People often remark that my playing gives them peace. Is it my sound? My articulation? My phrasing? Peace is what I practice every time I take out my cello and warm up. I focus on producing the fullest sound with the least
The Mouse, the Cheese, and the Owl
Does the type of motivation matter for your performance? This weekend I’ve got lots of creative work to do, but find it hard to get going. What would be the best way for me to motivate myself? A. Focus on negative
Be the Jury, not the Judge
I got called for and had to report for jury duty last week. At first I dreaded it, fearing the worst. They were selecting people for 4 grand juries, and I was not ready to give up a big chunk
What’s the Greatest Service of Music?
I’m performing a recital on Wednesday. How do I best serve the audience? My life is a search for that answer. At first I focused on trying to fulfill the wants and desires of parents, teachers, and audiences. Approaching the task from the outside-in,
What Is Beautiful in Your Music?
On Tuesday I was a panelist for a philosophy of music class on “What Makes Music Beautiful?” at Lewis & Clark College. Dynamic discussion! Is it structure? Is it emotion? Is it context and memory? Is it tone? For 90 minutes we
“Listen! You smell something?”
Ghostbusters. What an awesome movie. In the library scene quoted above, Ray (but not Peter or Egan) is experiencing an “orienting response”. His body stills, his breath quiets, and his attention is highly focused. These are the same physiological responses that accompany inspired experiences that I’ve
How to Make Sacred Music Truly Sacred
It was hot—really hot as I wound my way up the Historic Columbia River Highway to the Royal School of Church Music Retreat. The river glistened in the evening light as I entered the beautiful grounds of the Menucha Retreat Center in Corbett,
I’m a recovering clock-watcher
My daughter finally turned 10 today. Sitting at the table before the festivities, she showed herself worthy of Olympic clock-watching potential: “Only 1 hour and forty….THREE minutes ’til my party!” Of course she gets her talents from me. I vividly remember a few Pittsburgh Youth
What your love of music is telling you about your heart’s potential
A few weeks after learning meditation in 1996, I was sitting alone in my living room, practicing what little I could in the silence. All of sudden—WHAM!—a huge presence of Love overwhelmed me. What was THIS?! As a musician, I experience love in many
The 5 major advantages I will have in my audition
I have a huge audition coming up for a full-time position at the Oregon Symphony. The audition will bring over 100 very capable cellists from all over the country to audition. We will all play behind a screen for the prelims