Practice Like The Pros!

Fun-filled articles written to motivate you to sit your butt down and practice!

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Learning Music Is A Long Game Nov 29, 2022

Isn’t it funny how impatient we are? We always want to be able to do something…NOW!  This seems especially true even before we undertake any kind of learning process.  For instance, if you throw a basketball towards a hoop and you miss it wildly, what’s the first...

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Youā€™ve GOT To Play Live As Soon As Possible Nov 15, 2022

When I was in college, I had the great fortune of working with an amazing composer and jazz ensemble director named Stan Gosek.  Stan has nurtured multiple generations of musicians, as well as compose hundreds of songs from simple pop tunes to the most complex big band charts ever written...

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The Three Pā€™s To Music Mastery Nov 01, 2022

Dear readers: you will be happy to know that I will not be burying the lead in this article.  I’m going to get straight to the point without any cute or snappy or snarky little comments to warm you up to make my big point.  You want the 3 P’s To Music Mastery?  Here...

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With Learning Music, Fourth Timeā€™s A Charm Oct 18, 2022

When you are struggling with doing anything physical, whether it’s riding a bike, shooting a basketball through a hoop or trying to do something challenging on your musical instrument, there’s always this great source of pride and joy when you finally get over that hurdle and achieve...

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The Importance Of Musical Goal Setting Oct 04, 2022

Let’s start out this article with a simple question: How do you know you're making progress, if you don't even know where you're going? 

Think about this for a moment. Let’s say you’re going to take a car trip.  You get all your supplies, fill up the car with gas, pack...

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How Long Does It Take To Learn Music? Sep 20, 2022

Of all the questions I’ve been asked from people wanting to start playing an instrument, the one I’ve heard the most is "How long does it take to learn music?”. I also hear “How long will I need to ‘get good’?” and “How long until I’m able to...

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Overcoming The Fear Of Playing Live Sep 06, 2022

For many budding musicians, the thought of playing live in front of an audience sends shivers of fear down their collective spines.  There’s that old adage that people fear public speaking more than they fear death itself.  If simply speaking in public is so terrifying for so many...

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How To (Really) Practice Aug 23, 2022

What’s the one thing people tell you to do if you want to achieve awesome musical skills?  I’ll give you a hint: It’s the way you get to Carnegie Hall.  Ding ding ding!!  That’s right!  Practice, Practice, PRACTICE!

But do they ever tell you HOW to...

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Harder Than You Thought/Easier Than You Think Aug 09, 2022

Let’s start this conversation out in a rather unique way: I hate the title of this blog!  Well, my parents taught me that I should never “hate” anything.  I could “strongly dislike” something, but you never want to get in the habit of hating.  ...

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Creating Time To Practice Music Jul 26, 2022

In all my years of teaching music, whether it was class instruction, clinics, lectures or private lessons, the number one challenge I’ve heard from people who want to practice and get better is finding time to do it consistently.  With work, school, family, and necessary errands, it...

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Why The Hell Are You Doing This Anyway?? Jul 12, 2022

People get into playing music for all kinds of reasons.  What I find interesting is that most people have a few superficial, albeit reasonable, reasons for starting to learn music.  They think it would be fun.  They want to jam with friends.  They want to play their favorite...

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Why Learning Music Is Important Jun 28, 2022

Oh boy!  There is a mountain and a half of research out there in Internet Land that can tell you how learning music helps with memory, cognition, motor skills, attention spans and all sorts for delicious brain food that will make us smarter human beings.  Music teachers use this as...

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