanced we become, we encounter passages...
by Gerald Klickstein | Jan 24, 2016 | music performance, music practice, The Musician's Way
“The outset of learning is when you instill enduring habits because the brain and body tend to imprint.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 42 Many music students begin working on new pieces by doing heaps of sketchy run-throughs and sloppy repetitions. Then, after...
by Gerald Klickstein | Apr 15, 2015 | creativity, music performance, music practice
“Treat everything you play on your instrument as an important piece of music, even if you are just warming up.” -Wynton Marsalis The Musician’s Way, p. 22 Countless musicians set their instruments aside as their lives unfold, yet their desire to make music remains. If...
