Musicianship Mastery with David Lane

Do you want to be a great musician? A well-rounded musician? Maybe you’re already a good musician, and you want to take that next step. To do that, you need to be able to sight-read well, play by ear, compose or improvise, understand the art of practice, and be versatile in many other ways. Musicianship Mastery (formerly known as The Musician Toolkit) explores these tools, how to improve them, and how you can apply them to a variety of gigs and musical careers whether you’re a professional musician or a committed artist who makes your income outside of music. Join us on a quest to improve your musicianship and to make you the most well-rounded musician you can be!

Episodes

May 25, 2026

19 min

If you want to build a successful career in music, this is not the 1990s, nor is it even the 2010s, when the path was much different. A few things never go out of style, such as practicing well and networking, but nearly everything else is different from when I began my journey nearly 30 years ago. My definition of a successful career is modest: I've been able to pay all of my bills and have enough money left over for moderate enjoyment without doing even a single job that didn't involve my music studies over the past 26 years. There's so much different now, and this requires new tactics to succeed.
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

May 25, 2026

19 min

May 18, 2026

18 min

Why is it that you stop practicing on a piece or a technique, and most of it is gone within a year if not a few months? That's been true for me too. However, there are plenty of exceptions - pieces I could ignore for over a year and sit down to play from memory like I'd practiced it yesterday. In this episode, I talk about what the pieces that stick all have in common versus the ones that just disappear, and what you can do to make sure you never again lose any music you've spent time learning that you want to keep.
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.

May 18, 2026

18 min

May 11, 2026

20 min

The art of being an accompanist is applicable to all sorts of situations, including playing in an ensemble with other musicians without a conductor. I've accompanied hundreds of musicians for at least 35 years, and these are my thoughts on how to do it well.
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.

May 11, 2026

20 min

May 4, 2026

36 min

Even if conducting isn't a major goal, every good musician should know what to do if presented with an opportunity to lead an ensemble in rehearsal or a performance.  This episode will introduce you to the basics of preparing for a rehearsal, how to lead the rehearsal, how to lead a performance, and the basics of baton technique and other hand instructions.
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.

May 4, 2026

36 min

Apr 27, 2026

18 min

This is the third and final episode of sharing my notes on Molly Gebrian's fantastic book, "Learn Faster, Perform Better", a book about how the brain scientifically responds to learning music and how we can approach practice to maximize what the brain does best.  In this episode, we talk about how to get truly ready for performance and how to make sure your memory of all your repertoire is reliable.
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.

Apr 27, 2026

18 min

Apr 20, 2026

23 min

This is the 2nd of 3 episodes where I share my notes on one of the best books I've read recently: Molly Gebrian's "Learn Faster, Perform Better", a book about how the brain scientifically responds to learning music and how we can approach practice to maximize what the brain does best.    In this second episode, we talk about how you can improve your sense of internal rhythm and techniques you can use to get your music up to tempo.
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.

Apr 20, 2026

23 min

Apr 13, 2026

25 min

One of the best books I've read recently was Molly Gebrian's "Learn Faster, Perform Better", a book about how the brain scientifically responds to learning music and how we can approach practice to maximize what the brain does best.  This is the first of 3 episodes where I share my notes.  In this first episode, we talk about the basics of music and neurology when it comes to learning, how to schedule your practice effectively, how to fix bad habits, and quite a bit more when it comes to effective practice basics.
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.

Apr 13, 2026

25 min

Apr 6, 2026

14 min

You've heard of composing and improvising, but there are 3 other ways you can choose to create music.  This episode goes over each, and a summary of what you need to do to get better at each one.
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.

Apr 6, 2026

14 min

Mar 30, 2026

15 min

Have you ever heard that classical musicians only like classical music, or that composers are free spirits who are guided by the muse, or that they all love to stay up late at night and get up late in the morning?  Stereotypes are fun because each one is true for SOME musicians, but not for all and often not for most.  Sometimes musicians themselves may fit a stereotype and not realize that many other musicians aren't the same.  After you listen to these 10 stereotypes, let me know what you think I missed.
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.

Mar 30, 2026

15 min

Mar 23, 2026

21 min

If you or someone you know is looking ahead to college and thinking about possibly majoring in music, this is a very important episode to check out!  Let's talk about the 4 reasons why you shouldn't along with 4 reasons why you should. You can also hear what to expect going forward if you decide to major in music.  Finally, I give my candid feedback as a music major with 2 degrees how I feel about my past decisions.
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.

Mar 23, 2026

21 min

Thank you for listening!

If you would like to help financially support this podcast, we gratefully accept donations of any amount through this link.

Your donation can be one-time or renew monthly.  Thanks so much for your support!

 

You can also leave a voice message for possible inclusion on an episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit .  Please leave at least your first name and what your message is regarding.  Also feel free to say something about yourself if you're a musician and/or a teacher.

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