The Musician's Way Blog

Louis Armstrong

“What we play is life.”
–Louis Armstrong, trumpeter and composer

Would many musicians dispute Louis Armstrong’s words? I doubt it.

With each turn of a phrase, we performers spin out some of the essence of being alive, and we relish every moment.

But we don’t create music for ourselves alone. Music is a social art that peaks in the interaction between performers and listeners.

And through our relationship with the public, we achieve both artistic and financial success. Continue Reading

Branford Marsalis

“We have something that is unique. We have our craft. We have our art. We have our desire.”
–Branford Marsalis, saxophonist

Craft, art, desire. Add persistent hard work, and what do you get? Artistic and professional success.

Why is it, then, that some students who are passionate about making music and have opportunities to refine their skills will practice intently yet others won’t?

There can be many reasons, but Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, offers one compelling explanation.  Continue Reading

“To rely on muscular habit, which so many do in technique, is indeed fatal.
A little nervousness, a muscle bewildered and unable to direct itself, and where are you? For technique is truly a matter of the brain.”
–Fritz Kreisler, violinist

When Kreisler said that technique was ‘of the brain,’ I assume that he was referring to the diverse mental processes through which we musicians direct our execution.

And I think that he wasn’t merely speaking about mechanics but rather pointing to the inclusive artistic and physical aspects of music making. Continue Reading

Michael Giacchino

“If you want to be creative, get out there and do it.”
–Michael Giacchino, composer

Almost all of the ambitious music students I meet share two common concerns.

They wonder, “Do I have what it takes?” And, ”Will I be able to earn a living in music?”

I propose that, for the students I encounter, the answer to both questions is yes. Continue Reading

“Of all my skills, none is more important
than the ability to organize my time.”
–Twyla Tharp, choreographer (The Creative Habit, p. 178)

Whether you’re a mature musician or a rising one, your creative output will hinge on your knack for carving out practice time and using it productively.

Here is a septet of strategies that will help you make the most of your practice. Continue Reading

John Cage

“I can’t understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I’m frightened by the old ones.”
–John Cage, composer

When I go to classical music concerts here in the U.S., I mostly find older listeners in attendance, even when the performers are college age.

But the classical music audience hasn’t always been graying. In the mid 20th century, classical music was hip in America, and young music lovers flocked to concerts.

What happened? And how can young classical musicians put on concerts that their peers will pay to hear? Continue Reading

Luciano Pavarotti

“People think I am disciplined. It is not discipline, it is devotion. There is a great difference.”
–Luciano Pavarotti, singer

What empowers some musicians to keep growing while others fizzle? I’m convinced that, above all, it’s self-motivation.

Self-motivated musicians overflow with enthusiasm. Whether they attain international status or just perform locally, they’re devoted to their art and their listeners. They perpetually work on projects that excite them.

I believe that we all have the potential to spur ourselves to ever-greater heights of creativity. But, to do so, we need an arsenal of self-motivating strategies. Continue Reading

Itzhak Perlman

“The single most important goal for performing artists
is to see how they are doing.”
–Itzhak Perlman, violinist (The Musician’s Way, p. 202)

Suppose that you’re practicing a new piece. How do you know that one portion is learned securely enough for you to tackle another?

Later on, how do you determine that the music is concert-ready?

Then, following a performance, what enables you to pinpoint the aspects of your execution that need polishing? Continue Reading

“In order to be creative
you have to know how to prepare to be creative.”
-Twyla Tharp, choreographer (The Creative Habit, p. 9)

Even though musical expertise results from persistent practice, it can be tough for us musicians to stick to our practice schedules over the span of months and years.

What’s more, when we arrive at the practice studio, it isn’t always easy for us to make inspired music.

Nonetheless, I believe that all of us can be consistently and deeply creative. But the key to our doing so lies in our ability to plan and otherwise prepare our practice sessions. Continue Reading

I just finished watching President Obama’s State of the Union speech. Regarding education, the President said, “Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform – reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools.”

Do you see a problem with that statement? I do. Continue Reading

Time and again, when I hear students audition, some will attempt to perform music that’s beyond their capacities.

“This’ll be impressive,” they surmise, as they struggle through one phrase after another.

Such students seldom realize that their misguided choices of repertoire don’t just fail to impress but also hamper their progress:  Continue Reading

When you confront a technical challenge in your music making, does a voice within you ever say, “Try harder”?

I get the impression that many rising musicians believe that trying harder will result in greater precision.

But I advocate a reverse strategy: withdrawing effort. Continue Reading

Do you ever dodge practice?

Say, your practice time arrives, and you race off to do some chore. It might be a chore that you detest, but now it calls to you. Then, instead of working on your music, you start cleaning the house or doing whatever.

If that scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Artists of every sort contend with avoidant behaviors.

Why do we sidestep practice? Often, the answer stems from the nature of creative work. Continue Reading

Whether we plan to create a performance, composition, essay, or mousetrap, we have to launch our project and work on it regularly.

But we all know that creative ventures often fizzle because we, the would-be creators, stall. We convince ourselves that we’re not ready or that no one will care. We procrastinate.

In the end, far too many of us never get started on the things we hope to create and thereby cheat ourselves out of meaningful accomplishment.

Personally, I don’t intend to miss out on forging a meaningful life. I’m committed to doing the creative work that matters to me.

The key to my output is that I live by the following six habits that enable me to get started on my projects every day. Continue Reading

My book The Musician’s Way emphasizes that, to build our abilities as performers, we have to develop personally effective ways to practice, collaborate, present concerts, relate to our communities, and stay in top form.

That is, we must assemble bundles of artistic, professional, and self-care skills.

To gather the know-how we need, we can and should learn from authorities, tap research, and observe and listen to other musicians.

But, in the end, we can’t become capable musicians by gathering information alone. Continue Reading