“Practice makes perfect” is a ubiquitous phrase in the world of music. Whether we hear it from our teachers, our musical heroes, or our...

One of the key characteristics of music is the wide variety of potential areas to focus on. There are multiple instruments to learn, many...

A substantial part of any musical journey is the quest for understanding. We recognize how beneficial music comprehension will be for us,...

“And when you say: ‘Give me also a share in these gifts which you have found so helpful,’ I reply that I am anxious to heap all these...

“Nothing comes from nowhere. Not success. Not inspiration. Not the muses. Not writer’s block. Everything is a lagging indicator. Of...

When constructing our musical lives and identities, we often draw inspiration from our favourite musicians. Whether we resonate with the...

"What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself." - Hecato quoted in Seneca's Letters from a Stoic...

Music is a widely appreciated artform, and an important feature in many of our daily lives. It can connect people to themselves and...

"Nearly everything awesome takes longer than you think. Get started and don't worry about the clock." - James Clear Getting good at music...

“When jarred, unavoidably, by circumstances, revert at once to yourself, and don’t lose the rhythm more than you can help. You’ll have a...

As musicians, we are required to constantly overcome challenges. We face those related directly to our music, like working through a...

“[T]here are many occasions when words are useless, and only deeds will make a man’s meaning plain; often enough, too, it is easy to...

Throughout my years of teaching music, I often felt an expectation from some of my students: That I should convince them of why they...

Ask someone what they fear, and a likely answer will be “failure.” Humans fear failure because of the distress we feel when we fall short...

Jeff Goldblum was the featured guest on an episode of Gregory Porter’s podcast a few years ago. Though best known for his acting,...

Seasoned musicians understand the value of hard work. We spend years in the practice room diligently refining our craft by drilling...

Advertisements targeted toward aspiring musicians often try to entice potential customers with an impossible promise: “This is the one...

Every musician knows how challenging the art and craft of music can be. Learning and practicing something new will stretch you, often...

Tradeoffs are an essential part of building a musical life. Being a musician requires a lot of time, focus, and effort, which means...

Over the years, I’ve often heard musicians explain their lack of desire to learn music in a deeper way as simply wanting to retain...