Year: 2015

I’ve been playing music since I was 5 years old so I’ve had a lot of time logged in the practice room. Today I’ll share some personal stories about practicing

Far more time is spent in the practice room than the performance hall. I have been teaching private music lessons since 1995. One of my primary goals as a teacher

I love to read about the intersection of science, music, and psychology. I encourage all musicians to read this article reviewing research on effective practice skills by Robert Duke at the

Our brains crave novelty. Literally turning things upside down can give us the new perspective we need. Feel stuck in your practice? Are your kids complaining the music is “too

Tiger Mothers, Helicopter Dads, French Parenting, Free-Rangers… We’ve managed to create some fancy labels for styles of parenting. As soon as the kids hit the front door in the afternoon,

Motivation As parents, we want to support our kids. We know that playing a musical instrument is good for them, but the issue of practice can be thorny. I’ve seen this

Music instruction is better for children’s brains than “sports, theater or dance.”  Save the link to this article and read again after a big fight with your kid about practicing.

The pencil monster struck again. I was listening to my 8 year-old daughter while she was practicing. She was playing the flute in her room and I stepped in to

Adding pencil marks to music are effective in helping learn new material. But exactly what parts should be marked and what symbols are helpful? If a mistake happens consistently, try to

Do you know how to mark music? This post is the second in a series about how to mark music to aid practicing. Teachers may say “Mark it,” but don’t offer specifics. Here’s