arrange • compose • conduct
Drop some balls today so you won’t have so many to juggle tomorrow. The only way to stop feeling like you’re triaging your work life, day after day, is to turn away from today. Drop everything, for a little while, and look further ahead. Two days, two weeks, a month […]
…you’ll never get close. I think this is true regardless of where you’re headed. It’s not enough to say “I want to be a musician” or even “I want to be a vocal performance major.” That’s nowhere near precise enough of a direction to aim. Some vocal performance majors are […]
20-year-old me would be terribly impressed by all the things I know today. That’s the magic of time: spend long enough diligently studying something, and you’ll find you’ve made a lot of progress. Maybe that’s not reassuring to young people hoping to master something big, but I find it so […]
Milestones are a good time to reflect on all you’ve accomplished and learned, and I’ve certainly done that in the past. But maybe it’s just as worthwhile to think about what you haven’t learned yet. I haven’t learned yet… …to choose to read (which I’d prefer) when there’s a phone […]
This is the most hopeful warning to give to students heading into the world. You’ll never be done learning your craft. You’ll never be done fighting the good fight. You’ll never be done rediscovering truths you thought you knew. You’ll never be done trying to live up to your own […]
Here’s how I see my job as a private instructor. My goal with private students – whether in composition, voice, jazz piano, or anything else – is to serve as an extra brain. It’s not my job to criticize or diminish (though I may, when warranted). It’s not my job […]
My sons are out selling door-to-door right now. I have been an outspoken proponent of reducing sales-based fundraisers in favor of straight donation models; I stand by this approach: it takes pressure off of busy parents, and it lets kids focus on kid stuff, rather than being salespeople. But. But. […]
On this week’s Unlocking Us podcast, Dr. Brené Brown interviewed Drs. John and Julie Gottman about their new book The Love Prescription. In it, they described the importance of a “Turning Towards” mindset in relationships. They describe three different possibilities in small interactions: you can turn towards, turn away, or […]
Today, I could take a test in pretty much any high school math class and earn a passing grade. People are almost always surprised that I can still perform trigonometry, algebra, geometry, removed over a quarter century from my last math class. Doing math isn’t the superpower. But being genuinely […]
Stepping in to prevent failure is a great strategy, if you plan on continuing to step in indefinitely. Failure – or at least falling down – is an essential way to get your legs under you, regardless of the discipline. Great leaders know that a little bit of failure, particularly […]