Maybe bad advice, maybe good. I dunno. But here are some things I said recently to a blog reader.

Everything diminishes with distance. Remember that. (Talking about expression.)

You aren’t supposed to be moved by the music; you are supposed to move others with your music!

But mostly you should (if I dare say “should”) focus on being your best and doing everything you can to make it. At the same time you need to know that your value as a human being has nothing … and I mean nothing … to do with oboe. If you lost a hand, you would still be of the same value as you are now.

No apologizing. That’s the very first rule in the music biz. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don’t follow my own rules.)

Sometimes I explain to a conductor that it’s easier NOT to take a breath with oboe. But of course the audience needs to breathe, so we have to consider them as well!

… that was just some rambling, as I’m sure you can tell. Looking at what I wrote I do believe it. Even if I’m not good at following all that I say! 🙂