Congratulations, graduate! You are now a real musician, with the degree to prove it, and you’re ready to set the world on fire!

But what will your life be like after music school? And how will you keep from ending up living in your parents’ basement?

You have plenty of talent, education and dreams, but no job in sight. Maybe you’re waiting for your big break into the music scene or that plum o...

It’s not the first time I’ve done this, and it probably won’t be the last, but it caught me by surprise again.

I have been slacking off lately when it comes to exercising. I’m too busy or my day is too hectic or I can’t get up early enough. And the exercise strategy I’ve been using for years just wasn’t motivating me to get up and get it done.

But getting into shape and making exercise a regular...

Note reading is one of the basic skills that we musicians all seek to develop. It helps us learn more music faster and helps us sightread. The problem is that for many of us, we quit developing it after our first year of music lessons.

Do you remember when you first started music lessons? Your teacher gave you special books with big notes that helped you learn the names of the lines and the space...

What do you think it means to be a harpist?

I usually don’t ask myself that question; probably you don’t think much about it either. Mostly, I just know I am a harpist. I’ve been one nearly all my life.

But every now and then I have felt the need to examine it. What do I do as a harpist, and why? What is my purpose? What keeps drawing me back to the harp, even when things are difficult or my tim...

No, this post is not about how to improve your pedalling. It’s about the brisk walk I took last week that reminded me of the importance of good communication, not just in our music making, but in everything we do.

I had been asked to perform for a corporate event. It was a fairly last minute booking, and some of the important details weren’t finalized until three days before the event. That’s whe...

Philadelphia, PA, USA – June 5, 2011; The front of the peloton of female professional cyclist participating in the 27th edition of the Philly Cycling Classic are seen attacking the steep ‘Manayunk Wall’ in the NorthWest section of Philadelphia, PA. (photo by Bastiaan Slabbers)

“Give it everything you’ve got!

” But how can you be sure that “everything you’ve got” will be enough?

There’s only o...

I remember when I was young playing the game “Red Light, Green Light.” It’s a simple game; other people call it “Statues.” Everyone is allowed to move around however they want, until the leader calls, “Red light!” Then they have to freeze and not move until the leader calls, “Green light!” The leader tries to time the calls to confuse the others so that they move when they’re not supposed to, and ...

I wish it had come like a flash of lightning. Or maybe an earth tremor or even a giant light bulb. But really, there was no one moment when I realized what was wrong with the way I was practicing. Just all of a sudden, I knew the real point of practice, and it changed the way I learned music and the way I taught it.

What I had learned wasn’t a new discovery, just an important one.

So much of our...

Music lessons aren’t cheap. Preparing for the lessons isn’t easy. And sometimes the lessons themselves are challenging.

So do you know WHY you are taking lessons?

If your only answer is “because I want to improve,” you probably need to get a little more focused in order to get the most out of your lessons.

Obviously, the essential point of music lessons is to help you learn to play an instrumen...

Do you feel like you’re all thumbs?

Thumbs can just plain get in the way. Sometimes our thumbs make us feel clumsy and slow when we play. They get tense; they don’t place accurately. Thumbs can be hard to control, and it can be even harder to make them sound beautiful and musical.

But with a little understanding and a little attention, your thumbs can be as nimble and expressive as the rest of y...