A while ago, I read an interesting story about the evolution of the performance dress code for musicians. It stated that the tradition of black-tie formal wear in classical music harks back to the Victorian era, where manservants and butlers

How often a listener returning from a recital by an important performer remains unsatisfied. Not because of the imperfection of the artist’s playing but because of lack of penetration into the composer’s ideas – ideas that the amateur has cultivated

Writers, artists and musicians all understand this dilemma – when do we “let go” of that article or book manuscript, painting or piece of music? Given half the chance, most of us would happily continue tinkering and refining ad infinitum,

Looking at the history of music, it hasn’t always been the most democratic art form in the world. Religion and royalty held sway over music-making and music performance for a long time. Joseph Haydn had his employer, Prince Esterhazy. Beethoven

I have always thought that music was inclusive. If you didn’t like a certain type of music, it was because you didn’t like the style, not what its creator represented to you. But that was not always the case. For

Can you experience cultural enrichment in a virtual world? Another way of looking at this question is if our foremost experience of culture had always been gleaned digitally, would it be a lesser one? COVID-19 has vastly changed our cultural

The internet is full of articles promising to help you learn to play an instrument: – Learn to play in just 4 weeks!– Play piano in 10 easy steps– 5 ways to become a great pianist As one of my

Practicing is the musician’s day-to-day work and when done well it is undertaken with the focus and concentration of an elite athlete to achieve the necessary technical and artistic facility to perform complex repertoire. As a child, learning the piano