Category Sound Bites
Album Release: One
It’s finally time to take my own medicine. I have been waiting to release this material for a long time, always telling myself it’s not ready. But my best advice to all of my creative colleagues is that the most important thing to do is to finish a project. Waiting for “perfect” means you […]
What Others Say / Albert Einstein
If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. —Albert Einstein (1879–1955), German theoretical physicist, violinist
Beggars and Choosers
Having the desire to be a musician isn’t enough to be one. Or at least not enough to be a happy, successful one. It takes more than skill and the ability to practice in a room for hours. Often this can lead to the cycle of a “beggar” – sacrificing your chances to make your […]
What People Often Forget…
…is that education is the key to acceptance and understanding. That statement is true for most realms of life. And it holds very true in the music world.
What Others Say / Miles Davis
Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself. —Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer
Sound Bites / The Business of Art
Being a musician today isn’t simply playing well. It means seeing your art as your business. You are your product.
Sound Bites / Relevancy
Whether it’s your classroom or your concert hall, the key is to be relevant to your audience. Don’t know if you are relevant, or unsure how to be? Check out my blog post about it. What does it mean to be relevant to your audience?
Sound Bites / Air Movement
Move the air at the proper velocity immediately to avoid “scooping” the notes. The band camp season has officially begun for me, so I’m finding myself saying little statements like this all the time.
Sound Bites / Telling a Story
As musicians we must always remember to be storytellers. No one will listen if you don’t tell a good story. What’s your story?
Sound Bites / Staccato
Seen on Twitter (@HitzTuba): “Staccato does not mean short.” Right. With my students, I refer to staccato as detached instead.
Long Tones: The Pursuit of a Life in Music 