The terrific ensemble Eighth Blackbird (8BB) gave an excellent masterclass at Manhattan School of Music years ago that I will never forget. OK, I'm a biased fan of the group, but see what you think. Here is some of the 8BB ensemble's masterclass wisdom: How to deliver...
When I was a kid we used to play the “What if” game. Maybe you did, too. We’d say, “What if . . .” and name something we only dreamt about. Like, “What if you could fly?” or “What if you each could choose your own superpower?” With each "What if," we’d fully commit to...
This time of year always used to get me down: the whole goal setting / resolution thing was a real bummer. This year I decided to finally do something about it. I launched the Musician's Best Year Yet Challenge, a free 5 day training to help musicians get more of...
MONDAY BYTES — October 13, 2014 This week I'm re-appreciating a great life lesson I received years ago from my good friend and colleague Michael Gaskins (that's him above). We used to work together at NEC, and he now runs the Alumni Affairs office at Berklee. Michael...
MONDAY BYTES – June 3, 2013 In the midst of our busy lives, it's important to periodically hit the "pause" button and figure out what's going on in our own thinking. I stumbled upon this short 9 minute video: a provocative commencement address excerpt by David Foster...
MONDAY BYTES - April 22, 2013 Like many other Bostonians, I'm still trying to fathom last week's events, and resist the temptation to become cynical and fearful. In the aftermath of any disaster—natural or otherwise—we have a choice. Maybe it's the choice we've always...
