I’m no stranger to the mental time machine, going back a few or many years to revisit something I said or a choice I made. Of course, life does not allow us to go back and change history, but we can learn from our mistakes as well as from our successes. My suspicion is that I’m not at alone in this practice. Meanwhile, practicing, or the lack thereof, looms large on most musicians’ histor-a-meter. How many times have I wished that I had practiced more? Photos by George Harris And yet, I did practice a lot when I was young. Countless hours at the drums, on the practice pad, the snare drum, playing the xylophone or marimba, and again at the drumset. It was a mandated chore at times, but normally I couldn’t wait to make music. If this sounds familiar, keep reading. Practicing can take the form of goal-specific work, […]

May 2025 Issue