Playing or singing in a musical ensemble is the epitome of team activities. But many musicians let their teams down far more often than they realize, thinking they are doing good. Get stuck taking the lead or the bottom With generous hearts, performers find their place in an ensemble and do what they can to […]
After I conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra in rehearsal, I had to acknowledge that my confidence completely dissipated. It’s been an arduous climb ever since, but it seems like there is now more of the mountain below me than above. Following that humiliating experience, one of the questions I constantly asked myself is “what difference […]
As far back as I can remember, there has been at least one person who actually came up to me after I conducted a concert or show to say something. Most of the time it was pleasant, but occasionally it was a passive-aggressive dig about something they didn’t like, usually shared as a “you could […]
You can be a better musician by choosing to focus less on technical and functional precision, and more on what’s behind the music… the event, circumstance, environment, and combination of organized sounds, that create an as yet unexplained “goosebump moment.” Both are needed. But what’s your focus? It’s easier to make good music as a […]
I’m thinking of a movie – perhaps it was “Fame“? – in which I hear an elderly ballet mistress with a strong accent yelling at her poor apprehensive ducklings to perform with “more feeeleeng!” Musicians get that a lot, too: “Play with more feeling!” But what does that mean? We don’t know. Only those saying […]