Musicianship Mastery with David Lane

The Practice Pyramid: What Matters Most When Practicing Music

The most common question I get from students and their parents when they ask about practice is: "how many minutes should I be practicing?".  This isn't the first question they should ask.  To get the most out of your practice, you need to work on 3 habits in a specific order to set a good foundation.  This episode introduces the Practice Pyramid to help make sure you are not just practicing enough minutes, but also to avoid wasting those minutes.
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps music teachers with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Championing New Music and Working Internationally (with Michael Hall)

Michael Hall is a Chicago-based violist who is an international soloist, clinician, and artistic director.  He has carved a career for himself with a zeal for living composers and new music, as well as his work with musicians around the globe, including as artistic director for the Bandung Philharmonic Orchestra in Indonesia.  His passion is infectious, and he provides inspiration for any typically orchestral musician who wants to thrive as a full-time musician without being a full-time member of an orchestra or having a large teaching studio.
Michael's website is: https://michaelhallviola.com/Welcome.html
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps music teachers with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Why You Should Go To Summer Music Camp

If you haven't yet graduated from school, you should seize the opportunity THIS SUMMER to go to camp.  You'll grow as a musician in ways you probably haven't yet imagined.
After listening, click here to find a summer music camp: https://www.musicalamerica.com/pages/?pagename=camps2025&header
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps music teachers with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Why You Should Play in Band or Orchestra

If you or your child is looking ahead to starting middle school, you likely have the opportunity to sign up for band or orchestra, and you absolutely should!!  An instrumental ensemble offers many benefits that you cannot get in private lessons, and a different set of benefits from singing in a chorus.  And if you're older, even an adult, there are opportunities for you to play as well.  Let's talk about why you should play in band or orchestra.
If you're not in school, find a band at https://www.acbands.org/find-a-band-directory2
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps music teachers with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

When an Adult Beginner REALLY Commits (with Reid Harrison)

If you're an adult music student, this episode is for you!  Reid Harrison is an engineer who decided to take up piano at the age of 48, and was able to apply his engineering skills in a way to help him become a solid intermediate to upper immediate pianist in 4 years.  In this episode, you'll learn about the powerful role of a practice journal (or spreadsheet), the importance of technique, and how to measure what actually matters for making progress.
Do you have an adult student success story? Send me a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps music teachers with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

How Teaching Music Improved My Own Musicianship

This year marks 25 years since I started teaching piano, composition, theory, and (for a while) French horn.  There's a lot I've appreciated about being a teacher, but one of the benefits is that it made me a better musician!  In this episode, I share what I've learned about being a teacher and how I've benefitted in my own playing and understanding as a musician.
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

"Not As Advanced As I Think I Should Be"

"I thought this would be easier."
"I can't believe how much I had to practice just to learn this!"
"I thought I'd be much further along by now."
If any of these statements describe your learning experience with your instrument, you're not alone.  In this episode, I'll offer an explanation for why you're feeling this way and give you 5 steps you can take to stop feeling like you're behind and to thrive once again in your practice!
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
The video on practice that is referred to in this video can be found here: https://youtu.be/cymxVceIgCY?si=8-k-Y1gLgPEuwCHz
Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

What's Holding Back Today's Young Students? - with Kinard Douthit

There is a generation of students that is, generally speaking, not as equipped for the professional world that follows school as previous generations.  In this episode, I chat with Dr. Kinard Douthit, a flutist and professor at Winston-Salem State University, about the obstacles and challenges of today's college students.  This is certainly a broader topic than music, but could be clarifying for students, parents, and teachers of this age group.
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

10 Ways to Make Real Progress as a Musician

There's a simple solution for making progress as a musician, and it's what's known as "skin in the game".  If you don't give yourself stakes, it's hard to expend the energy required to get yourself to the next level.  This episode will give you 10 ideas for things you can do to give yourself those stakes to give yourself some real progress!
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
Let me know your thoughts on this episode as a voice message to possibly share on a future episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Time to Get Serious as a Musician

It's a new year, and you probably have goals as a musician, but are you underestimating the time and intensity you need to invest in order to make real progress?
The easiest way to work on music or any skill and "feel" like we're making progress is to consistently dabble in it.  A few minutes here, a few minutes there.  A little practice is better than none, right?  This is an approach to keep you running in place.  If you want to really grow as a musician in 2025, it's time to stop dabbling and time to get serious!  In this episode, we talk about why and how.
Musicianship Mastery is formerly known as The Musician Toolkit.
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
This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.