A Thought For Your Journey

"You might not get to where you want to be, but you will get to where you ought to be!"

—Millicent Stephenson, founder of Success Beyond The Score

Continue Reading...

Celebrate Your Progress!

Li Proverbe au Vilain is a fascinating collection of medieval French poems, first published around 1190. The end of some of these poems is marked with an humorous note that says "or so the peasant says", while some others feature popular sayings and proverbs.

One of those proverbs is "Rome was not built in a day". I like how it says so much in such a brief manner, and how it reminds us of the importance of patience and awareness of ourselves in a gentle way.

When we are building a music career, many times we want it to happen yesterday. We want to be a worldwide famous star in the matter of a single year, and because of this, frustration lurks right behind our backs. It's important to remember that, in a way, if we want to make a life out of music, we're in for a lifetime. We need time for improving our artistry, learning how to balance our craft with the other things going on in our existence, making contacts and growing the business side of it all... Things don't happen...

Continue Reading...

What is your Motivation?

Did you know that, without being clear on your motivation, you won’t achieve your music targets or complete your plans?

During lockdown I, like many, had my live music work restricted, postponed or cancelled. I was depressed for the first two weeks of our first lockdown.  Although I was worrying about my income, I was mostly sad not to be able to meet people and do my thing. Why? Because I enjoy the fact that my music makes people feel better and it takes them to another place. It’s one of the reasons why I go on stage. Realising this helped me to adapt the way I work during lockdown so I could continue doing what I do. 

 The other thing about motivation is that it can change. In the early days, I just wanted to play because I felt this is my talent and I must deliver. Later on, it was about earning through my music and making it my full-time career, which I did. Nowadays, it’s about making a difference by imparting my experience to help others...

Continue Reading...

What is the number one thing you should do to move forward?

Recently, I’ve been binge watching ‘Race To The Center of the Earth’.  It has adventure, dizzy heights even from my sofa, a little drama, great scenery and of course teams competing for the prize of one million dollars. I love shows like these because  I find them inspiring, a little scary (when someone gets hurt or they have to climb up a super high cliff face) but also interesting.

How does this relate to music? Last time, I mentioned I would share with you one of the things I still do now to keep me moving and growing as a musician.  On reflection, there are 3 things, but today I’ll illustrate the first one through the Race.

Each of the racers in the Team have a goal.  A goal to win the million-dollar prize.  They are focused on that goal and all roads lead to that goal.  They train for that goal; they strategize towards that goal and at the end they will know if they achieve the goal.

This is something I do.  No,...

Continue Reading...