We musicians may have patterns of moving or holding our bodies that interfere with freedom of movement. Inaccurate messages you may have received about how your body moves, or even the stress of holding and playing your instrument, may put you in positions...

Actors and opera singers need to feel freedom in their vocal tracts and in their entire bodies for their movements onstage. Instrumentalists require ease of movement in their arms, hands, facial muscles, and breathing muscles. Performers of all kinds...

Too many canards are floating around in ensemble rooms and teaching studios about how the body should and shouldn’t move when we breathe. Well-meaning teachers exhort their students to “keep your shoulders down.” Following this instruction will limit...

To all who celebrate this day, here is a moving performance of “Salvation is Created” by Pavel Tschesnokoff, recorded in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

Among my personal holiday delights is the annual baking ritual of a treat that everyone in my circle finds irresistible. Treat yourself to some Cinnamon Pecans. Beat one egg white and one tablespoon of cold water together until frothy. Stir 1 pound of...

As 2024 draws to a close, it is a good time to step back from the day’s to-do list and think about what the year means to you. With our noses to the daily grindstone, it’s often hard to see the totality of our accomplishments. Take a moment to reflect...

Roaming the internet to find music that speaks to me, I rediscovered this gem. Composed by Osvaldo Golijov and performed by Boston’s A Far Cry, Tenebrae, , offers a glimpse of peace and hope.

You probably spend hours every week practicing. For all that commitment of time, you feel like you should get a huge return for your efforts. But sometimes, you may be frustrated by the results: after all that time spent, you still haven’t achieved mastery. ...

Practicing is hard work, and how frustrating it is to work through something to your satisfaction, only to discover that you seem to have “forgotten” everything by the next day. What did you do wrong? What was missing from your practice? Here’s an encouraging...

Does it ever happen to you that you practice something, think you’ve got it, and then it falls apart in your lesson or performance? Or does it take you too long to learn a new piece? One technique that expert practicers use is called “chunking.” What...