If you’ve ever taken a professional orchestra audition, and perhaps even a seating audition at school or at a summer festival, have you ever wondered what the musicians on the other side of the room or the screen are listening for? Is it our sound? Intonation? Rhythm? Phrasing? Consistency? Expressiveness? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get into the heads of audition committees and find out what they’re thinking when they hear us play? Well, we may not be able to read their minds, but a 2022 study gets us close. Source ..read more

My daughter was reading an SAT test prep book recently, and pointed out to me that among many other tips on grammar and math, one of the study hacks was to stay physically active. The idea was that it can be easy to spend all of your time studying at your desk - but then you'd miss out on the potential learning and memory (and mental health) benefits of exercise. Source ..read more

When my kids took music lessons, they often put off practicing until a day or two before their lesson, at which point they’d try to cram a week’s worth of practice into a single marathon practice session. Source ..read more

Whether you’re a pianist, string player, or wind player, you know how it can be really difficult to get the two sides of your body to cooperate sometimes? For me, this often manifested as “smudging” or “blurring” of notes in fast passage with string crossings. Where because my left hand and right hand weren’t quite in sync, things didn’t sound as clean and crisp as they should. Source ..read more

Whether it’s auditioning for orchestra jobs, securing a residency for your string quartet, or building up your teaching studio, have you ever had one of those moments where you begin to question whether things are ever going to work out? Source ..read more

Parents, teachers, coaches in every sports movie you’ve ever watched, and strangers on the internet often emphasize how important it is that we believe in ourselves. For instance, here’s a popular quote that I’m sure you’ve stumbled across on the internet: “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.” -Henry […] Source ..read more

When you think of classical music, what instruments come to mind? An orchestral instrument of some kind, like strings, woodwinds, brass, or percussion? Maybe piano? Voice? Or guitar? Would accordion make your list? Source ..read more

Years ago, I read a book where the author described a study that made a compelling case for writing down your goals. The study was said to have taken place in 1979, where members of Harvard’s graduating MBA class were asked whether they had a) set any specific goals, b) written those goals down, and c) come up with plans to accomplish them. Source ..read more

In this month’s conversation, I’m joined by Jason Shafer, who is principal clarinetist of the Colorado Symphony and on the faculty of the University of Northern Colorado and the International Festival-Institute at Round Top. Jason is also nearing completion of a master’s degree in performance psychology, and so we explore the many ways in which his performance psychology studies have influenced his approach to practicing, performing, and teaching. Source ..read more

Whether it’s the gentle fluttering of butterflies in your tummy that you wake up with on the morning of a performance, or the frantic churning of butterflies that you feel backstage while waiting to play, figuring out how to manage pre-performance nerves can be a real challenge. Source ..read more