The Mind Over Finger Podcast

  Today, I’m so happy to bring you the incredible cellist Joshua Roman!  Joshua is a multifaceted artist with a remarkably vibrant career as a soloist, chamber musician, composer, curator, artistic director, and philanthropist!  In this episode, we discuss practicing purposefully and building a meaningful career, and he tells about the impact and mission of his popular Popper Etude Project and Challenge. As you’ll see Joshua’s journey and approach to music-making are rooted in authenticity and a sense of purpose and are highly inspiring!  I know you’ll find value and a source for a deeper reflection in this conversation! In our discussion, Joshua elaborates on: How he feels that the multiple facets of his career are all parts of being a complete musician His beginnings in Oklahoma and his studies at the Cleveland Institute How it’s we should follow our heart and use our skills to explore what we love - pushing passed the bounds of what we were “taught” and explore further What he thinks about building a meaningful career – how we get the career that we build Why it’s important to figure out what we want and focus on that The importance of questioning ourselves, getting to know ourselves, exploring our passions, and see if and how we can incorporate them into our career “Find your voice and build your career around your voice” Why there is no luck: “it’s a series of things that you build on” Why we need both to be prepared and get opportunities Some of the challenges he faced on the way to his dream career How important it was for him to feel like what he did mattered The Popper Project and the Popper Challenge – what and why How it turned into a way for cellists to come together and created a supportive and inspiring community “Why do we need to practice etudes at all” How he maximizes practice   MORE ABOUT JOSHUA: Website: https://www.joshuaroman.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFT1OzgeBtU69e5v6sIwSag Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joshuaroman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshuaromancello/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuaromancello/   Biography Cellist / Composer / Curator Joshua Roman has earned an international reputation for his wide-ranging repertoire, a commitment to communicating the essence of music in visionary ways, artistic leadership and versatility. As well as being a celebrated performer, he is recognized as an accomplished composer and curator, and was named a TED Senior Fellow in 2015. Recent seasons have seen Roman perform recitals and concert with orchestras around the US and the world, including performances of Mason Bates’s Cello Concerto (which was written for him) and his very own concerto.  Roman is also a very active chamber musician and shares the stage with today’s finest musicians. Roman has demonstrated inspirational artistic leadership throughout his career. As Artistic Director of TownMusic in Seattle he has showcased his own eclectic musical influences and chamber music favorites, while also promoting newly commissioned works. Under his direction, the series has offered world premieres of compositions by some of today’s brightest young composers and performances by cutting-edge ensembles. In the 2015-16 season at TownMusic he presented his own song cycle, … we do it to one another, based on Tracy K. Smith’s book of poems Life on Mars, with soprano Jessica Rivera. He has also recently been appointed the inaugural Artistic Advisor of award-winning contemporary streaming channel Second Inversion, launched by Seattle’s KING-FM to cultivate the next generation of classical audiences. The cellist additionally took on a new curatorial role last summer, as Creative Partner of the Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts. The same organization sponsored him in April 2016 at the 68th Annual Conference on World Affairs on the University of Colorado campus, where he contributed his innovative ideas about how classical music is conceived and presented.  Roman performed at the Kennedy Center Arts Summit that same month and is a member of the 2016 Kennedy Center Honors artists committee. Roman’s cultural leadership includes using digital platforms to harness new audiences. In 2009 he developed “The Popper Project,” performing, recording and uploading the complete etudes from David Popper’s High School of Cello Playing to his dedicated YouTube channel. In his latest YouTube project, “Everyday Bach,” Roman performs Bach’s cello suites in beautiful settings around the world. He has collaborated with photographer Chase Jarvis on Nikon video projects, and Paste magazine singled out Roman and DJ Spooky for their cello and iPad cover of Radiohead’s “Everything in Its Right Place,” created for the Voice Project. For his creative initiatives on behalf of classical music, Roman was named a TED Fellow in 2011, joining a select group of next-generation innovators who show potential to positively affect the world. He acted as curator for an outdoor amphitheater performance at the TED Summit in Banff in the Canadian Rockies this past summer. Beyond these initiatives, Roman’s adventurous spirit has led to collaborations with artists outside the music community, including his co-creation of “On Grace” with Tony Award-nominated actress Anna Deavere Smith, a work for actor and cello which premiered in February 2012 at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. His outreach endeavors have taken him to Uganda with his violin-playing siblings, where they played chamber music in schools, HIV/AIDS centers and displacement camps, communicating a message of hope through music. Before embarking on a solo career, Roman spent two seasons as principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony, a position he won in 2006 at the age of 22. Since that time, he has appeared as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, New World Symphony, Alabama Symphony, and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional del Ecuador, among many others. An active chamber musician, Roman has collaborated with established artists such as Andrius Zlabys, Cho-Liang Lin, Assad Brothers, Earl Carlyss, Christian Zacharias and Yo-Yo Ma, as well as other dynamic young soloists and performers from New York’s vibrant music scene, including the JACK Quartet, Talea Ensemble, Derek Bermel and the Enso String Quartet. A native of Oklahoma City, Roman began playing the cello at the age of three on a quarter-size instrument, and gave his first public recital at age ten. Home-schooled until he was 16, he then pursued his musical studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Richard Aaron. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance in 2004, and his Master’s in 2005, as a student of Desmond Hoebig, former principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra. Roman is grateful for the loan of an 1899 cello by Giulio Degani of Venice.   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

In this week’s episode, I wrap up this series on the main teachers in my journey as a violinist with an interview with Northwestern University professor Gerardo Ribeiro, with whom I studied during my doctoral years. Professor Ribeiro talks to us about his experience studying with Ivan Galamian and Felix Galamir, how he uses mental practice, why we must develop the awareness to truly hear our own playing and assess critically what we are doing, and about the importance of taking ownership of our learning experience! I learned so much with Professor Ribeiro and I’m so happy to have him on the show!  He is full of insight and useful tips, and also has great anecdotes for us!  I hope you enjoy our discussion!   In this episode, Professor Ribeiro elaborates on: His experience studying with Ivan Galamian The importance of listening to ourselves Why moving can be detrimental to our playing Mental practice Why we must develop the awareness to truly hear our own playing and assess critically what we are doing The importance of aural skills   Gerardo Ribeiro Gerardo Ribeiro, Portugal's premier violinist, is recognized on four continents as one of the truly important violinists of his generation. With acclaimed recitals at New York City's most prestigious concert venues - Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the Metropolitan Museum - Mr. Ribeiro has also appeared at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center, and is well known in major European, South American and Far Eastern concert halls. As a concerto soloist, Mr. Ribeiro has appeared with the Philadelphia and Gulbenkian Orchestras, the Montreal, Dallas, Lucerne, Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and Cali Symphony Orchestras, the Zagreb, Antwerp and Lisbon Philharmonics, the Taiwan, Beijing, Belgian and Portuguese National Orchestras, the Radio Orchestras of Paris (O.R.T.F.), Lisbon, Berlin, Hilversum (Holland) and North Germany (Hannover) and other leading ensembles. Beginning violin studies at an early age, Ribeiro went on to earn Soloist Diplomas, with honors, at both the Porto and Lucerne Conservatories, later attending the Juilliard School, where he studied with Ivan Galamian, Paul Makanowitzky and Felix Galimir. Numerous awards in distinguished international competitions such as the Montreal and Paganini followed. First Prizes were received at the Vianna de Motta contest in Lisbon and the Maria Canals competition in Barcelona. After serving on the violin faculty of the Eastman School of Music, Mr. Ribeiro joined Northwestern University as professor of violin. He is a member of the Meadowmount Trio, ensemble-in-residence at the Meadowmount School of Music. Ribeiro has been awarded the Presidential Scholars Teacher Recognition Award from the White House's Commission on Presidential Scholars. Mr. Ribeiro is also on the string faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago where he teaches and coaches advanced students and chamber groups in the Academy program.   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/    

I’m really happy to continue this series on the pedagogues that shaped me as a violinist with a discussion about another giant in musical journey, Zvi Zeitlin. Unfortunately, Professor Zeitlin passed away in 2012, but I had a wonderful time talking about him with Michael Klotz, violist with the Amernet Quartet and Senior Instructor at Florida International University in Miami. Michael and I were colleagues in the Zeitlin studio at both Eastman and at the Music Academy of the West and, in this episode. we discuss our experience studying with Mr. Zeitlin and his lasting influence on our lives. It was a true pleasure for me to talk with Michael and I think you’ll enjoy our chat!   More about Michael Klotz   Website: http://michaelklotzmusic.com/ Amernet String Quartet: http://amernetquartet.com/ Florida International University: http://carta.fiu.edu/music/ Heifetz International Music Institute: https://www.heifetzinstitute.org/   Biography Born in 1978 in Rochester, NY, Michael Klotz made his solo debut with the Rochester Philharmonic at the age of 17 and has since then appeared as soloist with orchestra, recitalist, and chamber musician, and orchestra principal worldwide. After a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 with violist Roberto Diaz, the Portland Press-Herald proclaimed, “this concert squelched all viola jokes, now and forever, due to the talents of Diaz and Klotz”. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram recently proclaimed Michael Klotz to be “a superb violist, impressive, with an exceptionally attractive sound,” and the Miami Herald has consistently lauded his “burnished, glowing tone and nuanced presence.”   Michael Klotz joined the Amernet String Quartet in 2002 and has toured and recorded commercially with the ensemble throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Romania, Colombia, Belgium, and Spain. Klotz has performed at some of New York’s most important venues, such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, MoMA, Bargemusic, and the Kosciuzsko Foundation. His festival appearances have included Seattle, Newport, Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Festival Mozaic, Great Lakes, Cervantino, Festival Baltimore, Piccolo Spoleto, Sunflower, Martha’s Vineyard, Skaneateles, Virginia Tech Vocal Arts and Music Festival, San Miguel de Allende, Beverly Hills, Music Mountain, Bowdoin, Madeline Island, Sarasota, Music Academy of the West, and Miami Mainly Mozart. Passionately dedicated to chamber music, Klotz regularly performs with many of today’s most esteemed artists, having appeared as guest violist with the Shanghai, Ying, and Borromeo String Quartets, the Manhattan Piano Trio, and collaborated with artists such as Shmuel Ashkenasi, Arnold Steinhardt, James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, Vadim Gluzman, Gary Hoffman, Carter Brey, Michael Tree, Robert DeMaine, Andres Diaz, Roberto Diaz, Joseph Kalichstein, Franklin Cohen, and Alexander Fiterstein, as well as with many principal players from major U.S. and European orchestras. In 2015 he was named a Charter Member of the Ensemble with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth and regularly appears on this series. In 2002 and 2009, he was was invited by Maestro Jaime Laredo to perform with distinguished alumni at anniversary concerts of the New York String Orchestra Seminar in Carnegie Hall. Michael Klotz is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the Performer’s Certificate. In 2002 he became one of the few individuals to be awarded a double Master’s Degree in violin and viola from the Juilliard School. At Juilliard, he was the recipient of the Tokyo Foundation and Gluck Fellowships. His principle teachers and influences include Zvi Zeitlin, Lynn Blakeslee, Lewis Kaplan, Toby Appel, Peter Kamnitzer, and Shmuel Ashkenasi. Michael Klotz is a dedicated teacher and serves as Senior Instructor and Artist-in-Residence at Florida International University in Miami, where he teaches viola and chamber music. Klotz has recently presented highly acclaimed master classes at the New World Symphony, Cincinnati Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Michigan, Penn State University, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, Ithaca College, Texas Christian University, and West Virginia University. He is currently a member of the faculty of The Heifetz Institute and a viola coach at the New World Symphony. His former students currently attend and are graduates of prestigious conservatories, including the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, Indiana University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music and are already achieving leading roles in the music world. Michael was featured in the November 2013 issue of the “Alumni Spotlight” in the Juilliard Journal and as the subject of Strad Magazine’s “Ask the Teacher” column in the November 2013 issue. Michael Klotz resides in Hallandale Beach, FL with his wife Kelly and sons Jacob and Natan, as well as two dogs and a cat.     ZVI ZEITLIN (1922-2012) A faculty member at Eastman from 1967 to 2012, Zvi Zeitlin (1922-2012) was revered for decades as a violinist, pedagogue, chamber musician, and champion of contemporary music. Born in Dubrovna, Belarus, Zvi Zeitlin was raised and educated in Israel. At age 11, he became the youngest scholarship student in the history of the Juilliard School, studying with Sascha Jacobsen, Louis Persinger, and Ivan Galamian. He served in the RAF (1943-46) and concertized for troops throughout the Middle East and Greece. He made concerto appearances with such great conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Antal Dorati, Jascha Horenstein, and Christoph von Dohnanyi, and gave frequent tours of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Central and South America. One of Zeitlin’s signature pieces was Arnold Schoenberg’s fiendishly difficult, seldom performed Violin Concerto; his 1971 Deutsche Grammophon recording of this work with conductor Rafael Kubelik set the standard, and is still available. Zeitlin also premiered concertos by Gunther Schuller, Carlos Surinach, and Paul Ben-Haim, besides performing and recording a wealth of other repertoire in his long career; the Toronto Star called him “one of the violin world’s grand old men, a true musical Methuselah.” Along with his solo appearances, he was a founding member of the Eastman Trio (1976-1982). Zeitlin taught annual master classes at the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Yehudi Menuhin School. He was a faculty member at the Music Academy of the West since 1973, and a visiting professor at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, England) since 1992. Zeitlin was named Eastman’s first Kilbourn Professor in 1976 and Distinguished Professor in 1998. In 2004, he received the University of Rochester’s Edward Curtis Peck Award for Excellence in Teaching Undergraduates. Zeitlin’s students occupy leading positions in major orchestras in the United States and throughout the world; hold important positions in universities and music schools worldwide; and are major prizewinners in international and regional competitions. Zvi Zeitlin died on May 2, 2012 in Rochester, at the age of 90.   THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme! Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes! I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here! https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/

I’m really excited about today’s episode and I think it’s a particularly inspiring one! As a performer and a teacher, I constantly feel the presence and the influence of the musicians that have helped shape me as an artist – with their knowledge, wisdom, skills, and with their examples! There are too many to interview them all, but there are three that I consider as the main pedagogical influences in my life, and you will get to meet them in the coming weeks! I begin today with Canadian violinist, teacher, and conductor, Jean-François Rivest who was my teacher from the age of 9, when I began Conservatory, all the way to the age of 20, when I graduated from the University of Montreal! Jean-François and I have an amazing conversation about learning to listen to ourselves, paying attention, nurturing our imagination, live passionately, and broadening our horizons as humans and musicians! We elaborate on: His artistic journey, from gifted violinist to passionate teacher, conductor, and artistic administrator Why we need to grow and enrich parts of ourselves who are not specifically related to music in order to become a better musician Why we must pursue, at least, some of our dreams and how that requires action and difficult decisions How he taught me to PAY ATTENTION and nurture curiosity in my life The extreme importance of imagination Ways we can tune our radar to learn to listen and hear better Opening our “musical eyes” to how the music is constructed – theory, harmony, etc. Develop our inner ear through “ear training” How we can develop more awareness with the help of mentors, guides, and teachers who will teach us where to “look,” and introduce us to the tools and skills we should acquire How he thinks that music is an exchange of imagination between the composer, artist, and listener and, therefore, why we must develop our imagination in order to fully grow as a musician How growth is a lifelong pursuit and becoming a “better” artist involves growing as a person Why EVERY GESTURE COUNTS Why practice is “management”   More about Jean-François Biography ‘Rivest is a magician: with a touch of his magic wand he always transforms any concert into an extraordinary and unique event’ (Le Soleil, Québec, 2010) Québec conductor Jean-François Rivest is renowned for his energy, his extremely precise technique, his style, which is passionate, moving and deeply involved, and his great communication skills. His discography serves as proof to the ease with which he masters a large variety of musical genres ranging from the baroque era up to today. He has been Artistic Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Laval, (10 years) and of Ottawa's Thirteen Strings Ensemble, (5 years), as well as Conductor in Residence of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, (OSM) from 2006 to 2009, where his tenure has been particularly significant. Jean-François Rivest firmly believes that the next generation of musicians must rely on performers that are also active as pedagogues. He has worked for several institutions and has been teaching orchestral conducting as well as a variety of advanced performance classes at Université de Montréal since 1993. He is the founder, Artistic Director and principal conductor of the Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal (OUM). From 2009 to 2015, he has been Artistic Director of the Orford Arts Centre, (now Orford Music), nearby Montréal where he presided over the destiny of Orford’s prestigious International Academy and Festival. His period at the head of the Arts Center is unanimously seen as a time of tremendous artistic renewal and growth. In the 2012 Opus Prizes Awards ceremony, he was given the Opus Prize for the Artistic Director of the year (2011). Mr. Rivest, who trained at the Conservatoire de Montréal and at the Juilliard School in New York, quickly established himself as one of the foremost Quebec violinists of his generation. His main teachers were Sonia Jelinkova, Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay. Being the father of four children, family is at the center of his life. He is passionate about nature and outdoor activities, such as scuba diving, kayak, climbing, trekking and photography. He has even participated in several expeditions of a challenging level. Jean-François Rivest believes that the many facets of nature are a vital source of artistic inspiration!   Biographie Le chef d'orchestre québécois Jean-François Rivest est réputé pour son énergie, sa technique d’une extrême précision et son style passionné, émouvant et profondément engagé. Il maîtrise naturellement une très grande variété de langages musicaux (du baroque au répertoire d’aujourd’hui). Invité régulier de nombreux grands orchestres, au Canada comme à l’étranger, il a été chef en résidence à l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), de 2006 à 2009, où son passage a été particulièrement significatif, ainsi que directeur artistique de l’Orchestre symphonique de Laval, (10 ans), et du Thirteen Strings Ensemble d’Ottawa, (5 ans). Jean-François Rivest croit fermement que la carrière d’interprète doit se doubler d’une action pédagogique afin de former les prochaines générations de musiciens. Il a œuvré au sein de plusieurs institutions et, tout particulièrement depuis 1993, à la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal où il enseigne la direction d’orchestre et divers cours d’interprétation avancés. Il est le fondateur, directeur artistique et chef principal de l'Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal (OUM). À titre de directeur artistique du Centre d’arts Orford, (maintenant Orford Musique), de 2009 à 2105, il a présidé à la destinée de son Académie prestigieuse et de son Festival international. Ses années à la tête du Centre d’arts ont été un franc succès et considérées par tous comme des années de grand renouveau artistique. Il s’est d’ailleurs vu décerner le Prix Opus du Directeur artistique de l’année 2011, lors du gala 2012 du Conseil québécois de la musique. Formé au Conservatoire de Montréal et à la Juilliard School de New York, il a étudié principalement avec Sonia Jelinkova, Ivan Galamian et Dorothy DeLay, et s'est imposé rapidement comme l'un des meilleurs violonistes québécois de sa génération. Il est père de quatre enfants et la famille est au cœur de sa vie. Il est passionné de plein air et de nature (plongée sous-marine, kayak de mer, escalade, trekking, photographie) et a de nombreuses expéditions importantes à son actif. Jean-François Rivest croit que la nature, dans toutes ses manifestations, constitue une inspiration vitale dans la profession artistique !   THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme! Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes! I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here! https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/

Percussionist Cameron Leach and I have a great show for you today!  In addition to some great practice tips, Cameron elaborates on some very important topics, including how to clearly communicate to our audience through intentional and empathetic performing, why students must take ownership of their own learning experience, and why musicians need to be great friends to each other! I love Cameron’s perspective on those topics, and I hope you enjoy our discussion! Cameron elaborates on: His journey to a solo career – starting in drumcor, doing a music education degree, and transitioning to performance after a chance encounter How he organizes his practice – having to handle so many instruments Why he likes to practice hungry What it is like to have to learn a wide variety of percussion instruments Ho he transfers the sound concepts from one instrument to the next Different practice modes in practice: Learning mode “Emoting” mode Why he thinks it’s important to consider how you are sending your musical message and how it is received by your listeners Clear emotional communication How documenting his practice on video helped him release stress and was a creative outlet Why it’s important to keep the sound of the hall in mind when we practice How recording ourselves helps us narrow our focus on specific elements in our practice His 3 key words – inquisitive, intentional, empathetic How students must take ownership of their learning experience (SCHOOLS CAN’T TECH YOU EVERYTHING!) during their degree and remain inquisitive AFTER they’ve graduated (Pssst! We’re all lifelong learners!!!!)     More about Cameron: Website: www.cleachmusic.com YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVIL-V9LiebwHS_XbuRbTsw Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cleachmusic/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleachmusic/   Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music by Angela Myles Beeching The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield   BIOGRAPHY American percussionist Cameron Leach is a bold, high-energy performer acclaimed for his expressive virtuosity, musical athleticism, and daring interpretations. An engaging and thoughtful soloist, Leach has concertized across the United States, Canada, and Europe. He frequently appears as a guest artist at some of the world’s finest institutions, including the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and Norwegian Academy of Music. Leach recently won both the Percussive Arts Society International Solo Artist Competition and Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, in addition to receiving the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Along with his active touring schedule, he regularly performs with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and serves on the faculty of Kent State University. Leach is endorsed by Black Swamp Percussion, Beetle Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, and Malletech. Highlights from the 2017-2018 season include the debut of his new electroacoustic solo show ELISION, a European Tour as Co-Principal of the World Percussion Group, the world premiere of Paul Lansky’s Metal Light for the Percussive Arts Society, and a performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto with the Eastman Wind Ensemble. Additionally, he performed Peter Maxwell Davies’ seminal Eight Songs for a Mad King with Ensemble id, a Rochester, NY-based chamber collective. His latest project, the Leach | Peters Percussion Duo, debuted on the Eastman Summer Concert Series in July 2018. Leach’s 2018-2019 season is marked by a diverse array of solo appearances, guest artist engagements, and world premieres. Kicking off with a performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China, Leach then embarks on recital and clinic tours of California, Florida, and the Midwest, featuring newly commissioned solo works by David Skidmore and Matt Curlee. In March 2019, Leach will give the world premiere of Dave Maric’s Percussion Concerto, commissioned for him by the Capital University Conservatory of Music. To close out the season, Leach will serve on faculty at the MalletLab Summer Intensive in West Palm Beach, FL, and will spend a week in residence as the featured artist for the Space City New Music Festival in Houston, TX. Devoted to the creation and performance of new music, Leach continues to commission diverse works for solo percussion, with a focus on the inclusion of electronics. During his time at the Eastman School of Music, the institution supported his vision through the Eastman/ArtistShare Partnership, allowing Leach to organize a commissioning consortium for Decay No. 2, a massive electroacoustic solo work by Matt Curlee. Other premieres include pieces by composers Michael Burritt, Paul Lansky, Jeff Tyzik, Alejandro Viñao, Annie Gosfield, Tim Feeney, Jon Lin Chua, and Frédéric Chiasson. Leach makes regular appearances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, having performed with the Eastman Percussion Ensemble and on the Competition Winner’s Showcase Concert in 2017, on the Focus Day Series and as a member of the All-Star International Percussion Ensemble in 2015, and with the Rhythm X Indoor Percussion Ensemble in 2011. In addition to his work as a concert artist, Leach also has a strong background in marching percussion, having won world titles with the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps and Rhythm X.   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/    

I’m very excited to have the talented, brilliant, funny, and (as you’ll see) engaging Tessa Lark to the show to talk to us about joy in practice and music-making!  In this episode, we discuss her views about tackling work with the right mindset, the ways she sparks joy in her practice, and how getting in that joyful headspace not only makes it more gratifying for her, but also helps increase her productivity! I’ve been thinking a lot about Joy, self-compassion, and using positive self-talk in practicing and performing for the past few years and I ended up researching that topic in the context of my doctoral studies: the idea that high quality work can flow more easily when we are in the right mindset, the right disposition.  High-level results stem out of high-level thinking and solutions to problems come more easily when we’re in a positive and open state of mind.  It is absolutely possible to have rigor without rigidity in the practice room! I had a wonderful time talking with Tessa about this topic that’s really close to my heart! I feel like it’s a way to approach practicing that can be very impactful and I hope this episode affects your next practice session in a positive way! We elaborate on: Her childhood in the foothills of Kentucky, starting with the Suzuki Method and enjoying attending Marc O’Connor’s fiddle camps How she was introduced to fiddle music and blue grass and how it stays with her to this day Her experience with the The Cincinnati Starling Project in Cincinnati, studying with Kurt Sassmannshaus How she met and went on to study with Miriam Fried in Boston, and how Ms Fried helped her develop artistic integrity How the Naumburg Competition helped launch her career Practicing in ways that spark joy – searching for “things in your practice that bring you joy, as opposed to looking for all the things you’re doing “horribly” wrong” The “talent” misunderstanding The misconception that “hard work” should feel “hard” Why we need to aim for “focused” and “efficient” work and, YES, that can feel good! Getting into the “joyful headspace” How struggle can be part of the process but its’ not “necessary” How emotional depth can also be reached from a positive headspace and mindset Increased productivity How while joy is not a neutral feeling, the process to get there can be neutral The importance of knowing yourself and knowing what can get you to this joyful headspace The importance of setting goals, a positive mindset, reduce distractions, and find a physical space that feels inspiring and is conducive to efficient work How the language we use with ourselves is so important How mental discipline is important and can help us negotiate the variables that can affect performance How she uses a timer in her practice to improve her productivity   More about Tessa: Website: https://www.tessalark.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessalark/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tessa.lark/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/HBOfosho YouTube videos featuring Tessa: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tessa+lark More articles about Tessa: click here   The Cincinnati Starling Project: http://www.starling.org/cincinnati-starling-project Kurt Sassmannshaus / Violin Masterclass: http://violinmasterclass.com/en Kenny Werner Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician: https://kennywerner.com/effortless-mastery   Biography   Violinist Tessa Lark, recipient of a 2018 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Silver Medalist in the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and winner of the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition, is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time. A budding superstar in the classical realm, she is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky. Since making her concerto debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at sixteen, Ms. Lark has appeared with dozens of orchestras, festivals, and recital venues including Carnegie Hall, Ravinia, San Francisco Performances, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and Marlboro Music. Highlights of her 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons included multiple performances of two works for violin and orchestra written for her: Love Letter by bassist-composer Michael Thurber, and Sky, a bluegrass-inspired concerto by Michael Torke premiered and recorded with the Albany (NY) Symphony Orchestra. Additional recording projects include a fantasia-themed album including Ms. Lark’s own Appalachian Fantasy and works by Telemann, Ravel, Kreisler, and Schubert; Invention, a debut album of the violin-bass duo Tessa Lark & Michael Thurber that comprises music of J.S. Bach along with non-classical original compositions; and a genre-bending disc in collaboration with such artists as multi-instrumentalist/composer Jon Batiste and American fiddling legend Michael Cleveland. Recent and upcoming activities include Australia’s Musica Viva festival—a four-concert engagement highlighted by a duo collaboration with bassist/composer Edgar Meyer—and debuts with the Seattle and Indianapolis symphonies. Scheduled for May 2020 is a Lincoln Center recital debut on its prestigious Great Performers Series. Ms. Lark is a graduate of New England Conservatory with an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School. She plays a ca. 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.     If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/    

In this episode, I’m really excited to speak with cellist David Eby and to dive deeper with him in a topic that we’ve only mentioned a few times on the show so far and that I feel is so important and can be extremely powerful in our experience as musicians!  I’m talking about pure mindfulness! We discuss the positive effects meditation and consciousness tools can have on our practice and performance.  Among many things, you will hear about the importance of adopting unprejudiced mindsets, how you can bring more flow and joy in your playing,  develop and effective automatic response mode when facing challenges in performance, and create inspired connection in your playing by accessing a higher consciousness using David’s 4-step process. We expand on: Mindfulness and consciousness in our practice - how to use these powerful tools How he got to experience that state of oneness with music in his youth The transition to college and how difficult it was to keep that magic state of being while negotiating the demands and pressures of university How harsh judgment of self and others influenced him and eventually led him to a crisis The pivotal moment that led him to pursue meditation and how it changed his life and brought him back to experience pure joy and love of music again How he studied and explored different consciousness techniques and started incorporating them in concerts, reaching a state of flow in his performance How meditation and consciousness can help us reconnect with the joy and bliss in performance (and, as a result, improve our results) Different methods of meditation How training the mind to return to the breath in meditation is training our brain to focus The automatic response mode that can help us overcome challenges in performance Hush/Heart/Lift/Flow Technique for more inspired connection in performance: o   Hush: create dynamic stillness (inner and outer silence) to better hear and feel subtleties of music o   Heart: deepen intuitive perception - open chest and heart o   Lift: engage energy - creating upward moving energy o   Flow: focus with effortless pleasure     More about David: Website: http://www.davidebymusic.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/davidceby Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInspiredMusician/   Biography Cellist, Director, Teacher and Author “Inspiration and music came into my life at age 6 when I announced to my parents that I was going to play the cello. By 16, I was drinking up inspiration from the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals and sharing inspiration onstage as soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony. I attuned my skills at the Eastman School of Music where I received the Performer’s Certificate and BM under the tutelage of Paul Katz of the Cleveland Quartet. By the time I received my MM at Indiana University under the esteemed Janos Starker, my life was resonating unconditionally with the joy of music. My first position as Principal Cellist of the Evansville Philharmonic and the Owensboro Symphony Orchestras taught me about how to share this joy in the context of leadership. As the founding cellist for the musical storytelling troupe Tales & Scales, I helped inspire the imaginations of young audiences across the nation. An introduction to the West Coast awakened within me a profound yearning for the ocean and the mountains, and I arrived in Portland in 1996 to become the founding cellist for the internationally acclaimed band Pink Martini, as well as a cellist for the Portland Opera. By 2001 an inward calling had grown so strong within me that I left everything to become Music Director at the Ananda Village in Northern California, with the singular opportunity to teach and direct a remarkable group of meditators. Each week we explored more deeply the realms of music, consciousness, inspiration, discovering the steps for achieving a consistently inspired performance. We were able to duplicate extraordinary experiences of flow in performance—where time stands still and all that exists is the joy of the music. Hollywood made a dramatic entrance into my life in 2012 when I was asked to musically direct and produce the soundtrack for the film Finding Happiness featuring Elisabeth Rohm (LA Law, American Hustle). Soon thereafter, I arrived back in Portland, where I am currently teaching Workshops for the Inspired Musician, sharing what I have learned through this 18-year journey into music and inspiration. I’ve sought to capture my experiences of inspiration on recordings, and my discography includes Sympathique with Pink Martini, Mystic Harp 2, Secrets of Love, Relax: Meditations for Flute and Cello, and Song of the Nightingale for Crystal Clarity Publishers, and the Finding Happiness soundtrack for Hansa Productions. I currently perform with The Bodhi Trio, the Oregon Symphony, and Portland Cello Project, teach at Lewis and Clark College, direct the Advanced Strings at Oregon Episcopal School and am a Teaching Artist for the BRAVO Youth Orchestra. I live in Southwest Portland with my wife Madhavi, daughter Caitlin and our Manx cat, Maggie.   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice.   THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a huge thank you to my producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/   Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/

In this episode, I have a wonderful conversation with Dr. Immanuel Abraham.  Immanuel talks to us about his path to a professional career, all things mindful and efficient practice, and the importance of learning to compose in enhancing your performance on your instrument! Immanuel has a wonderful approach to practicing and music-making and I hope you enjoy his story and find yourself inspired by his dedication and determination!   ALL ABOUT guest: Website: https://www.immanuelabraham.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theviolindoctor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheViolinDoctor/ The Violin Guild: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheViolinGuild/ YouTube channels: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddZDSbY6_Y4cIa-nMsY2oA   Biography American violinist and composer, Dr. Immanuel Abraham, graduated Summa Cum Laude from both the University of Michigan (MM, 2015) and University of Arizona (DMA, 2018) with degrees in Violin Performance. He has earned numerous awards, recognitions, and is a sought-after composer.  His most recent commissions have included complete scores for theatrical works, string quartets, and "The Abraham 24 Caprices for Solo Violin", which have premiered in 3 countries. Dr. Abraham has performed in 7 countries, been featured on CBS Detroit, Buzzfeed, and Fiddlerman's exclusive blog series "Music Is For Everyone." His Instagram @TheViolinDoctor engages 20K followers. ​Dr. Abraham began music studies at in 2004 under Chicago Civic Orchestra Concertmaster, Guillaume Combet. Only months later, he auditioned into the Merit School of Music Conservatory.  In the next three years he placed 2nd in the institution's Annual Concerto Competition and became Concertmaster of the Merit Symphony Orchestra.  Simultaneously, he served as asst. concertmaster in the Chicago Youth Symphony (including the 2008 CYMI under Maestro Gustavo Dudamel) and was Concertmaster of the Blue Lake International Youth Symphony Orchestra. Graduating with highest honors, he continued violin studies at the University of Michigan under Naumberg Award-Winner, Andrew Jennings. There he began to compose and explore the Electric Violin as well. In 2013, he won the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Concerto Competition, soloing the Conus Violin Concerto for a live audience of over 1,500 and airing live on FM Radio.  In 2014, he placed 2nd in the Stamp.FM Online Music Awards, and opened for world-class bands We The Kings and HelloGoodbye at the Michigan Theater. His first year in Arizona, he won the University of Arizona 2015 Concerto Competition with the Brahms Violin Concerto. He premiered his own cadenza, replacing the 1867 standard by Joseph Joachim.  Dr. Abraham also served as the Arizona Symphony Orchestra concertmaster for two years under Maestro Thomas Cockrell, and the Arizona Contemporary Ensemble ("ACE") under Maestro Daniel Asia.  He  also is a recipient of the Fred Fox School of Music​ Graduate Fellowship. ​Dr. Abraham has enjoyed work as the concertmaster of the Michigan Pops Orchestra, sub-anchor for Blue Lake Public Radio, Violin Specialist for the Sphinx Organization, Violin; Viola; Cello; faculty at the Chicago Music Store, Allegro School of Music, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and as the United States Consultant for the 1st Oskar Rieding International Competition for Young Violinists. He also served two years as an assistant teacher for the University of Arizona, giving weekly lectures in music history. Today, Dr. Abraham directs his own private studio of two-dozen local Arizonan students (sign up here!) He plays on a modern violin by renown Japanese luthier, Tetsuo Matsuda.  He is also the creator of Facebook’s most popular bowed-string forum, The Violin Guild™, comprising over 30,000 members worldwide!   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/   THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also, a huge thank you to my producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

  Today, I’m really excited to have Canadian pianist David Jalbert on the show!  David is an extraordinary person, a brilliant artist, and a very dear friend!   We have a great conversation and cover many topics, from finding yourself as an artist, to the importance of confidence in our progress, and how to learn and memorize music.  David is incredible (and hilarious!) and I know you will really enjoy his approach to all things music and find tons of value in this episode!  In this episode, David talks about: His musical journey, from a small town in the province of Quebec studying at the Conservatoire, the University of Montreal, the Toronto Royal Conservatory in Toronto, and Juilliard, leading to his professional career The wonderful musical program he took part in at the Conservatoire de Musique du Quebec The Canadian Music Competition and how competitions were a source of motivation for him How his curiosity and the fact that he “thrived on the forbidden” really helped him develop his technical skills How having many teachers taught him so much, but left him somewhat confused How he found himself back His learning process and how he realized that he could learn faster The importance of confidence in the learning process Memorizing music The importance of being organized How being interested in expanding our cultural horizon can positively affect our growth as an artist and give us “a leg up”   En français, nous discutons de : Son parcours musical, des débuts à aujourd’hui, en touchant à ses moments au Conservatoire de Musique de Rimouski, ses expériences au Concours de Musique du Canada, et ses études à l’Université de Montréal, la Glenn Gould School, et à Juilliard La motivation et l’inspiration qu’il a retiré de sa participation au Concours de Musique du Canada L’approche de la technique de Marc Durand qui a eu une grande influence dans sa vie Sa période à la Glenn Gould School et l’impact d’étudier avec plusieurs professeurs Son expérience avec Jérome Lowenthal et comment il a développé sa voix authentique À quoi sa pratique ressemble o   L’importance de la précondition – de se mettre dans le bon « espace mental » o   L’importance d’avoir un plan Son processus d’apprentissage et de mémorisation du répertoire   More Information about David Jalbert: Website: http://davidjalbert.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/davidjalbertpiano/videos Johannes Brahms: A Biography by Jan Swafford   Biography A virtuoso with a warm and elegant style and a wide-ranging repertoire, pianist David Jalbert has established himself among the elite of a new generation of classical musicians, and was named by the CBC among the 15 best Canadian pianists of all time. With his personal style, incomparable stage presence, and refined ear, he has wowed audiences and critics everywhere: “a deeply musical pianist” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), “a virtuoso in the best sense of the word” (La Presse), “…wide-ranging musical imagination, phenomenal technique, and an unerring lightness of being” (The Toronto Star). His first solo disc, dedicated to the works of Corigliano and Rzewski (in preparation for which he worked with both composers), was launched to great applause on Endeavor in 2004 and was followed in 2006 by a recording of Fauré’s complete Nocturnes (a winning selection on La Tribune des Critiques de Disques, France-Culture). His 2008 release on the ATMA label, Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues opus 87, drew rave reviews, won an Opus Award, and was nominated for a Juno Award. He followed it up with an album dedicated to works by minimalist greats John Adams and Philip Glass (2010), and his 2012 recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations was met with unanimous praise. He recorded works by Poulenc and Satie on “Le Comble de la Distinction” (2015) and virtuosic transcriptions of Russian ballets by Stravinsky and Prokofiev in 2017, which earned him another Juno nomination. An accomplished chamber musician in both the hall and the studio, his releases include Poulenc’s music for winds and piano (with the woodwind quintet Pentaèdre) as well as the Rachmaninov and Chopin Cello Sonatas with his long-standing musical partner Denise Djokic. With violinist Jasper Wood and cellist Denise Djokic, he is also a member of Triple Forte, a piano trio whose first recording was awarded a 2014 Prix Opus (Album of the Year). Jalbert has also collaborated with violinist Rachel Barton Pine, the Cecilia and Alcan string quartets, double-bassist Joel Quarrington (on another Opus-winning collaboration, the album Brothers in Brahms as well as a Schubert album) and with pianists Anton Kuerti, Wonny Song and Jean-Philippe Collard. As guest soloist, Jalbert has appeared with many orchestras, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Orchestre Métropolitain, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra, Bielefelder Philharmoniker, Gauteng Philarmonic and National Symphony of Ireland and others. He has collaborated with conductors Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Christoph Campestrini, Skitch Henderson, Jacques Lacombe, Bramwell Tovey, Mario Bernardi, Peter Kuhn, David Currie, Marc David, Dinuk Wijeratne and others and has performed in Canada, the United States, Mexico, South Africa and Europe. Jalbert’s repertoire is expansive, and he plays Bach, Brahms, Stravinsky or Ligeti with equal pleasure. David Jalbert can be heard regularly on CBC Radio and Radio-Canada broadcasts, not only as a pianist, but also as a guest commentator. A national and international prize-winner, David Jalbert was the 2007 winner of the prestigious Virginia Parker Prize of the Canada Council for the Arts, has been awarded five Prix Opus by the Conseil Québécois de la Musique, was nominated for four Juno Awards, and is now an Associate Professor of piano at the University of Ottawa. He holds two Artist Diplomas: one from the Juilliard School in New York, the other from the Glenn Gould Professional School (Toronto). He received his Master’s Degree from the Université de Montréal at age 21, winning the Governor General’s Gold Medal (awarded yearly to the top graduate student of the University). His main teachers have been Jerome Lowenthal, Marc Durand, André Laplante, and Pauline Charron. He has also worked with Leon Fleisher, John Perry, Claude Frank, Gilbert Kalish, and Marylin Engle.   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a huge thank you to my producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/

In this episode, Amy Beth Horman discusses guiding young musicians toward a professional career and, more specifically, the mindsets and practicing habits she thinks they should acquire in order to reach their goals. Amy Beth has wonderful wisdom on the dispositions that can make a huge impact on the progress of young (and less young!) musicians and you will find this chat highly valuable! Amy Beth elaborates on: Her journey from a budding violinist to an accomplished violinist and teacher and how it comes full circle with her nurturing her own daughter through her own musical endeavors Beyond the Triangle – why she created the podcast and how she hopes it can help parents negotiate the demands and struggles of raising a young artist The mindsets and habits that help rapid progress: o   The importance of growth mindset o   Healthy commitment to the fundamental work o   How to efficiently spread work over time and keep track to make sure we cover everything o   How using etudes as exercises can help fix specific issues in repertoire How important our disposition is in our development and how prioritizing this can really positively affect progress and enjoyment of music making Spaced repetition technique and how extremely effective it can be when established What she noticed about Ava’s development and how we can apply it to our own practice The importance of performing a lot, seek out opportunities, in order to learn and get comfortable with performing How to use a timer in our practice The importance of grit   ALL ABOUT guest: On Instagram (avaluwho): https://www.instagram.com/avaluwho/ Articles on violinist.com: https://www.violinist.com/directory/bio.cfm?member=hormanviolinstudio Beyond the Triangle: On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-triangle-podcast/id1435435674?mt=2 On Podbean: https://beyondthetriangle.podbean.com/ A few YouTube performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbN78MIe6RQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgjA-4oRv54 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Jcx2rH2y8 Her book recommendation: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Angela Duckworth   Biography Amy Beth Horman’s appearances are always eagerly anticipated. The Washington Post has described her as being both a "winter tonic" and “having the stuff of greatness.” A graduate of the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris, Ms. Horman won the highly coveted Premier Prix. A winner of both the high school and college divisions of the National Symphony Orchestra’s Young Soloists Competition, she debuted with the NSO at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall at the age of sixteen, performing the third movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Among many other awards, Ms. Horman received the Deane Sherman Award (2000) as one of Maryland’s most promising young artists and the Amadeus Career Grant (2001) from the Amadeus Orchestra. She has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras including The Fairfax Symphony, Piedmont Symphony, Bay Atlantic Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Orchestre de Meudon, Washington Sinfonietta, Symphony of the Potomac, McLean Symphony, Northwest Indiana Symphony, Amadeus Orchestra, Loudoun Symphony, Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, and The New Mexico Symphony among others. Amy Beth served as resident soloist in The PanAmerican Symphony for four years. Other engagements in the Metropolitan area include those at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater and on its Millennium Stage, Constitution Hall and at the Strathmore Hall for the Performing Arts. She has been featured on French-Swiss television and on American cable television and radio broadcasts.   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice.   THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show’s musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a huge thank you to my awesome producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/   Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/