The Musician's Way Blog

“You are the one who will shape yourself
into the artist that you aspire to be.”
–The Musician’s Way, p. 296

The school year is getting underway here in the Northern Hemisphere, and multitudes of music students are resuming lessons.

Are young musicians prepared to make the most of their lessons? Continue Reading

“By taking the appropriate steps, you can acquire the ability to get up in front of people and unleash your musical soul.”
-The Musician’s Way, p. 153

I’m pleased to announce the debut of the MusiciansWay.com page on Facebook. Continue Reading

Gerald Klickstein

“Amassing the know-how of a professional musician takes time and diligence, but the personal investments you make will bring rewards beyond measure.”
–The Musician’s Way, p. 314

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of MusiciansWay.com and The Musician’s Way Blog. My book The Musician’s Way debuted in August of 2009.

I invite you to join me as I commemorate these occasions.

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

“You’ve got to think about ‘big things’ while you’re doing small things
so that all the small things go in the right direction.”
–Alvin Toffler, author

When we veteran musicians practice, we begin with objectives and learning methods in mind.

If we’re preparing a new composition for a concert, let’s say, we first get an overview of the music; then we carve it into sections, identify trouble spots, knit sections together, gradually step up the tempo, and so on. We progressively assemble the composition into concert-ready form.

Are students typically practicing in ways that result in similar steady accomplishment? 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

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
–Thomas Edison, inventor

Parts I and II of this post show that we musicians need inclusive abilities and solid work ethics if we’re to seize opportunities in the new economy. In this final part, I look at strategies that expand our skills, multiply our career prospects, and ignite our dedication to creative work. Overalls optional. 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

Have you ever performed a piece of music for a teacher or coach only to learn that the printed edition you’re using contains errors or odd editorial revisions?

This post describes the four main types of published music editions and suggests ways in which we can avoid the pitfalls of faulty publications. Continue Reading

In recent years, sources for free online classical music scores have blossomed on the Web.

Here are a six outstanding sites.

Additional websites offering free and low-cost downloadable sheet music can be accessed via MusiciansWay.com under Practice, Instrument-Specific Resources, and For Singers. Continue Reading

We professional musicians love to share music with others. Whether we perform in concert halls, nightclubs, informal gatherings, or recording studios, our hard work is most rewarded when we connect with listeners.

The majority of students, though, spend little time in performance situations. By and large, they make music in practice rooms.

So, are music students typically acquiring the skills of expert performers? Continue Reading

Isaac Stern

“To be a musician in the service of music is not a job;
it is a way of life.”
–Isaac Stern, violinist (The Musician’s Way, p. 299)

The music education community is swirling with talk about how best to prepare university-level music students for modern-day careers. And for good reasons.

The music business is undergoing economic and technological upheaval, and many musicians and colleges are struggling to adapt.

Actually, some musicians appear to be thriving – those with entrepreneurial mindsets. Continue Reading

Chapter 2 of The Musician’s Way is called “Practicing Deeply, Part I.” It lays out principles upon which deep practice is built and provides frameworks that get fleshed out throughout the text. Here are the titles of the sections within the chapter:

Practicing Deeply
Habits of Excellence
Essentials of Artistic Interpretation
Mental Imaging
Warming Up Continue Reading

In September, I sat down with one of the editors at BandDirector.com to discuss music education, the content of my book The Musician’s Way, and my motivations for writing a book.

The interview was just published on their site.

If you’d like to read it, please click here. Continue Reading

This is the first in a series of posts in which I summarize how I use The Musician’s Way in my studio teaching. Here, I focus on Chapter 1. Continue Reading