Better Chances Quotes by William Westney

Much music teaching seems more concerned with controlling the student than with encouraging the student's own impulses.

— William Westney

Robotic correctness is the last thing judges want to see or hear

— William Westney

When the good student chooses the honest path, free of perfectionism and faking, music study becomes something refreshingly new: a calm oasis of self-acceptance…

— William Westney

If you have played "six times wrong, one time right" the problem is not quite corrected.

— William Westney

Learning itself is a fulfilling adventure at all points in the process. In fact, psychologists have listed learning as one of the basic, universal…

— William Westney

[perfectionism leads to] a tendency to apologize preemptively for one's efforts, knowing from experience that there's sure to be something wrong with them.

— William Westney

. .the most crucial ingredient by far for success in music is . . .what happens in the practice room.

— William Westney

If we're not actively making things better, chances are we're making them worse.

— William Westney

The reason so many of us lose our bearings about practising early in life is that we practice in living rooms with other family…

— William Westney

Don't attribute mishaps to a lapse in concentration - if you missed the note you don't know it.

— William Westney

Music study presents a natural, here-and-now route to selfknowledge and self-integration.

— William Westney

Mistakes are . . . immensely useful. . . they show us . . . where we are right now and what we need to do next

— William Westney