On Finding Purpose
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Mental Health
The Inner Critic
For me, security and beauty are not compatible. When you seek beauty, you have to forget security, and you have to go to the rim of catastrophe. There you find the beauty. If a musician makes a mistake, a crack, because he risks everything to get the most beautiful thing and he fails, then I
Sticks and Stones
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” A phrase that people of my generation will recognise instantly. Drummed into us as children by schoolteachers and parents alike, it’s seared into our memory, never to be forgotten. You see, back in the 80s and 90s, it felt like schools had
Making music together
With a near-30 year career spanning performance, promotion, production and education, I have lived and experienced first-hand the countless wonders of music. It has been a privilege to devote my life to the furtherance of musical traditions which – for hundreds of years – have served as the soundtrack to humanity, and I remain constantly
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The Balanced Musician
Performance anxiety is often perceived as a disease we must fight and is shrouded in shame. Mindfulness teaches us that fear is simply one of the many emotions which make us human; and its nature, when met with kindness and acceptance, is to dissolve. Meditation practices that invite us to recognise, allow and investigate our
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The Mindful Musician
Thinking is what the mind does, and is a vital part of the musician’s process. An ability to observe the thinking mind is one of the most powerful skills a musician can develop. Mindfulness of thoughts teaches musicians this skill, helping them turn down the dial on what Thich Naht Hanh calls ‘Radio NST (Non
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The Heartful Musician
Every musician longs to play from the heart and yet we are so often paralysed by self hatred and judgement. The heart practices of kindness, compassion, shared joy and equanimity that are at the core of mindfulness dissolve this war with ourselves and with our audience. They build a language of care that quietens the
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