The goal is not to escape, but rather to help yourself find a way to be in the present moment with a clear head.

Education is built upon a series of agreements from everyone involved.

Best books of 2021

If we are constantly nitpicking our playing and never enjoying it can start to feel like we are constantly at war with ourselves.

Most of us are more capable than we give ourselves credit for. We become discouraged when we can’t do something instantly or quickly, dismissing it as a failure. Designate your goal and determine the work that needs to be done. Create a plan and commit to it. Put in the work.

Gratitude is about your ability to feel both happiness and sadness, and to make the most of all the experiences of your life.

My best teachers taught me that we are students for life, and you never have to learn alone.

When we practice in a truly productive way, we identify the difficult transitions and dissect the issues using informed practice techniques from the toolbox we fill during our studies. In turn, our brain builds stronger and stronger pathways for the actions we need.

Success becomes available to you when you tap into the joy of learning how to identify it for yourself.

It’s not simple, but you have to remember that in life and in music, no one holds all the answers for you. You have what you need to create the space that feels like home, but you have to be willing to hold that space for yourself. No one else can do it for you.

Maybe we should quit more often.

What happens if you truly focus on the feeling of playing in this exact moment?

If you didn’t feel any obligation to conform, how would you communicate and share with others?

Writing to ourselves in this way lets us acknowledge all the work we have already done, all the things we already know to be true about ourselves, and all the ways we hope we will honor that  knowledge in the future.

Encouragement to create space and enjoyment in so many places you might otherwise never have found it.

Most of us habitually over-breathe. Check yourself right now: is your mouth open? Are you breathing in and out of your mouth while you read? Let’s talk about how your everyday breathing habits are affecting your musicianship.

The only way forward is one small step at a time.

Suggestions for how we can get the most out of our lessons and efforts while in school through tracking and reflection.

Be mindful of how you receive rejection. Be mindful of how you talk to yourself about rejection. It is possible to learn in an intentional way from your own experiences around rejection, but you need to rely on your experience.

At its core, Non-Self provides space for self acceptance, self forgiveness, and a path out of perfectionism.