Practice Like The Pros!

 Most people have plenty of things to practice, but they first need to learn HOW to practice. That’s what we teach our Practice Warriors. So, don’t worry about what to practice until you learn how to practice using the specific music learning strategies that have helped thousands of people all over ...

 I’ve heard the excuses so many times I can recite them by heart. They fly around my head like songs on a broken record. I’ve heard them for decades, and they amuse me just as much today as they did many, many moons ago. They are all answers to the same question I ask people again and again:

“Why d...

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 thing you think?  Most people think ...

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 (think Mah...

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 goes:

Practicing, Perseverance, ...

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 that goal.  

A...

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 play a song?”

My answer to anything like this is always ...

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 seems that there...

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 songs.  They think it’ll...

Pros and Cons Of Private Lessons

In today’s world, it’s amazing how much information is literally at your fingertips.  There has never been a time in human history where there has been so much easy and free access to education, resources, and tools for you to learn and grow.  This is especially tru...