THE natural musician BLOG

Everyone’s a natural, when they are nourshed, supported and allowed to grow.

Welcome to the Natural Musician, where we explore how to grow organically as artists.

So much of artistic performance is driven by career status, or the anxious preparation for a career. Parents, teachers, and most of all students can easily find themselves on a treadmill of trying to prove their ability.

The Natural Musician takes the opposite approach: music is not for “advancement” or “ability-signaling”, it is for joy, satisfaction, and deep happiness. Music is about connection, listening, and enjoying the miracle of sounds that we make together.

Here we want to offer a safe space for those who have a deep love of music, who are performers of art at any level, and who want to grow in a way that is gentle. We have room for success, failure, and everything in between. We can aim at excellence, while accepting exactly where we are at the present moment. We teach, we learn, we discover, always coming back to ourselves in the process.

I feel a deep sense of gratitude for being given the chance to participate with you in this journey. Thanks for being here.

Edward Obermueller 7/20/23 Edward Obermueller 7/20/23

NO-fault practice

Learn to let go of fault-finding in your playing, and practice in a more easeful way.

Edward Obermueller 4/11/23 Edward Obermueller 4/11/23

Finding the refuge

For many years I strove to be the best violinist. So why did I end up quitting?

Edward Obermueller 2/28/23 Edward Obermueller 2/28/23

The three assistants

Even with a bad bow hold you can sound better. Learn how to use natural support to get better sound and work less hard at it.

Edward Obermueller 1/25/23 Edward Obermueller 1/25/23

playing on the spectrum

How to help neuro-divergent music students, Asperger’s, ADHD and Spectrum. Hint: More playing, less talking.

Edward Obermueller 12/20/22 Edward Obermueller 12/20/22

How Mindfulness helps musicians

The practice of meditation influences every aspect of my playing and teaching. Here I discuss 3 ways of applying meditation to music: Selfing, Acting, and Creating, based on Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki.

Edward Obermueller 10/18/22 Edward Obermueller 10/18/22

3 Keys To Artistic Victory

Artistic victory is not like “success” in the way we normally define it. But when students feel it, their inner light turns on!

Edward Obermueller 9/20/22 Edward Obermueller 9/20/22

How To Develop Your Child’s Talent

Learn about “ability nurture” and the conditions for natural talent growth.

Edward Obermueller 8/23/22 Edward Obermueller 8/23/22

From FOMO to JOMO - the joy of missing out

The first step in finding true joy: we must realize that the path forward is limited. What if you could help your kids learn this now?

Edward Obermueller 6/28/22 Edward Obermueller 6/28/22

How To Practice On Vacation

Fun ways to let practice be part of the flow of vacation, even without your instrument

Edward Obermueller 4/20/22 Edward Obermueller 4/20/22

what to do when practicing gets hard

Introduce ease and effortlessness into your practice by moving away from the “hard” paradigm.

Edward Obermueller 3/23/22 Edward Obermueller 3/23/22

the heart of your role

Many parents worry about how to practice with their child. Being present in a way that fits is the key.

Edward Obermueller 1/25/22 Edward Obermueller 1/25/22

What the Right Teacher Can Do For You

The right teacher can help you or your child discover you can do more, by aiding, encouraging, (and sometimes pushing) in just the right way.

Edward Obermueller 12/21/21 Edward Obermueller 12/21/21

What is “enthusiastic” performing?

Recently a student of mine performed unaccompanied Bach for violin, and received what I thought was unreasonable criticism afterward by some well-meaning family members.

Edward Obermueller 11/17/21 Edward Obermueller 11/17/21

The Tortoise way

We’ve all heard the saying, “Slow and steady wins the race.” It’s a memorable image: the speedy hare runs all over the place, and when the steady turtle crosses the finish line, the hare isn’t there.