Back in 2018 I had the good fortune to see Dr. Mallory Thompson in action at the Shenandoah Conducting Symposium. She is a dear friend and mentor and I surprised her by not only crashing the symposium but then playing in the ensemble while she worked with the conductors. I had my phone on my stand the entire time because I was frantically taking notes. She is a phenomenal musician and master teacher. Here are 45 Mallory Thompson quotes that I jotted down over the two days I was there. She discusses stick technique, score study, creativity, putting in the work, rehearsal technique and so much ..read more

“Dear Writer, The doubt never goes away, no matter how successful you are. So why not write anyway? Signed, Your Future Readers” —#1 New York Times Best-Selling Author Angie Thomas What a generous thing for Angie Thomas to say. We can all fall into the trap of thinking that the doubt we feel is because we aren't good enough or because our work isn't good enough. But the truth is that we have doubt because literally everyone has doubt at times - and that especially goes for anyone brave enough to make something and then share it with the world. When an author who has received the kind of pro ..read more

(The following originally appeared on the TEM Blog) I stumbled onto this blog post and it has my head spinning! Here’s an excerpt: “If you look around your home, you might notice many possessions for which you’ve paid the first price but not the second. Unused memberships, unread books, unplayed games, unknitted yarns.” The author points out that there’s a first price (which is usually money) to acquire things like books or a budgeting app but that a second price must be paid in order to actually use the thing, like taking the time to read the book or set up the app. He argues that the secon ..read more

Trombonist Dr. Zenas Kim-Banther shares a strategy for dealing with frustration in the practice room and generously shares that it took her a long time to get good at this strategy - even though you'd think it would be easy! Find her full interview here: TBJ211 "What about this passage is giving you the frustration? Is it the consistency? Getting the center of the notes? Is it the rhythm? Is it pitch? And then just narrowing it down and just keeping it to the most simplest elements.   If it's something super frustrating, just say, 'I'm gonna spend 10 minutes on this, walk away, do somet ..read more

The music world lost a giant last month when Floyd Cooley, former Principal Tuba of the San Francisco Symphony, passed away. For the latest installment of the Brass Legacy Project I invited six former students of Floyd's to share stories of him as a player, teacher and person: Kevin Harrison - Axiom Brass Daryl Johnson - Louisville Symphony Orchestra (retired) Pete Link - Kyoto Symphony Orchestra Mike Roylance - Boston Symphony Orchestra William Russell - Boston Brass Jerome Stover - Sam Houston State University I never had the privilege of meeting Floyd which I regret. But afte ..read more

For the first episode of the post-Lance LaDuke era (he stepped down after we hit Episode 200) I was joined by the Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic Chris Martin as my co-host. We interviewed trumpet superstar Joe Burgstaller. It was an incredible conversation. Joe is one of the most thoughtful players and humans I’ve had the privilege of knowing and he was generous throughout this interview. He literally started dropping serious knowledge about chamber music 30 seconds into the interview. It was amazing. Highly recommend this one! You can watch the episode on YouTube below or hea ..read more

Episode 280 of The Entrepreneurial Musician Podcast is all about embracing change. I get into all of the massive changes I am going through right now, both professionally and personally, and how I am attempting to cultivate a growth mindset to view all of it as an opportunity to grow. You can find the full show notes over at the TEM website: TEM280 show notes ..read more

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Larry Rachleff. I only had the privilege of working him once but that experience had a profound impact on me as a musician and a human and I'd like to share the story. 30 years ago today marked the first day of the final rehearsal cycle for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute's Young Artists Orchestra and it was our first day under the baton of Larry Rachleff. This was my third summer at Tanglewood but my first in the orchestra (the first two being a part of the Empire Brass Seminar.) The first six weeks had gone really well with rep that ..read more

     Want to take your practicing to the next level? What better way to do that than by learning from the best players in the world exactly what they do day in and day out in the practice room. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear international tuba superstar Sergio Carolino do a deep dive into the practicing routine that made him a legend.   Take Me Inside Sergio's Practice Room   Use offer code “sergio” to get $10 off for a limited time only! Here’s an excerpt from Sergio Carolino’s Inside the Practice Room where he demonstrates how he practices extreme dynamics by u ..read more

This conversation with Dr. Bethany Wiese, Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Appalachian State University, was incredibly engaging. We had a deep conversation about things like how applying restrictions to the creative process can actually free you up to be more creative, the value of being “intelligently unpredictable” and separating the output of you as a musician with you as a person. It’s a wonderful and thought-provoking conversation. You can watch the episode on YouTube below or head over to Pedal Note Media for all of the links to where to find it. Enjoy ..read more