Karin Hendrickson.

The skills we develop as musicians are very parallel to the skills we develop in athletics: individual capability, fine motor control, ability to serve a team, mental and intellectual stamina, ability to control our bodies under emotional pressures. I know this personally, as a 1000-point scorer in basketball in both high school and college, and being named into my college’s Athletic Hall of Fame for both basketball and tennis. And yes, I did a music degree (well, more than one!).

If you want to be a great musician, then this is the place that is going to tell you that there are no shortcuts, there are no quick-fix ways to move forward. You have to layer-up your work in a methodical way. You can’t skip over things. You need to do the hard things first, every day. This space is about helping you sort out how you can best tackle every piece you are handed. This space is about the unbelievably hard work of real musicians getting into the practice room, learning their music and their scores, and working tirelessly to deliver a real and honest musical journey.

I hope the pages will deliver an “a-ha” moment for you.

For players and ensemble trainers, there’s a list I use (Pathway to Performance) that helps give a structure to attacking new repertoire or excerpts, or preparing for auditions. Videos on the Pathway will be available soon.

If you want to read a professional music biography about me, please head over to karinhendrickson.com. But the short version: I’m a professional conductor (London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Orchestra National d’Ile de France, Belgium National Symphony, Concertgebouworkest YOUNG, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, KASK Conservatory of Music, Ghent, and others). I want all our young players and our ensembles to succeed. Maybe something here will be of value to yourself or your group. Cheers!