“Without effort, your talent is nothing more than your unmet potential.  Without effort, your skill is nothing more than what you could have done but didn’t.” – Angela Duckworth (author)

"Never, never, never give up." - Winston Churchill

"It's not that I'm so smart; It's just that I stay with problems longer." – Albert Einstein

”Be stronger than your excuses.” – Lisa Ferrara

“Failure in people is caused more by lack of determination than lack in talent.” – Anonymous

“Nothing you’ve done in the past is a waste.  It’s all grist for your future.” – M.J. Ryan (author)

“A person’s true character is revealed by what he does when no one is watching.” – Anonymous

“Don’t wait to feel motivated; just get started, as though you ARE motivated, and the motivation will come.”  -- Anonymous

"Anything worthwhile takes time to build. We all want success now, but that's not how success works. After all, if we had immediate success, we wouldn’t build the character we need to to sustain true success. The struggle, adversity, triumphs, and victories are all part of the building process, and we must embrace all of it." -- Jon Gordon (author)

Addressing A Common Misconception:

I've had many people tell me that successful musicians became that way because of their natural musical aptitude and inborn ability.  While I do agree that some people have more natural musical aptitude than others (the same can be said for any learned skill), it is a proven fact that CONSISTENT PRACTICE is the biggest game-changer when it comes to success as a musician.  I always tell the students that if someone is born with a great amount of natural ability for a certain skill, yet doesn't practice, they will have squandered that ability's potential.  If someone doesn't have as much natural ability, yet practices consistently, they will be more successful than the person who squandered the potential.  I am asking that everyone gives a fair shot at practice to meet their FULL MUSICAL POTENTIAL!