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A blog about performing music, teaching music and the business of music.
I get asked by people a lot for my definition of swing. It is an incredibly difficult thing to succinctly put into words.
But Mark Gould does just that (with a little bit of singing thrown in) in just two minutes.
I have already played this clip for a number of my students in lessons. Because all music needs to swing.
You can hear the entire interview here.
The key to improving at anything is sustained effort.
Small habits practiced just a little bit every day will compound.
David Zerkel once shared this gem with one of my students in a master class:
“If you practice lip slurs every single day for two straight weeks, the lip trill fairy will pay you a visit.”
Rather than practicing lip trills for three total hours over two days, practice them for 10 minutes a day for 14 straight days (which for the record is actually 40 less minutes overall.) You will not only have improved more at the end of those two weeks than you would have over the two days, that improvement will also be much more permanent.
The key to those 14 days is making sure the practicing is intentional. Totally focused. Phone on airplane mode. Going in with a plan. Fully in the feedback loop.
To circle back to the James Clear quote at the top, the goal is not to make massive strides. It is to get a little better every day. That improvement, just like money patiently left in a savings account or an index fund, will compound.
Establish sustainable habits and you’ll be amazed at the results.
This interview we did with former Principal Trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera, Mark Gould, is phenomenal. And I’m not talking about our interviewing skills!
What a fascinating conversation about performing, teaching, being creative, being human.
Seriously, don’t miss this one. And literally every musician I know should buy his brand new book, Gould on Music.
You can find various links to the episode here or catch it on YouTube below.
Enjoy!
Learn the audition preparation strategies that won Carol Jantsch the audition for Principal Tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of 20 in this Winning the Audition workshop.
Purchase long-term access to this through the Hitz Academy archives for only $19!
A big thank you to Rob Singer of the President’s Own Marine Band for hipping me to this video surfacing on YouTube!
This performance is a master class in so many things: Style, pitch, phrasing, matching articulations, note releases, dynamics, storytelling. So good!
Enjoy!
Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Tom Hooten joined me for a very special Winning the Audition. I can't recommend this session any more highly - and not just for people preparing for auditions! His detailed thoughts about how he goes about approaching his practicing is something every musician should hear.
Tom went really deep on all things relating to auditions!
Tom's five pillars to audition preparation
Why Tom had to get brutally honest with himself about what he could do on the trumpet and where his approach to practicing needed improving
The importance of intentionally addressing all of our weaknesses on a regular basis rather than inadvertently avoiding them in the practice room
Why the judgements we have of ourselves and our limitations on the instrument are frequently just an issue of a lack of time spent in that area
What is Neuro-Associative Conditioning and why Tom relied heavily on it during audition prep
And much more!
Purchase long-term access to this through the Hitz Academy archives for only $29!
Last year I had the privilege of presenting at the International Music Education Summit. My presentation was titled “Instilling a Growth Mindset in Your Students for the Practice Room, Rehearsal Room and Beyond”. It focused on the far reaching impact of having a growth mindset as a musician, student, teacher and human.
A big thank you to Elisa Janson Jones for having me as a part of this incredible event.
I hope you enjoy it!
Between The Brass Junkies and The Entrepreneurial Musician, I’ve done over 350 interviews. Every once in a while, one changes you.
This was one of those interviews.
I’ve been friends with Marty Hackleman for many years now. He is someone who went from being a hero of mine (literally on a poster on my wall when I was a kid) to being a colleague and friend.
(As a side note, the fact that you can grow up to play with your heroes is one of the coolest things about the music business. Most industries don’t work that way!)
I cherish the conversations we’ve had over the years. In fact, we interviewed Marty on The Brass Junkies way back in 2015 for TBJ13. That was an incredible look at his career in Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, the National Symphony Orchestra and many more. His career as a horn player was unparalleled.
But this most recent conversation was remarkable enough that I feel like it rewired my brain.
Shortly after we spoke back in the summer of 2015 Marty started dealing with dystonia. That led to him retiring as a performer. He tells us all about how that felt like experiencing a death but also a rebirth. The way he spoke about it all made me feel more present in the moment. That’s a gift.
He talks about art and why we make it. He shares some incredibly deep poetry that he wrote as a late teenager. He talks about his love of playing Spanish guitar, which he now does every day. And he never plays it for anyone!
After this conversation I was inspired. It was pretty intense. Close to 10 years ago, my Brass Junkies partner, Lance LaDuke, was getting rid of an electric bass he had owned for a while. He told me that he had bought it brand new and played less than 300 notes on it. I bought it from him for $100 because I had always planned on learning how to play the bass and thought why not?
It then sat in my closet until five minutes after this conversation with Marty.
It is now a month later and I have played the bass every single day but one. I am in love with being a complete beginner on a musical instrument. It’s the first time I’ve experienced that since 1984!
I was actually struggling with musical motivation during the entire quarantine. I was still playing the tuba some because I’ve been teaching lessons but with every single gig cancelled, and so much going on in life and the world, I wasn’t feeling it. The bass has actually inspired me to play more tuba! And I’ve even started playing a little piano again! Wut??
I have since gotten an amp, a strap and a bass stand. I’m basically pro at this point!
Anyways, if you find this interview 10% as inspiring as I did then you should watch it right now. Incredible stuff.
Thanks for the inspiration, Marty!
(You can find the show notes for this episode over at Pedal Note Media.)
This is a fantastic interview with James Clear, author of the book Atomic Habits.
I am an audiobook person. I bought Atomic Habits on Audible and I was less than 30 minutes into it before I hopped on Amazon and bought the hardcover version. This is a reference book that is filled with data while being incredibly easy to read.
To say something is life-changing is cliche. But this book has changed me as a father, a performer, a teacher, basically in every way.
I really enjoyed this short interview with James and I bet you will too.
And for those interested, I spoke about Atomic Habits in the very short TEM167.
Hello there!
It’s been a long time sine I’ve checked in on this blog. Life has been good but busy. Sound familiar?
But everything has come to a screeching halt. All gigs cancelled. All in-person lessons cancelled. School cancelled for my wife. School cancelled for my son. It’s crazy.
For those of us trying to take our private teaching online, Chris Bill has put together an incredible resource. He lists the platforms to use and then both traditional and non-traditional ways for you to utilize this technology for your students.
Whether you have taught online in the past or are just trying to begin, this is a really helpful list.
And be on the lookout for an episode of The Brass Junkies that drops tomorrow featuring Chris talking all about online teaching.
Stay safe everyone!
