I've discussed Dr. William Schirmer no less than 4 times on this podcast before.  He was my music composition professor for 4 years as well as an extremely prolific composer in his own right.  He sadly passed away very recently, and this episode is a chance to tell the world more about this bonafide musical genius as well as the lessons he taught me and my friends that still influence how we see the world of music today.  Every great musician needs a great mentor, and this is the experience I had with mine!

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

When you get your first gigs for things like weddings, musical theatre, recording sessions, or even film scores and other opportunities, how do you make such a good impression that you rise to the top of the call list and stay there?

As someone who has worked to be top of mind in this area for many such gigs, and as a music director who has hired more than 100 musicians, it's understood that your musical skills need to be good enough for the gig.  You don't have to play better than what's required, but you must be able to do that.  However, those are minimum requirements.  What gets you called back has nothing to do with your musical skill.  In this episode, I share my 11 observations for what puts a musician top of mind when I'm looking to hire.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

What do I wish I had done differently as a piano student? As I look back on my time studying music before I officially began my professional journey, there are several things I wish I had either done better or not avoided the way I did. I hope this video will help inspire you to maximize as well as enjoy the time you have as you study music.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

What's one thing you can do to get better at playing music sooner? Most students wish they could progress faster, but don't feel the sense of urgency that they should to learn all of their technique, in every key, played as accurately and as fast as possible. Technique is treated as some bit of trivia that might come in handy sometime, when actually...it's EVERYTHING. Give me 20 minutes, and I'll do my best to persuade you why this needs to be your top priority as a music student, how to approach technique, and will use the piano as a means to demonstrate how you can progress through scales.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

At some point in your music goals, you may want a private teacher. With so many teachers to choose from, how do you find the RIGHT one for you and your needs? In this video, I offer the idea of a menu that you can customize for yourself and use in the interview process of choosing the right teacher. Hopefully I make it clear that I myself am not the right teacher for everyone, but I am for some.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Practicing an instrument does NOT require you to spend days or weeks practicing the same music with little to show for it. You can and should change how you structure your practice to always see progress. Practice should be fun, and always seeing progress is how you make sure it's fun. This episode will share how I make sure that I never go any longer than 5 minutes without a LOT of progress.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Why is practicing music hard? Why aren't you making more progress than you think you should? There's a mindset skill that is essential to understand and embrace before any other tips or approaches will have any effect on you getting better and better at music.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

No talk on musicianship skills this week.  Instead, I wanted to chat with listeners about some recent changes to the podcast that you may have noticed, changes going forward, and why these changes.  Looking forward to returning next week with another music lesson.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

No matter what instrument you play, singing will make you a better musician! Basic vocal skills will enhance your musicianship in a profound way that never quite gets developed without them. This episode will talk about the unique qualities of musicianship that only singing can offer, some basics of good singing, as well as a plan for how you can guide yourself to improve your vocal skills.  This is the 2nd of a 2-part series.  Last week's episode talked about the basic piano skills that every musician should learn.  Pair that with vocal skills, and you cover more about music than any other 2 instruments can possibly do.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Regardless of your principal instrument, if you want to be a well-rounded musician, it's essential to have some basic intermediate piano skills.  In this episode, I talk about why it's considered essential by most conservatories, what types of skills you should know, and how you can guide your self-education.

This episode may best be appreciated as a video on YouTube where every technique that is mentioned is also shown.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1