Musicianship Mastery with David Lane

If you're studying music and feeling discouraged, this episode is for you!  Here are 10 encouragements to help you accept where you are and keep going in your own way as a musician. Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit. Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at  https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit If you en...

The ability to listen to music well, analytically, is a crucial skill for any good musician to develop.  Analytical listening is quite a bit different than just putting on music in the background.  One of the keys to success is simply asking the right questions and taking note of the answers.  Here are 20 questions to can ask while listening to a piece of music to help you get the most out of it!...

Being comfortable with singing is a tool that every musician should have, even instrumentalists.  It's also worth exploring all the things the voice can do to come up with your own personal sound that doesn't necessarily have to blend with everyone else.  Thao Nguyen, voice teacher and actor, helps us understand how to explore this instrument you carry around with you as well as things to maintain...

This episode offers 6 minor musician tools to add to the original 21, some specific things that will make you a more well-rounded and capable musician! Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit. Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at  https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit If you enjoyed this, please give it a r...

The hands don't play on their own and the voice doesn't sing on its own.  It just seems that way if you've practiced well.  The brain is always in control whether you're aware of it or not.  To practice well, you need to understand how the brain works, and how to improve it.  This episode offers ways to optimize the power of the brain while practicing music in addition to some things you can do to...

This is an important topic for all musicians that many may not be willing to admit.  Whether it's being inside a lot, sitting down a lot, or having imbalances in the body due to performance posture, it's important to take practice time for wellness and mindfulness.  In this episode, learn about integrating good habits as practice, the powerful but simple solution of breathing well, mindfulness wit...

Something I teach to all composition students is the idea of a compositional pantry and creating music like a chef.  In this episode, I'll share what's in my pantry and how to use it as an example of how you can develop your own voice as a composer and write music that fits you to a tee! Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit. Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a...

The fear of missing out (FOMO) comes in 2 forms for a musician.  The first is social and live events that you're not able to do because of rehearsal and performance.  The other is not using all the skills you practiced because there isn't enough time to achieve a professional goal on all of them.  Saying I CAN do this, I'm good at this, and even to a point that I LIKE doing this aren't always good...

Let's talk about making use of apps and other technology to help your growth as a musician.  We talk about the explorer's mindset needed to embrace technology rather than fearing it.  We then dive into categories such as practice apps, metronome apps, assessment tools, and a few others.  The featured guest is Sam Reti, who teaches guitar and also uses his passion for technology to help music teach...

Way back on Episode 27, I talked about the power of having quarterly goals.  Since then, I've spent over a year in an accountability group centered around quarterly goals, and have gained more clarity on what works and what doesn't.  This is a revised look at one of the most powerful ways to keep succeeding at anything. Previous episode on this topic: https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit/episode...

Sight reading is the first time you play through a piece of music, but the "sight reading mode" can last for a long time.  The sight reading mode is the stage where you feel like your eyes have to stay glued to the sheet music for nearly every performance second because your mind and body has no real familiarity with the music.  It's not that you're trying to play it from memory, but everything is...

Playing your instrument while following other musicians is an art, and one of the essential tools of musicianship.  Dr. Rachel Ehring chats with me in this episode about why this is a good skill to learn, the challenges unique to collaborating, and how this opens the doors to opportunities for both amateurs and professionals. Links for this Episode Rachel's Website: https://rachelehring.com/ 1:1 C...

Some classical musicians have severe anxiety about playing from memory, and others just want to avoid it, but this episode offers 9 reasons why memorizing everything you ever practice is actually a solution to that and more! Click here for the episode on HOW to memorize music: https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit/episode/791a00c3/tactics-for-memorizing-music-or-ep47 Musicianship Mastery is forme...

The most common question I get from students and their parents when they ask about practice is: "how many minutes should I be practicing?".  This isn't the first question they should ask.  To get the most out of your practice, you need to work on 3 habits in a specific order to set a good foundation.  This episode introduces the Practice Pyramid to help make sure you are not just practicing enough...

Michael Hall is a Chicago-based violist who is an international soloist, clinician, and artistic director.  He has carved a career for himself with a zeal for living composers and new music, as well as his work with musicians around the globe, including as artistic director for the Bandung Philharmonic Orchestra in Indonesia.  His passion is infectious, and he provides inspiration for any typicall...

If you haven't yet graduated from school, you should seize the opportunity THIS SUMMER to go to camp.  You'll grow as a musician in ways you probably haven't yet imagined. After listening, click here to find a summer music camp: https://www.musicalamerica.com/pages/?pagename=camps2025&header Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit. If you enjoyed this, please give it a r...

If you or your child is looking ahead to starting middle school, you likely have the opportunity to sign up for band or orchestra, and you absolutely should!!  An instrumental ensemble offers many benefits that you cannot get in private lessons, and a different set of benefits from singing in a chorus.  And if you're older, even an adult, there are opportunities for you to play as well.  Let's tal...

If you're an adult music student, this episode is for you!  Reid Harrison is an engineer who decided to take up piano at the age of 48, and was able to apply his engineering skills in a way to help him become a solid intermediate to upper immediate pianist in 4 years.  In this episode, you'll learn about the powerful role of a practice journal (or spreadsheet), the importance of technique, and how...

This year marks 25 years since I started teaching piano, composition, theory, and (for a while) French horn.  There's a lot I've appreciated about being a teacher, but one of the benefits is that it made me a better musician!  In this episode, I share what I've learned about being a teacher and how I've benefitted in my own playing and understanding as a musician. Musicianship Mastery is formerly...

"I thought this would be easier." "I can't believe how much I had to practice just to learn this!" "I thought I'd be much further along by now." If any of these statements describe your learning experience with your instrument, you're not alone.  In this episode, I'll offer an explanation for why you're feeling this way and give you 5 steps you can take to stop feeling like you're behind and to th...

There is a generation of students that is, generally speaking, not as equipped for the professional world that follows school as previous generations.  In this episode, I chat with Dr. Kinard Douthit, a flutist and professor at Winston-Salem State University, about the obstacles and challenges of today's college students.  This is certainly a broader topic than music, but could be clarifying for s...

There's a simple solution for making progress as a musician, and it's what's known as "skin in the game".  If you don't give yourself stakes, it's hard to expend the energy required to get yourself to the next level.  This episode will give you 10 ideas for things you can do to give yourself those stakes to give yourself some real progress! Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician To...

It's a new year, and you probably have goals as a musician, but are you underestimating the time and intensity you need to invest in order to make real progress? The easiest way to work on music or any skill and "feel" like we're making progress is to consistently dabble in it.  A few minutes here, a few minutes there.  A little practice is better than none, right?  This is an approach to keep you...

For Episode 100, I say thank you to all of you who have listened to even 1 episode, let alone all 100!  In this episode, I recap the tools of musicianship, and I celebrate moments like my favorite episodes that didn't have as high of listener numbers that I think you might have missed.  I also share announcements like a new name, a new focus, and a new episode frequency.  One spoiler in case you m...

Professional musicians often have to confront obstacles from job changes...to a piece they're practicing that isn't getting better...to possible existential threats such as streaming services and AI.  To be a successful musician for a long time requires knowing when and how to pivot.  Hopefully this episode will help you answer both questions. Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice m...