It’s time to get real — as schools across America are officially declaring online plans for the fall semester, many performing arts students and faculty will be staying home again and facing new challenges. But fear not! This week, Erica and Ashley are discussing their thoughts on online music learning and how to make the most of it, as well as their favorite stay-at-home hobbies they’ve picked up since being in quarantine :)

What’s a classical music podcast without playing actual pieces? In this episode, Erica and Ashley share their current favorite classical works and play a few excerpts. Get to know new gems or revel over old favorites through a truly immersive, euphonious experience. If you enjoy hearing from Erica and Ashley, feel free to connect with Erica and Ashley via email at [email protected] for questions and suggestions :) 

TV binge session, but make it classical. You’ve heard about what it’s like to be a musician in college, but what about watching it? This week, Erica and Ashley will be reviewing the first episode of Nodame Cantabile, a Japanese live-action adaptation of the original animated series. If you enjoy hearing from Erica and Ashley, feel free to connect with Erica and Ashley via email at [email protected] for questions and suggestions :) 

Practicing — love it or hate it, every musician’s gotta do it. So this week, Erica and Ashley will be discussing the tUmUlTuOuS process of tackling a piece of new repertoire, from cracking the score open for the first time to performing it in a recital hall. Tune in to hear their learning tips, practicing strategies, performance rituals, and personal stories about grappling with frustration and performance anxiety. As always, if you enjoy hearing from Erica and Ashley, make sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Episodes are presented by the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Feel free to connect with Erica and Ashley via email at [email protected] for questions and suggestions :) 

Welcome to the first episode of Practice Break! To kick things off, Erica Lee and Ashley Cheng recount their studies at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music starting way back in 2007 and share some of their experiences as musicians in college. If you enjoy hearing from Erica and Ashley, make sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave us a rating on Spotify and iTunes. Episodes are presented by the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Feel free to connect with us via email at [email protected] for questions and suggestions :) 

Join us (Ashley Cheng and Erica Lee) every week starting on July 22 as we dive into our experiences with music study during this time, music performance and practice, classical music in entertainment, and much more with occasional interviews with guests. For the lowdown on life as a music student, our take on musical movies and TV shows, or anything to do with — you guessed it — music, tune into Practice Break on your practice breaks.