Putting Procrastination in Perspective
As musicians, one of the most insidious obstacles we face to working on music is procrastination: the irresistible desire to do anything...
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Build a Musical Life - Blog
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Michelle Monette
- Jul 10
- 4 min
How to Fine-Tune Feedback
One of the most valuable tools we have for our musical and creative development is feedback—whether received from other people, or...
Michelle Monette
- Jul 3
- 3 min
Where to Find Feedback
A substantial part of building a musical life is always moving forward and growing as artists and musicians. One of the most important...
Michelle Monette
- Jun 19
- 3 min
You Can Do It Too
“Not to assume it’s impossible because you find it hard. But to recognize that if it’s humanly possible, you can do it too.” - Marcus...
Michelle Monette
- Jun 12
- 2 min
Make Time for Music
"It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and it has been given in sufficiently...
Michelle Monette
- May 29
- 3 min
Direct Learning
“The easiest way to learn directly is to simply spend a lot of time doing the thing you want to become good at.” - Scott Young One of our...
Michelle Monette
- May 15
- 2 min
Musical Seasons
When designing our musical lives, there are many strategies we can deploy to help us reach our goals and make the most of our time. While...
Michelle Monette
- May 8
- 3 min
Set Yourself Up For Success
Putting in thousands of hours honing our craft is essential for becoming the musicians and artists we aspire to be. Unfortunately, there...
Michelle Monette
- May 1
- 2 min
The Best Routine
When it comes to finding a music routine, there are a variety of options for us to choose from. Whether from books, articles, videos, or...
Michelle Monette
- Apr 23
- 2 min
Focus on Fundamentals
“Fundamentals will save your [butt] every day, and twice on Sundays.” Bob Reynolds With the proliferation of videos and online courses...
Michelle Monette
- Apr 2
- 2 min
A Broader Perspective on Practice
“Any significant change requires significant practice.” - Brad Stulberg All musicians know how important practicing is to our craft, but...
Michelle Monette
- Mar 27
- 3 min
The Role of Productivity in a Musical Life
A large part of being a musician is having lofty goals and ambitions. We might want to be the best player possible on our chosen...
Michelle Monette
- Feb 19
- 2 min
Work and Time
In the world of music, a variety of factors will dictate how much, and how quickly, we improve. This can include what we focus on, the...
Michelle Monette
- Feb 13
- 2 min
Focus on the Process, Not on the Prize
"It doesn't make sense to continue wanting something if you're not willing to do what it takes to get it. If you don't want to live the...
Michelle Monette
- Feb 6
- 2 min
Look for Progress, Not Perfection
“Practice makes perfect” is a ubiquitous phrase in the world of music. Whether we hear it from our teachers, our musical heroes, or our...
Michelle Monette
- Jan 29
- 2 min
Give Yourself Fewer Choices
One of the key characteristics of music is the wide variety of potential areas to focus on. There are multiple instruments to learn, many...
Michelle Monette
- Jan 23
- 2 min
The Bright Side of Confusion
A substantial part of any musical journey is the quest for understanding. We recognize how beneficial music comprehension will be for us,...
Michelle Monette
- Jan 9
- 2 min
Leading and Lagging Indicators
“Nothing comes from nowhere. Not success. Not inspiration. Not the muses. Not writer’s block. Everything is a lagging indicator. Of...
Michelle Monette
- Dec 5, 2022
- 2 min
Play the Long Game
"Nearly everything awesome takes longer than you think. Get started and don't worry about the clock." - James Clear Getting good at music...
Michelle Monette
- Nov 21, 2022
- 2 min
Regain Your Rhythm
“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...
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