As a musician, how are you at speaking from the stage? Does your audience actually feel welcomed into the experience? And what specifically do you do to help listeners find their own relevant connections to the music you perform? To help, here is Speaking from the...
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...
How do you experience flow? For me, it's what I imagine surfing feels like. To perform and teach at your best — it's a bit like riding a wave. Or at least that's how I experience it. Check out this 2 minute video of Dave Rastovich describing the sense of wonder,...
MONDAY BYTES — June 29, 2015 What can TED talks teach musicians about performance?Of course there are terrific specific TED talks that can inspire us and give us concrete tools and strategies. (As I've written in other posts about, for instance Amy Cuddy's popular TED...
MONDAY BYTES — May 25, 2015 Happy launch of summer! And in honor of Memorial Day, here's a thought about artists' legacies. Wisdom for the week from cellist/composer Erik Friedlander: “It’s not your skill level, it’s how much you communicate. It’s how much you express...
MONDAY BYTES — March 16, 2015 The celebrated British acting coach Patsy Rodenburg did a class at the Reflective Conservatoire Conference on the topic of Presence, as in stage presence. Really, until then I'd never thought it was actually something that could be...
MONDAY BYTES — March 9, 2015 What kind of feedback on your work (artistic or otherwise) has been the most useful? What was it that made it helpful?And when has feedback you've gotten been not helpful (even though it may have been well-intentioned or — maybe you...
MONDAY BYTES — January 26, 2015 Yes, I'm a Barbara Cook groupie. In her master classes and interviews she focuses on the business of being who you are, on letting the audience in. On being authentic. It takes courage to be ourselves, as performers, as teachers, as...
MONDAY BYTES — November 24, 2014 A few weeks ago I saw the movie "Whiplash" about an ambitious jazz drummer at a NY conservatory and his abusive teacher. It's a harrowing depiction of the pursuit of excellence. Of course there are aspects of the film that...
MONDAY BYTES — October 20, 2014 What did you learn last week—about yourself, others, or about the world—that's going to help you do better this week? It's easy to focus on specific aspects of our performance, stage presence, or technique—or any logistical aspect of...
