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When I was in seventh grade, I performed the second movement of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto at my local Solo & Ensemble festival. On that cold February morning, I remember sitting in the warmup room feeling uneasy about my fate. Within the hour, a judge would hear me perform, comment on my work, and giveContinue reading “My Journey With Performance Anxiety”

It’s graduation season! I remember the day I graduated from college as a moment of great joy, excitement, and optimism. and yet…. Despite all the wonderful training I received, I was woefully unprepared to navigate the next few years of my life. Here are 20 bits of advice I wish I had been given theContinue reading “Here are 20 bits of advice I wish I had been given the day I graduated!”

Musicians spend a lifetime working on the perfect practice routine and yet… They rarely have a plan for how they will budget their time outside the studio walls. The most successful musicians I know have figured out how to strike a balance between their creative practice and the myriad of additional tasks they need toContinue reading “5 Tips To Help You Tackle Work Outside the Studio Walls”

At one point early in my career, I was a finalist for seven collegiate teaching positions in one fall hiring cycle. I do not wear this fact as a badge of honor…. The first five places didn’t want me. Five in-person interviews around the country. Five notifications that I would not be moving on inContinue reading “One Valley I Hope To Never Revisit”