Tag Archives: Clive Stocker

Starting a Music Course with Confidence

Posted on August 26, 2014 by

Starting a new music course can be daunting. At every step of my musical education, I worried if I was going to be good enough and whether I would be able to stay the course. In this short article, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Improving Your Confidence, Justifications, performance strategies, Thinking in a better way, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Am I too old to learn to play music?

Posted on July 26, 2014 by

“You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.” “When you get to my age, you stop learning.” “Learning is a lot easier when you are younger.” These are all phrases I have bandied around when I talk to older people … Continue reading →

Posted in beginners, Improving Your Confidence, Thinking in a better way, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Injuries and Poor Musical Technique

Posted on July 6, 2014 by

If it hurts, then you are probably doing it wrong. Playing a garden party piano gig on a slightly inclined slope for a couple of hours seemed like a good idea at the time. However, the day after, my back … Continue reading →

Posted in beginners, Confident Singing, Improving Your Confidence, performance strategies, Sustainable Healthy Playing, Teaching Music | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What do you make of this performance?

Posted on June 30, 2014 by

What would it be like if you had 100% belief in what you were doing? A month ago, my friend and colleague Ben Angel (Lead singer from The Bohemian Embassy) showed me a video performance on Youtube which has really had … Continue reading →

Posted in Improving Confidence in others, Justifications, performance strategies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

As a beginner musician, should I take grades?

Posted on April 15, 2014 by

It is a question which comes up regularly in my work as a music teacher and lecturer. In the popular music world of guitar, vocals, bass, keyboards and drums, taking grades almost seems irrelevant to many musicians. The idea of … Continue reading →

Posted in beginners, Improving Confidence in others, kennedy violins, Teaching Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

So what is behind the Confident Performer?

Posted on February 18, 2014 by

A couple of weeks ago, presenter, actor, dancer, director and choreographer, Laura Graham-May interviewed me about the Confident Performer Book and I have had a number of requests for the audio interview to be presented as a written transcript. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Confident Singing, Improving Confidence in others, Improving Your Confidence, performance strategies, Thinking in a better way | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How do you beat Writer’s Block as a Musician?

Posted on January 12, 2014 by

Have you ever had writers block or noticed that you have struggled to create something musical? Over the years I have come to realise that limitations can be liberating when it comes to creativity. Make sure  you leave tips, suggestions … Continue reading →

Posted in composition, writer's block | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments