One of the most important aspects of performing is communication. Even though the quality of our performance will mostly depend on how prepared we are musically, communication can help make the performance less stressful while allowing us to put most of our energy into the main thing—the music. If we are a student, it’s important … Read more
Practicing and performing should not be that different from each other when it comes to our musical approach. I believe that standards for energy, emotion, execution, and creativity shouldn’t change that much between our practice room repetitions and the stage. If someone were to eavesdrop on a practice session, they should feel like they’re hearing … Read more
After the post last week about recovering from bad performances, several folks have asked for more information and specifics in regards to the approaches I mentioned. This post will be part of a series on methods we can use to treat each practice session and/or rehearsal as a performance—hopefully making each performance less tense and … Read more
Poor performances can send shock waves through our system. Any of us who have played music for a long time can probably share multiple horror stories in regards to performances. The culprits range from things outside of our control to things we are directly responsible for. Either way, it usually feels horrible. Between my own … Read more
The first time I hosted a masterclass for my students where they worked with a guest artist, I remember feeling a little confused and disappointed. There were several times during the event when the guest would point out the most obvious things a student needed to do to improve their performance. Because these areas discussed … Read more
The final post in this memorization series is about learning large chunks of music or big pieces/programs quickly and efficiently—without needing the printed music. If you have been following the last few posts on the topic and trying them out, this post should feel like a logical extension. Large pieces of music or big programs … Read more
Repetition has long been a staple of music pedagogy. As students, we were always asked to play the same section a certain number of times in a row to obtain “mastery” (whatever that is). When most of us became teachers, we just continued the tradition. When I broke from that tradition, I noticed that my … Read more
While a student at the University of Miami, I wrote an original jazz tune for one of our ensembles that I was very excited about. I felt the tune captured the vibe of the famous Miles Davis quintet from the ‘60s… That was the theme of the ensemble. The tune had unpredictable harmonic rhythm, harmony … Read more
Our students are typically really into music. As teachers, we often assess a student’s musical engagement by how much and how well they practice in relation to what we ask them to do. However, an untapped goldmine for teachers lies in the music students engage with outside of the lesson. Most of us know about … Read more
For many students of music, performing without the printed music in front of them can be a stressful venture. Over the years, I’ve eliminated the word “memorized” from my teaching vocabulary—and it has helped my students tremendously. However, for the sake of honoring the tradition, I’ve included the word “memorize” from time to time in … Read more
