Here are photos from our December 20th Music at Midday performance at Richmond’s historic Jefferson Hotel:

Last month I invited you to Join The Listeners’ Club and explore some of my favorite music.  Now, in Part 2, we’ll examine these pieces more closely.  Here are some of my thoughts about what makes this music so great.  Enjoy the discussion and then go back and listen again.  Use the comment thread below [...]

Here are a few photos from our November 19th performance at The Windsor Assisted Living Community in Richmond.  Invite your friends and family to join us at noon on December 20th when we perform for Music at Midday at the Jefferson Hotel. Last month I invited you to Join the Listeners’ Club.  In the December post, I’ll [...]

Welcome to The Listeners’ Club!  This month I’m excited to launch the first installment of what will become a regular feature of this blog.  My goal is to help you develop a fun, meaningful, life long relationship with some great music that you might not otherwise get to know.  We’ll explore music that people of all [...]

Quotations from Nurtured By Love by Shinichi Suzuki: About Children: They have no thought of self-deception. They trust people and do not doubt at all. They know only how to love, and not how to hate. They love justice and scrupulously keep the rules. They seek joy, live cheerfully, and are full of life. They know [...]

Dr. Suzuki listed ten Vital Points for violin playing.  He used these points to develop a weekly progress report that allowed students and parents to chart improvement over time.*  Suzuki’s emphasis on Vital Points suggests that the important question to ask is not “How quickly can I move from one piece to another?” but instead, [...]

Dr. Suzuki told his students: “Only practice on the days that you eat.”  This is good advice, but it’s also important to evaluate the quality of your practicing.  It’s not just about the hours you put in, but what you put in the hours!  Suzuki’s triangle (student, parent, teacher) gives parents the vital role of [...]

In 2006 Drew McManus asked me to contribute an article to his annual Take A Friend To The Orchestra series. Widely regarded as an industry expert, Drew is a respected orchestra consultant and the author of the popular blog, Adaptistration. Soliciting ideas from a wide range of perspectives within the music business, Take A Friend [...]