Deliberate practice helps you become a better musician
Growth as a musician requires a practical approach, which can include the use of programs and apps to help organize and incentivize deliberate practice sessions. Read the post.
rehearsing
Why you should learn another instrument
The first of a two-part series explores how taking time to learn another instrument will help you become stronger at your first instrument and improve your songwriting chops. Read the post.
Studying song structure can help you learn new material quickly
Strategies that involve focused listening and practice are key to learning new material quickly, and looking closely at song structure can lessen the amount of time it takes you to get from first listen to a strong, quality performance. Read the post.
8 tips to help you learn new music … fast
If you’re in a situation where you have to learn lots of new music in a very short time, these tips can help you develop a strategy so you can tackle the task and perform with confidence. Read the post.
Are you too old to learn to play an instrument?
It’s definitely too late to learn anything when the dirt hits your face, but until then, you have plenty of time to learn how to play a musical instrument. Read More.
Daily habits to enhance your musical creativity and productivity
You may think musical creativity exists and flourishes outside the bounds of habit and structure, but the truth is, you work best when you adhere to a stable routine and a healthy lifestyle. Read More.
Challenge yourself when music practice gets stale
If your music practice routine has plateaued, it’s time to challenge yourself and try something new. We’ve got tips to get you out of your creative rut. Read More.
Use visual and musical cues to lead your audience
Your audience wants to respond, they just don’t know what you want them to do – they don’t know what’s going through your head when you’re on the stage – so you have to use verbal, visual, and musical cues to lead them where you want them to go. Read More.
Band rehearsal lessons I learned from Jazz at Lincoln Center
Whatever your style of music or size of your ensemble, there’s a lot I learned watching the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra that you can apply to your next band rehearsal. Read More.
Changing the pressure during your live performances
Being intentional with different visual presentations for the variety of moods your songs invoke is part of what Tom Jackson calls changing the pressure on your audience during your live performances. “I’m not talking about acting or choreography, I’m talking about thinking, “What should this song look like?'” Read more.
Band rehearsal tips: Can you be over-rehearsed?
When people come to me for band practice tips, one of the questions I get asked a lot is, “What’s too much rehearsal? We want to keep it spontaneous.” Well, spontaneous is one thing, and winging it is another. And most people wing it. When you’re making it up as you go onstage, instead of in rehearsal, you’ll never be great, consistently. Read more.
Five mistakes keeping you from becoming a great musician
Becoming a great musician isn’t easy, but avoiding these mistakes will increase your odds for success. Follow this advice and you’ll improve as a musician. First, as Malcolm Gladwell eloquently states in his book The Outliers, anyone wanting to be good at their craft must put in their 10,000 hours of practice. Read more.
Rehearsing with a purpose
Most bands, when they rehearse, even for a big show, will rehearse for a couple of days, run through the songs to make sure they’re “tight,” work out the musical parts, and then go out onstage and hope something good will happen. They have no idea what they’re trying to accomplish. Read more.