arrange • compose • conduct
Someone asked recently on Twitter, “A high school senior comes to you and says they’re going to study music. They ask for your advice. You can respond with 4 words. What do you say?” My four words? Do it. Without debt. I know some who like to discourage aspiring musicians […]
Training experts tell you to alternate days when training; that is, exercise different muscle groups on consecutive days, so that the muscles have sufficient time to recover from intense workouts before they are exercised again. There is a lot of wisdom in that – beyond personal fitness. While many personal […]
ASPIRATIONAL anagrams to PLAN IS A RATIO. It’s a simple ratio: the more aspirational your goal is, the more significant you need to plan. If your goal is routine, you probably don’t need to plan all that much. If your goal is novel, or extreme, or very challenging, you almost […]
In my daily writing, I tend to focus on what’s next. (Since I write daily, I’m focused on what’s immediately in front of me – I’ve got to write something again tomorrow!) It’s how I live in the rest of my work life, too – pride and very occasional reflection […]
Every activity that we engage in – work, hobby, personal – asks us to prioritize it. But how can you prioritize everything? What does prioritizing look like? As a freelancer, I have a lot of projects I’m working on at any time. For those, I prioritize based on immediate need […]
I have so much trouble playing digital chess. For a reason that I’m sure cognitive scientists could explain, the two-dimensional top-view of the chess board makes me into a significantly poorer chess player. As I see it, there are two solutions to this challenge. First, as current chess masters have […]
It seems like a daily experience that I hear someone say, “Oh, I just could never get _____.” I want to shout, we are built to learn! We are learning machines! Sure, someone might learn something more efficiently or quickly than you, someone else might have more aptitude than you […]
Trans Day of Visibility falls on March 31 every year. It’s a day to put the needs and challenges of our trans family members, friends, students, colleagues, and neighbors to the front of our minds. In the lead up to TDOV, there are many events that fall under the category […]
“Remember, one piece is bound to be your least favorite piece in the repertoire. And also remember that it is almost certainly someone else’s most favorite.” In a loose, conversational rehearsal, sometimes singers can trash their least favorite piece. They might have the best of intentions, but it always feels […]
Sometimes when we learn a new skill, we can act as if we’re scared, even when we don’t think we are. I made homemade noodles for Sunday dinner, and remarked how I am much less scared of working with them than I used to be. The thing is, I wouldn’t […]