An inevitable part of being a musician is performance anxiety. From accomplished performers and teachers to beginning students we all experience it to some degree. Even those who say they do not deal with it still have a physiological reaction when performing. It is important to have techniques ready to teach students how to deal with the anxiety they are experiencing. One of the first things...
Read MoreA couple times a year I have an adult student (usually) come to a crisis point in their lessons. Frustrated they always tell me that they think they are not doing well and are even regressing; losing skills and knowledge where they used to be strong. This is something that happens to all students regardless of age or skill level. It is important to let students...
Read MoreSo, a few months ago I wrote about starting your musical New Year’s Resolution. How are you doing with your practice routine? I must admit I failed after two weeks! I got sick with bronchitis and then there was a death in my family. If you remember my blog I noted that “internet research indicates that you have a whopping 20% chance of sticking to...
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There comes a point in every students’ learning when practice becomes arduous and stale. This can happen to any student at any age or skill level. Often hectic work or school schedules leave little time for practice making it feel like a chore, or students plateau at times and feel as if they are not making progress. The plateau often happens at the intersect of...
Read MoreWhen students start private lessons, it would be reasonable to expect that his/her lesson would be focused on the instrument they’re most excited about. Voice lessons are no exception – after all, singers want to sing! As far as instruments go, the barrier to entry for singing lessons is as low as it gets: you already own the instrument, and you already know how to...
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