Summer Is For Strategic Practice

I hope your summer plans are full of travel, friends, relaxation, and strategic practice!

What do I mean, "strategic practice"? Well, I want you to get the most out of your chance to rest and recharge. You need to practice to keep your skills sharp, but you need to do it in a way that RENEWS your energy, rather than DEPLETES it.

Personally, I love using the summer months to tackle a new piece, a new etude book, or to learn chamber music I haven't played before. In other words, I take this time to shake up my practice routine.

Career-wise, you and I are probably in different boats. So what should you practice? What's a creative project that allows a young professional or advanced student to flex their creativity while improving their playing skills?

My recommended project is EXCERPTS. (You saw that coming, right?)

Excerpts are tiny musical gems. In the space of a few lines or a few pages, they showcase a huge range of skills, emotions, and knowledge. They're complicated and complex. And the relaxed months of summer are the BEST time to finally dig in and give excerpts the attention they deserve.

As you know, I have a video course covering all of the "greatest hits" of the orchestra audition repertoire. It costs less than a single lesson with me, and it gives you access to the videos, the handouts, and the verbal information FOREVER.

Remember—excerpts are not a DIY project. You don't have to work with me, but you need to get your information from SOMEONE with orchestra experience, someone who can tell you all the bowings, the fingerings, and the phrasings that show a committee you really know the repertoire.