“What if I’m worse than when I was a kid?”“People will judge me!”“What’s the point of starting again if I can’t get good?” If you played an instrument in school as a child and then life got in the way of things, you may be coming back to music after years away. If you...
Do you think differently during practice and performance? You should! To explain why, here’s a conversation I had with a student recently. Preparing for an upcoming performance, she told me, “It’s so hard to keep everything I’m working on in my head while I play! I...
I think new year’s resolutions are kind of crap. I’m all for self-improvement and goal-setting, but tons of research has shown us that setting resolutions is a terrible way to do both of those things. 80% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second...
Even in a normal year, the final months can bring some burnout in all areas of life, and that includes music. If you’re feeling that burnout, it can be tempting to wonder if it might be best to take a break from your instrument. To keep enjoying playing, many people...
In the era of Zoom, performances look a little different. Preparing for them is a little different too, but ultimately, performing online can be a rewarding way to connect with an audience. Here are our top seven tips to bring the virtual house down with your online...
Coucou! As I write this, I’m sitting in my new home for the next seven months: a lovely, many-windowed apartment at the heart of La Réole, France, where I arrived almost three weeks ago now. La Réole is a tiny town of less than 5000 people situated about 40 minutes...
What is a Fiddle School Session ? Each Fiddle School session is designed to include one year of material broken into twelve month-long lessons. Fiddle School Session 1: Texas Fiddle Foundations is perfect for the new or returning fiddler, whether you’re just getting...
Raise your hand if you’ve got a kid learning from home this year. Yeah, that’s a lot of hands out there. If your other hand is busy wiping the sweat off your forehead right now, it’s normal. Schooling from home for the first time is a lot to handle, especially if...
My Fiddle Story - Baxter Bell I started playing the violin before I knew any better! I was five at the time, and apparently, I had grown fond of the piano, as my grandmother had a baby grand in her living room, quite an extravagance for the wife of a barber in the...
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MUSICAL JOURNEY! Wow. Daunting challenge. So to begin, I’ll relieve those of you who may read this, the mental exercise of determining my age. I’m 72...which underscores that it is never too late in your life to pick up your axe, and start...
Even when we’re not in the midst of physical distancing and a sea of canceled events, everyone struggles with low motivation from time to time. But you don’t have to bend to the whim of motivation; instead, you can cultivate it consciously. Here’s the recipe to keep...
A Note About My Music I grew up on a farm on the land my grandfather homesteaded and in the house he and my grandmother built. My dad grew up there too. He and my mom remained hereafter they married. My mom was raised in a musical family. She sang and played the...