Chops Beyond the Practice Room

05/08/2020

Today! 3pm EST 12pm PCT I am happy to share things that apply to every field! Come join, and bring crayons :)

03/15/2020

Hey all! If anyone wants to chat about reinventing their career, I offer Coaching lessons via Skype or over the good ol' telephone!

06/09/2017

06/08/2017

This was so much fun to do - keep classical music relatable, my friends!

Hear the story of a musician with something to say.

06/07/2017

Always remember...

06/06/2017

Had a great time doing my Networking 101 Workshop for the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival ...what a great, hard-working bunch! Next up this week, a workshop on how to speak from the stage for Ensemble Connect 's Audience Engagement Institute at Carnegie Hall. :)

05/23/2017

When I started teaching the "Chops" workshops 6 years ago, it was to pass along strategies so that fellow musicians would acknowledge their true selves and pave their own path. Who knew that these very workshops made me reflect often enough on my own career to discover the fact that my greatest passion is to write. I am overwhelmed by the reviews, and this is a reminder to all to keep asking yourselves what you really want to be doing in the arts - and take steps every day to make that happen.

What’s the likelihood that the two opening works on a program featuring John Luther Adams’ Become Ocean would hold their own alongside that epically enveloping, meticulously churning, playfully pal…

04/24/2017

THIS and THIS and THIS and THIS

At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA.
At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.
At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.
At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.
At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.
At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.
At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs.
Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51.
Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40.
Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40.
Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career and landed his first movie role at age 42.
Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first major movie role until he was 46.
Morgan Freeman landed his first major movie role at age 52.
Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it.
Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.
Never tell yourself you missed your chance.
Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.
You can do it. Whatever it is.

03/17/2017

TRUTH

12/14/2016

YASSSS

12/12/2016

I cannot stress enough about little actions consistently over time. It's not the big things, it's the little things!

11/23/2016

Be Thankful...KEEP GOING
Happy Thanksgiving!