The Mind Over Finger Podcast

Robert deMaine, principal cellist with the LA philharmonic, talks to us about his view on the various facets of practicing.

I’m beyond excited to begin 2020 with a brilliant pedagogical mind and someone that I respect tremendously, cellist and pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen!  Professor Jensen shares incredible insight on how to approach practicing and performing

Elizabeth Faidley is a highly sought-after pedagogue, who’s been hailed as an “amazing and inspiring teacher” by the New York Times and is the recipient of a multitude of pedagogy awards.  Get ready for a massive dose of inspiration and great applicable tips!

Through his incredible story, legendary pianist Jerome Lowenthal talks to us about how the varied sources of influence he was exposed to as a young musician lead him to search within himself and find his own artistic voice, how he helps students do the same today, and he gives out wonderful wisdom and advice for young musicians.

A legend among American pianists, Ursula Oppens is widely admired for both her original and perceptive readings of new music, and for her knowing interpretations of the standard repertoire. In this episode, she covers many topics, including the reality of a career in music today, how she approaches learning repertoire, and how she’s stays focused in the practice room!

In this week’s episode, Demarre McGill, principal flute with the Seattle Symphony, discusses the building blocks of efficient and mental practice: having discipline, nurturing energy, focusing on beauty, and applying patience in our approach.

If you have any questions about performance anxiety, how to tackle it, master it, and how to perform at your best, this is the episode for you!  Today, I speak with Nicholas Pallesen. In today’s show, Transformative Coach and Mental Performance Consultant Nicholas Pallesen invites us to take a different look at performance anxiety!  Our conversation will have you look at the root cause of your anxiety and stress, and will help you get out of your head and get into your life! 

In today’s episode, I wanted to celebrate 50 episodes in style by bringing someone who’s work has had a profound impact on generations of musicians: bass player and author of The Inner Game of Music, Barry Green.  In today’s conversation, Barry talks about principles of the Inner Game, including what we should focus on, how we can reach a state of relaxed concentration, how effective experience-lead learning is, and how to set effective goals.

In this episode, Marc Damoulakis, principal percussionist with the Cleveland Orchestra, discusses the importance of mindful exploration, flexibility, and patience in the learning process, time management, how to create a connection between our concept of sound and the motions necessary to execute that vision successfully, and he sends us off with very wise parting words!

Today, I’m very excited to have the brilliant violinist, violist, and conductor Julian Rachlin on the show! Julian graciously took the time to sit with me and discuss meticulous practicing, mindful music-making, and his deep love of the art form! He covers many topics, including studying with Boris Kuschnir, his views on the lifelong path that is growing as an artist, and how playing the viola and conducting have allowed him to explore music from different angles.

This episode is full of inspiration and extremely useful information!  Eastman School of Music Bass Professor, James VanDemark, offers us tip after great tip to bring our practice and performance to the next level! Among many topics, James talks to us about creating a technical discipline that leads to interpretive magic, and about on how crucial it is to have clear goals and setting the intention to build up our entire identity as an artist whenever we enter the practice room. 

In this episode, Billy Hunter, Principal Trumpet with the Metropolitan Opera, talks about how meditation transformed his approach to music-making – from practicing to preparing for audition, and performing.

Today’s show brings you a powerful and honest conversation on very important topics. Milan Milisavljevic, Principal Viola with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, elaborates on how changing your mindset can change your life, how focusing on your musical voice instead of perfection in execution and external validation can transform your relationship with practicing, enrich your playing, and affect the trajectory of your career.

I’m really happy to bring you violinist Sarah Whitney to cover a VERY important topic: dealing with injuries as a musician! Sarah talks to us about how you can not only prevent and treat injury, but also thrive in the aftermath – how to handle recovery, the ways she warms up to prevent injury, and how important the mental aspect of recovery is.  She also talks about how she helps musicians achieve their career goals and why life and career coaching can be a real game changer.  

This week I’m really excited to bring you Frank Rosenwein, Principal Oboe with the Cleveland Orchestra and oboe teacher at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In this episode, we discuss stepping into the role of a principal wind player in a major orchestra, transitioning from student to professional life, how to keep playing at the highest level consistently, the importance of having a strong vision and cultivating an ever inquisitive mind, what teaching brings to one’s playing, and much more!