Don't attribute mishaps to a lapse in concentration - if you missed the note you don't know it.

Mistakes are . . . immensely useful. . . they show us . . . where we are right now and what we need to do next

Music study presents a natural, here-and-now route to selfknowledge and self-integration.

The reason so many of us lose our bearings about practising early in life is that we practice in living rooms with other family members in earshot - and healthy practice would simply sound too obnoxious, intrusive, repetitious and unmusical for others to hear without annoyance.

If we're not actively making things better, chances are we're making them worse.

Robotic correctness is the last thing judges want to see or hear

When the good student chooses the honest path, free of perfectionism and faking, music study becomes something refreshingly new: a calm oasis of self-acceptance for those who are so used to driving themselves and trying to please others.