Episode 3 - Stop Using the ”T” Word!

01/16/23 • 19 min

It's such an easy thing to do. You're impressed with a great musician or other artist, and you talk about or get to compliment them, and out comes this word that seemingly everyone uses as a 1st choice...and that word is "talented". Talent is certainly worth having, but it shouldn't be THE quality that gets the praise. To quote the title of Geoff Colvin's wonderful book, Talent is Overrated, it's not because talent has no value, but as a tool it is VERY limited. As a first choice of compliment, especially to a student musician, there is the possibility of hugely negative consequences, as David Lane explains in this episode

Has the label "talented" been a roadblock for you or someone you know? If you'd like to share a brief account of your story, you can at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit

If you're not comfortable leaving a voice message, you can send me a message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact

You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling. Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Has the label "talented" been a roadblock for you or someone you know? If you'd like to share a brief account of your story, you can at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit

If you're not comfortable leaving a voice message, you can send me a message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact

You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Previous Episode

Episode 2 - Practice Tip: One Problem at a Time

When you work on music, there's so much to think about: rhythm, notes, fingerings, dynamics, articulation, tempo, and so on. If the piece challenges you, and you're having trouble getting better, you may be trying to do too many things at once. Hint: 2 things is too many things. This episode offers 20 examples of how you can reduce your practice challenges down to 1 task.

If you have a practice tip specific to your instrument related to "one problem at a time" that you'd like to share, please consider leaving a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit

If you're not comfortable leaving a voice message, you can send me a message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact

*Episode note: I mentioned that you should increase tempo on a metronome by 1-2%. It should be 5-10%.

If you loved this, please share with your friends, and please leave a 5-star rating and review!

You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Next Episode

Episode 4 - Composing Music for Publication (with Bruce Tippette)

Most aspiring composers have narrow goals, seeing film (or video game) music or being a concert composer as the way to go, but if you can create music on paper, you actually have many options to contribute original music and add at least some income in the process. One of those ways is composing for publication that is marketed to schools and churches: music for school bands and orchestras, music for church choirs and handbells ensembles, and more. It's a tricky world that requires a flexible but creative composer who can still write very good music that is specifically tailored to various ages and levels.

Bruce Tippette is a composer with dozens of published works through Alfred Music, Hal Leonard, C. Alan Publications, Carl Fischer, FJH, and more, many of which have been honored as J.W. Pepper's Editors Choice. Bruce talks with us about the skills needed to become this type of composer, how to navigate the sometimes intimidating grading system of school ensembles, strategies to getting published, and how all of this can lead to building relationships and getting commissioned work.

You can explore Bruce's music and contact him through his website at https://www.brucewtippette.com/

If you have a question or feedback after listening to this episode you can leave a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact

You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1