Tag Archives: Music Performance
What We Learn from Our Instruments
As musicians we should be more like the instruments we play. I recently watched Note by Note, the documentary about the Steinway Piano Company. It’s available on Netflix and I urge you to seek it out. The film takes you step by step through the whole process of creating these amazing pianos, works of art […]
What Music Looks Like / The Star Spangled Banner
In honor of our great country and this special day, I figured I would compile a set of videos showing how our National Anthem has been played at various times… Here’s a rendition of our National Anthem by one talented and brave 4-year-old girl In honor of my Grandfather, who was an Air Force man. […]
Five Truths of Being a Musician #3
Being a musician means you accept certain facts about the way you choose to make a living. We’ve already discussed that most people will not “get it” and that people don’t want to hear that new piece you’re working on. This week’s truth: Sometimes you will (and should) turn down a gig. Doing a favor […]
Five Truths of Being a Musician #2
There are certain facts we have to face when we choose the musical life. Last week we were discussing the fact that most people will not “get it” about being a musician. This week’s truth is … People don’t want to hear that new piece you’re working on. Or at least they don’t think they […]
Creating Your Niche
We all have groups or players that we admire and want to emulate; people who define the type of musician we want to be. The Empire Brass—and more specifically the “old” Empire Brass (to which I respectfully refer as “the Sam years”)—is on my aspiration list. The group always sounds phenomenal and were really pushing […]
The Marketer’s Question
A while back, Seth Godin posted a blog that had this to say: Is it interesting because it happened … or because it happened to you? … Should we read your press release or come to your gallery opening or take a sales meeting because it’s important, or because it’s important to you? Marketing is […]
Five Questions to Ask Yourself
Any time you sit down in the practice room or rehearsal hall, take a minute and ask yourself a few questions … 1) Is this new? The music may not be new, but your performance of it is (or should be). If the music is new, then sell it. There’s no room for same-old-same-old in […]
We Care (The Problem With Scale)
Bank of America is getting blasted for its extremely low customer service scores in a recent poll. Of the four largest banks in the country, BofA scored the lowest. That’s not to say the other three scored high either, though. All four scored lower than any local credit unions or regional banks. While listening to […]
A Story Worth Telling
My mom is a born storyteller. It’s no wonder she’s a great writer and a professional book editor. “Long winded” is what we would call her where I’m from, and I mean that in a good way. Every story, no matter how great or insignificant, has the key elements of a great story: character, story […]
Well-Rounded or Specialized?
As a musician, should you be well-rounded, or should you specialize in doing one thing really well? It’s a tough question, one that does not really have a pure answer. Ask me on any given day of the week (or hour of the day) and I’m likely to sway to one side or the other. […]
Long Tones: The Pursuit of a Life in Music 