Musicianship Mastery with David Lane

Frequency and consistency are 2 hallmarks of great practice for musicians.  That is to say: If you practice often, and you play your music the same way every time, you have the most important fundamentals of practicing well!  5 X 5 Practice is an easy-to-remember template that combines both frequency and consistency.  In essence, you choose a technique or musical passage to focus on, practice it to the point where you can play 5 times in a row with complete accuracy.  Repeat this for 5 days.  It might only be a fraction of your total practice time, but it adds up.  In this episode, we'll get into the details and examples of how this practice can be a simple solution for improving the quality of your performance! Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

It's not uncommon for a teacher to hear this from a parent who is discontinuing lessons. "They won't practice unless I tell them to do it."  Sometimes we're talking about a 7 or 8 year old child. Parents and, sometimes, teachers can have unrealistic expectations for how much children should CHOOSE to do the challenging work with practicing their instrument.  There's a lot going on here, not the least is which a faulty correlation between not choosing to practice and not liking their instrument.  Real practice is WORK, and even adults have trouble with making it a priority.  This episode also talks about the 3 opinions of self-starting that many adults tend to hold, preventing them from realizing the truth: Self-starting is a myth. Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Whether you're a composer, a teacher, or a performer, having a good music notation program that you know how to use well is a great tool!  If you're convinced of that but don't have one already, one of the questions that everyone There are a lot of music notation programs to choose from, but there are 3 big ones: Finale, Sibelius, and Dorico.  Jason Loffredo is the creator of the highly acclaimed Conquering Finale video tutorial series, and he helps answer the question of which program is right for both you based on multiple factors.  And, of course, some good amount of Finale Talk, including Jason's Top 5 tips for improving the efficiency of your work flow!  Check out this episode for some very helpful info no matter how advanced you are with your software. Links: Conquering Finale Series Finale Sibelius Dorico Jason's website is: https://jasonloffredo.com/home-page Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.  

Here's a motivational episode for you for when you feel like your opportunities are too small, or nothing you do really matters.  A great exercise for when you have any kind of success is to write down, step by step, all the opportunities you accepted that led to this point.  Step by step.  Not just what you did as a child studying music that led to your most recent success, but what did you do 3 months ago?  Where did you send a resume?  What party did you attend, and who did you strike a connection with?  What competition did you prepare for?  What video did you put on YouTube that might have been seen later by someone else?  Then...what did you do before that?  And before that?  Success often comes after a long chain of little, and sometimes seemingly insignificant opportunities that all add up! Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Geoff Westley is an active international performer, a pianist with a unique approach to programming.  His concerts are 100% his own original music, and he doesn't write any of it down.  In this episode, we talk about his approach to these concerts, thoughts on improvisation in general, how improvisation is a "lost art" among many classical musicians, and how that skill seems to intersect with the skill of memorization. Find out more about Geoff Westley at https://www.geoffwestley.com/ Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

David Lane, an expert in personal development for musicians, shares ten must-read books that don't focus on music but are invaluable for growth. He discusses the importance of overcoming fear with insights from 'Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.' Lane emphasizes the significance of habits and diverse skills with titles like 'Atomic Habits' and 'Range.' He explores the barriers musicians face, drawing from 'The War of Art,' and encourages '10x thinking' for personal evolution. Prepare to be inspired to elevate your practice and mindset!

One tool every musician should have in 2023 for getting gigs or students is a good website, one that actually generates leads and revenue.  Taylor Rossi is a musician as well as a web designer.  She talks about the things that musicians are doing too much of and what they're not doing enough of to have a better website.  We also talk about SEO and generally changing how you see your website from a client's perspective, and what really matters. Taylor's business: https://www.nicolericcardo.com/cyc Follow Taylor on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetaylorrossi/ Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

This podcast is committed to exploring all the traits that the most successful musicians around the world tend to cultivate, whether it involves the skills associated with making and understanding the music, or the mental, emotional, and social skills that go into having a successful career.  There are so many great examples to emulate, but there are also more than a few musicians who seem to be successful as far as getting work in spite of one or more trait that puts off their colleagues:  things like showing up late, talking negatively about other musicians, monopolizing rehearsal time for reasons that could have been addressed beforehand, and more.  With the help of contributions from more than a dozen colleagues, this episode looks at the practices from some musicians that you should strive to avoid, and WHY their outlier success is harder to sustain. Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

One of the tools of musicianship that was mentioned in Episode 1 is the ability to play well any written rhythm.  Why so specific? Why WRITTEN rhythm instead of just saying that we should be good at rhythm.  It's because they are completely different skills, and you're probably already good at one of them whether you know it or not, but the other one needs training.  My guest is long-time friend, percussionist, former band director and educator for all ages, Dr. David Krosner.  We talk about how to quickly dissect written rhythm into something you can sight-read with success.  We also talk about the importance of memorizing entire rhythmic patterns (not just individual notes), playing polyrhythms, and more.  This is an essential episode for an essential tool! Click here for David Krosner's book as mentioned in the episode: https://www.beatinpathpublications.com/DKrosner/home.html Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.  

This is a full episode response to a listener question.  On an earlier episode about practice, it was mentioned that composing an etude based on a tricky measure or group of measures is a good way to not only conquer that measure, but passages like it that you might face in the future.  A listener asked David Lane: How do you compose your own practice etude?  Using 2 specific examples from the listener, a French hornist, he shares some ideas on how this might sound as various etudes.  This episode will hopefully help give you some ideas of how to get started, as well as answer why it's a good idea. Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.