by Gerald Klickstein | Nov 8, 2009 | creative process, music practice, The Musician's Way
Let’s say that you’re about to practice a new piece of music: What’s your typical plan of attack? Researchers have observed that expert and student musicians display profound differences in their approaches to learning new material, and those differences lead to huge...
by Gerald Klickstein | Oct 18, 2009 | creative process, music education, The Musician's Way
Chapter 2 of The Musician’s Way spells out deep practice principles and provides frameworks that get fleshed out throughout the text. The individual sections are titled: Practicing Deeply Habits of Excellence Essentials of Artistic Interpretation Mental Imaging...
by Gerald Klickstein | Feb 11, 2026 | creative process, Entrepreneurship, music careers, music performance, The Musician's Way
“Music making is a never-ceasing process of change and progress.” –Jacqueline du Pré, cellist The Musician’s Way, p. 205 If you aspire to perform as an independent musician, whether solo or in small groups, this article will help you stay ahead of change and be...
by Gerald Klickstein | Nov 18, 2025 | Music Higher Education, music performance, music practice, The Musician's Way
“Wherever you hope to travel on your musical journey, practice is the only route to getting there.” The Musician’s Way – p. 3 People often refer to accomplished musicians as “talented,” but research shows that artistic and technical abilities...
by Gerald Klickstein | Nov 3, 2024 | music education, music performance, performance anxiety, The Musician's Way
“Performance anxiety doesn’t yield to band-aid solutions, nor does it abate on its own.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 146 Camille was a 19-year-old amateur pianist who excelled in school but was petrified to play in public.* Her anxiety had surfaced in...
by Gerald Klickstein | Mar 7, 2024 | Newsletter
“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...
by Gerald Klickstein | Jun 17, 2023 | Newsletter
“When, through repetition, you practice being inventive and playful, your concerts will resound with those same spontaneous traits.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 53 The Summer 2023 issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter has arrived in subscribers’ inboxes and...
by Gerald Klickstein | Sep 28, 2021 | music careers, music education, Music Higher Education
“There are plenty of fine educators in the world – and some not-so-fine ones, too.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 293 I advise numerous aspiring music educators each year, and I find that many lack clarity about a vital aspect of teaching and learning. That is, they confuse...
by Gerald Klickstein | Apr 21, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, music education, Newsletter
“Whatever the material, your repetitions should lead somewhere meaningful – to greater ease, higher beauty, and deeper feeling.” The Musician’s Way, p. 52 The Spring 2021 issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter brings together music news, creative...