Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Five Ways of Learning It’s well known that individuals learn in at least one of five ways: Aural Verbal Visual Experiential Tactile Aural learners retain what they have heard. If they have only read it, they may not retain it. I had a history teacher who was wise enough to have us read aContinue reading “Part 3: The Student-Teacher Relationship”

This is the second of a series of posts on the teacher-student relationship. If you haven’t seen Part 1, it’s below. Your Energy Level  It’s been said that a performer uses as many calories on stage in an hour-long concert as a runner does in ten miles. Any performer can tell you this must beContinue reading “Part 2: The Teacher-Student Relationship”

We are all teachers and we are all students, whether or not we realize it. We are each an example to others whenever we play, and whatever we say. And we are constantly learning. Sometimes we teach or learn on purpose; sometimes just by being who we are. Learning requires as much integrity as teaching.Continue reading “Exploring the Student-Teacher Relationship”

What exactly is excellence? Webster’s Dictionary gives these synonyms: “distinction, greatness, perfection, preeminence, superiority”. But these definitions seem unfair, since one can achieve excellence without being “the best”, or greater than, or preeminent. Excellence really is being the best you can be. We do, however, need the inspiration of good example so we can strive to reach certainContinue reading “Your Relationship with Excellence”

It’s been requested that I write about how to understand, find and use harmony. First, let’s look at what it is: how do we define harmony? Essentially, it’s the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes that sound pleasing together. Of course, what sounds good to one person can differ from what another finds pleasing.Continue reading “The Sense of Harmony”

Margi wrote: ” I have one further question. For me there is a big difference between what I can memorize for my left and right hands (I am right handed, mostly). Whereas I can easily memorize the melody I play with my right hand, I am totally hesitant and unsure about what I play withContinue reading “Reply to Second Comment”

Cherie said, “I like your suggestion to practice “known” songs on a rotating basis (1, 2, 3 on day 1; 2, 3, 4 on day 2; and so on). How many times do you recommend playing each one? I find that when I play a tune I haven’t played in a week or so, oftenContinue reading “Reply to Comment”

To build a repertoire, two things are obvious: first, it helps to learn your music in the easiest and most efficient way; secondly, to maintain the repertoire you’ve learned, one must find a way to remember it reliably. Needless to say, practice is key in both cases, but let’s look at some nuances of bothContinue reading “Thoughts on Building and Maintaining Your Repertoire”

We’ve all heard performances where we were awed by the music. Usually this happens when the music seemingly transcends the musician, and sometimes even the composition, when some kind of magic seems to happen. The musician may be awesomely skilled, but beyond technical prowess there is also an indescribable quality that goes far beyond theContinue reading “Making Your Music Compelling”

This post builds upon last week’s post, so to get the most out of it, please read last week’s first. One of the most common questions many musicians (even long-time ones) have is, “Why am I not progressing beyond a certain plateau and why doesn’t playing come more naturally?” In many cases, the answer isContinue reading “Musical Proficiency and the Brain”