Music has always existed in my life. My earliest childhood memories are of the family, my parents and grandparents on both sides, getting out the hymn books and singing hymns, a cappella, in four part harmony. We especially enjoyed a “new hymn” where we could test our sight-reading skills. Later, I would accompany those hymn […]
I enjoyed my summer morning tremendously. It was a well-kept 1980 Baldwin R, which tuned up nicely. But what made it so special were the conversations with Jacob. This is Jacob’s practice piano. A former Full Chord Press student of mine, a graduate from TMP only a few weeks, and headed to KU in the […]
Read “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews this past weekend. Inspirational and challenging, this book is subtitled “Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success.” These seven nuggets are revealed in a creative story. Story is a powerful tool that makes remembering and applying these truths easier. Plus it is a fun and easy read. I challenge […]
I am trying with renewed interest to finish this book!! I began last summer in an effort to make some notes listing some concrete things I could do to enhance my student’s individual practice. In the process, I hoped to gain knowledge that would improve my choral rehearsals. So, I went back and read through […]
Can your body language help you perform better? We preach that good body alignment is important to breath and tone. Does it help your confidence also? Performance not going well? How about expressing more … consciously change your body language. Watch this TED’s Conference presentation by Amy Cuddy. And I highly recommend this interview with David Kim.
Before you model, tell those for whom you are modeling what to look for. The author makes the observation that many times “shadowing” or “mentoring” is ineffective because the mentoree does not know what they are looking for. This happens in the choral rehearsal many times when I model or play a recording. After […]
PRACTICE PERFECT RULE #11: NAME IT Name each skill or technique you have identified as an important building block for outstanding performance. Monitor the use of this shared vocabulary: use the names, ask staff to use them, and then ensure that the names are being used correctly. Create a name for warm-ups, technique drill, […]
When teaching a technique or skill, practice the skill in isolation until the learner has mastered it. Uncover and retrain when compensatory skills are masking the need for isolated skill development. Confession, my students are masters at compensating for what they don’t know. Unfortunately, I am such a master teacher that I have learne how […]
Use data to pick out the top performers. Observe and analyze performance data to discern what skills top performers have in common. Analyze and describe those skills in terms that provide a clear map to others who want to replicate them. Training, training, training. I just sat in a rehearsal with Helnuth Rilling rehearsing the […]
Strive to ask participants to redo an action differently or better rather than just telling them whether or how it could have been different. Try to shorten the feedback loop and achieve correction as quickly as possible after an action that requires intervention. Always maintain a teaching mentality and focus on the solution (“cut more […]