‘Comparing yourself to others is counter-productive’ - Alisa Weilerstein’s life lessons

My parents led by example. As renowned musicians themselves, they would practise early in the morning, so I woke up to the sound of music nearly every day of my early life. My father taught me how to practise a piece at every stage: learning the notes, how many fingerings to put in, how to work out passagework, when to use a metronome and so on. Most importantly, he preached never to divorce technique from music. Even if you’re practising at half tempo, keep the phrasing and intention…