Active Listening is the act of fully understanding and comprehending what someone is saying. This is a skill that is absolutely crucial to have as a compassionate member of society. Here are some quick, actionable ways that you can use active listening to be a better listener right now: Avoid getting distracted by thoughts. Focus on speaker and topic instead.  Try not to interrupt the other person. Let them finish and then respond. Use door openers. Phrases that show you’re […]

Mindfulness has helped me a ton through my own mental illness. Having anything that can ground us to the present and keep us from spiraling about past decisions or future issues that haven’t even happened yet can be one of the most useful things to have as a musician. As a yoga teacher and someone who works for suicide hotlines, I can’t tell you how many times a 10 second grounding exercise has been the difference between keeping myself or […]

I decided to go in a different direction with my routine this week after three weeks of very regimented practice sessions. Bill Lucas, Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Michigan, once asked me if I ever sat in a practice room with no music and just played music. While this concept seemed a little foreign to me because I like to structure my practice sessions thoughtfully, I gave it a shot and was very pleased with the results. By […]

In the world of bodybuilding, there are (generally) two main workout regimes that lifters like to follow. Firstly, the full body approach forces lifters to work most (if not all) of their body parts every day. This approach generally allows for more calorie burn and fat loss, and a more balanced body because all muscles are being hit equally. Secondly, the split body part routine puts the focus on one single body part per day. This routine makes it easier to […]

You’re back! If you returned, you’re either bored or you read something last week that you found useful. Regardless, thanks for reading again! This week, I made a point of including some exercises that I’ve been wanting to include in my routine for a while; namely the slew of incredible exercises that Chris Olka (Principal Tuba of the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops) has uploaded to Youtube. If you haven’t taken a look at them before, I would definitely recommend you […]

Hello! After spending a few weeks on the road performing with a couple summer music festivals, I’ve decided to experiment with a number of different daily routines and see what works best for me, and post my thoughts here. Regardless of your opinions regarding regimented daily routines, I think most musicians can agree that routines are great ways to track (and be accountable for) your regular progress. Some desire a slightly more flexible warm-up and routine, but the purpose of […]