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Simplifying the Songwriting Process
Writing songs is a fun and effective way for musicians to grow and express their artistry. But songwriting can feel...

Michelle Monette
Jul 28, 20243 min read
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Three Questions to Ask Yourself For More Effective Practice Sessions
If you are like many musicians, you’ll know engaging in regular practice is no small feat. There are seemingly endless barriers to...

Michelle Monette
Jul 15, 20242 min read
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Create Space to Make Music
“In terms of shaping our own future, spaces are key. We need to make sure there are spaces to be free. To be ourselves. Literal spaces,...

Michelle Monette
Jan 8, 20242 min read
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Clarity, Intention, Discipline
Conceptually, “Building a Musical Life” is the idea that if music is important to us, it’s worth structuring our lives to support a...

Michelle Monette
Jan 1, 20242 min read
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Why You Might Want to Keep a Music Journal
As musicians, we often like to explore ways to improve how we approach working on music. Whether we want to get more mileage out of our...

Michelle Monette
Dec 18, 20233 min read
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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...

Michelle Monette
Nov 27, 20233 min read
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Day By Day, Drip By Drip
"Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing." - Zeno "Just because improvements aren't visible doesn't mean they...

Michelle Monette
Jul 31, 20232 min read
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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 10, 20234 min read
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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
Jul 3, 20233 min read
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Don't Fear Feedback
“No one likes to be found at fault. In fact, this is what many of us walk around fearing—that we’ll be exposed as imposters, we’ll be put...

Michelle Monette
Jun 26, 20233 min read
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Musical Support Groups
As we work hard to become the musicians and artists we aspire to be, it can be helpful to have the support of others who are on the same...

Michelle Monette
Jun 5, 20232 min read
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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 29, 20233 min read
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Digital Minimalism for Musicians
With the ubiquity of digital tools like social media and YouTube, it’s easier than ever to share art, ideas, and ourselves with the...

Michelle Monette
May 22, 20233 min read
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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 15, 20232 min read
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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 8, 20233 min read
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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 29, 20232 min read
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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
Jan 9, 20232 min read
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Larks and Owls
Since we are all limited in how much time we have to spend on music, it becomes vital to optimize our musical lives so we are as...

Michelle Monette
Nov 13, 20222 min read
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