Maybe this has happened to you, too. Every once in a while, a piece of music takes up lodging in my head. It’s not like an ear worm you have for a day or so. The thing becomes a fixation over months. The compulsively curious parts of me want to understand the magic in...
Remember what it felt like when you were eight years old? Out beyond our backyard, there was a creek, a ravine, and maybe 5 acres of an abandoned apple orchard with woods and a stream with a Tarzan swing that the older boys on our street had strung up. They also built...
Victim-thinking is deceptively easy to fall into. It can creep into your marketing, your self-talk, your networking, and you won't catch it until it's already done its damage. Are you waiting to be saved? Here's a music career reality check. Telltale signs you're...
If the state of the world is teaching us anything right now, it's that power is rarely what it appears to be. We see that in Washington, in institutions, in our own organizations. And we feel it in our careers. So before we go any further, let's define our terms....
On Nov. 21, I attended a marvelous event here in Boston. Yes, it was a concert—but it felt more like an inspired community gathering, an experiment in belonging and collective dreaming. I’m still thinking about it. I’m still feeling into it. I’m still asking myself:...
In a crowded market—where many qualified musicians are competing for the same teaching jobs and students—how do you stand out? How do you become the obvious choice? If you want more—and better—teaching opportunities . . . Clarify Your Promise. This means your teaching...
As busy freelance musicians, we go from rehearsals and teaching, to squeezing in the practice time, admin work, and errands.All while trying to cram in a social life and taking care of our health. How can you manage transitioning from task to task so that you’re not...
Here it is . . . Courage is the essential resource all musicians need—if they want to bring their best work out into the world. Courage is essential because we're all up against a force that's out to get us. You may think of this force as your inner critic, your inner...
Today, the real question I want to ask isn't about your music career. Today I want to ask about the bigger picture that you and your music are essential to. This is the day we set aside for MLK's legacy. And this day also brings on the new administration. So emotions...
Here’s my embarrassing (and all too true) Fulbright application story . . . When I was a grad student at Stony Brook University (many moons ago), I wanted to take a year to study in Paris with the cellist Roland Pidoux because I was mad for his chamber music...
