Monthly Archives: May 2010

Even if you know that practicing a piece slowly is the path to quick progress on an instrument, the temptation to speed up is hard to resist. Today’s post is a friendly reminded to stay in the slow lane. In … Continue reading →

In an effort to rebuild a once-forbidden musical culture, a group of Afghani musicians and international supporters are working this month to open the first music education institution in Afghanistan since before Taliban rule. In 2005, after becoming the first … Continue reading →

An ensemble coach once told me, in a moment of profound pre-performance anxiety back in college, “Don’t be nervous. It’s not about you. It’s about the music.” She was right. But it can be awfully challenging to focus on the … Continue reading →

In yesterday’s post, I talked about the importance of getting your new student making sound on their instrument during their first lesson. In this article, I offer a few extra tips on how to structure active music-making with a new … Continue reading →

Starting out as a private music teacher isn’t easy. Even if you’ve been hired at a lesson studio, you face the initial challenge of getting, and keeping, new students. Here are three basic tips that will help you give a … Continue reading →

Plenty of great sheet music editions are in the public domain, but it can often be tough to find well-organized databases of public domain scores on the net. What follows is a list of free, legal, well-sorted archives of accurate … Continue reading →

The Boston Conservatory Program for Students on the Autism Spectrum is finding revolutionary teaching methods to unlock the musical talents of its students, kids with diagnoses on the autism spectrum between the ages of nine and eighteen. Unlike other music … Continue reading →

Watching other musicians as much and as often as you can will not only keep you inspired–it will also help you learn. When you watch a great player, you’ll pick up tips and tricks of technique, new fingerings, and new … Continue reading →

Not all of us are blessed with wide-open spaces in which we can practice. The pesky reality for many of us—especially those of us living in small city apartments—involves roommates and neighbors, who do not long to hear us practice … Continue reading →

It’s not always easy for singer-songwriters or other solo performers to find creative kin. Songwriters and soloists often find themselves alone on the stage, or in their basements, trying to hone their craft sans community. Songwriting may be a tough … Continue reading →