Choosing just one instrument is like choosing to only eat one food for the rest of your days - it makes life really really boring. Like many musicians, I play multiple instruments. Trumpet, viola, and piano to name a few. It's not just a party trick, or a quirky fact about me. It's something that has substance,...
If I had one piece of advice for young musicians, performers, composers, teachers, or directors, it would be to start tracking all the work you do in a Performance List. I didn't start doing this until the latter half of my junior year of college, and it has paid off tenfold. I only wish I had all...
Doctors and composers seemingly have very different career paths; one is creative and insecure while the other is technical and more lucrative. But when we peel back the layers, we reveal that these two career fields aren't so opposite. Especially when we're talking about writing music, they have quite a lot of overlap in terms of motivation,...
Welcome to my gift guide for musicians! You might also like: The Best iPad for Musicians Some of the links below contain affiliates, so I will get a kick back at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting me! Earaser Earplugs These things have saved my LIFE during gigs. The sound is crystal clear and it only blocks the...
A blank page is intimidating. You are staring at a void of nothingness, with the intention of turning it into art. How is music born? With the paradox of choice, with the ability to write anything in the whole world, how do you narrow it down? What is the thought process that goes into the choices that...
What is there to say about this piece? Everything, and nothing, both at once. This week, I listened to Debussy's Syrinx and Varese's Density 21.5 and decided to model a solo flute piece after them. It didn't go well. Let me tell you, I struggled more this week than I did last week. And while I'm at it, let me...