Enjoy these great articles:

    On Practicing / Performing:
    Coping with Performance Anxiety: Brief  article with helpful tips, as well
    as reflections from performers who face the inevitable nerves.


    Cool Cat Music Flash Cards: Imagine reading through a Mozart sonata
    as easily as you´re reading this text. With Cool Cat Cards and The Cool
    Cat Method, you will!

    About Amateur Musicians:
    They Came to Play: Must-see documentary about the 2007 Van Cliburn
    International Competition for Outstanding Amateurs.

    For Music’s Sake: Excellent New York Times article about amateur
    chamber musicians, and the pursuit of like-minded collaboration.

    Condoleeza Rice on Piano: The former Secretary of State is a serious
    classical amateur.

    Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey: Perri Knize, classical piano
    amateur and reporter, has completed this heartfelt memoir of her
    search for the perfect instrument.

    Doctors Chasing Dreams: About the new International Piano
    Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, hosted by the Van Cliburn
    Foundation. The competition website can be accessed here.

    Albert Einstein Symphony Orchestra: This New York-based orchestra
    is composed entirely of amateurs, mostly from the medical field.
                 
    Piano World: Anything and everything pianos on this site, great
    information on everything from performance technique to how a piano is
    made. Check out the Pianist Corner.

    Crisis in the Classical Music Industry:
    The Death of Classical music- A multi-part series exploring some
    interesting insights from Keith Otis Edwards, free-lance writer and
    amateur composer. Throughout, Edwards combines biting humor
    with piercing insight:
    Part I- Mimes with Batons: Explores the boredom and sterility inherent
    in so many classical music performances. Interestingly enough, we
    weren’t always so quiet and well-mannered…

    Part II- The Poodle Factor: Another great article, proposing the theory
    that “The prim and respectable people have hijacked classical music”

    Part VI- The Age of Wallflowers: Classical music, at one point, was
    dance music-just like disco, swing, or techno is today. Why do current
    performances totally squelch this enjoyment factor?

    Part VII- The Sound of Cobwebs: Edwards closes his series with this
    brief observation, on the lack of improvisation in current classical
    music performances.

    Seeking to Revive Classical Music: Pianist Michael Boriskin shares his
    unique insight on how to salvage classical music. Not only a great
    musician, but quite the visionary. Related article included here.

    The Future of Classical Music: a very interesting book excerpt by Greg
    Sandow, which directly addresses the industry's overemphasis on
    formality and perfection.

    Tea Leaves: Classical music is dead (or at least terminal): Blog
    article that explains a variety of reasons why classical music is
    (almost) at the point of no return.

    Classical View: Racism Is Only Part of the Story: A well-balanced
    discussion on the lack of prominent performers of color.

    Deathwatch - Is Classical Music Really Dying? Links to a variety of
    articles, many quite good.

Copyright: Amateur Classical Musicians Association, 2009  Questions or comments? Please contact us.

Supporting the talent and
dedication of amateur classical
musicians throughout New York
City and beyond