Greetings from The Music Bowl! I'm The Wonderfish. With Disney's updated Mary Poppins hitting theaters this December, I think it's only fair that we spend a few minutes discussing the Sherman brothers.  Even if this songwriting team sounds unfamiliar to you, it's almost a 100% guarantee that you have heard, at the very least, one of their songs in your lifetime.  If you have children, you've probably listened to their songs more often than you think.  They are the musical masterminds behind Charlotte's Web , The Aristocats , Bedknobs & Broomsticks , Snoopy Come Home, The Sword In The Stone ,  Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day , and many other beloved family films. The work of the Sherman brothers stands the test of time.  Perhaps you've heard of the film, Saving Mr. Banks   in which the Sherman brothers, Robert and Richard, are played by B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman.  For a songwriting nerd like myself, this film was a gift.  Cert...

100 Days of Practice Ahoy! It should come as no surprise that in order to be a proficient performer, you need to practice. I've written before on different ways to structure your practice routine and today I'd like to share an extra challenge to help motivate you. The challenge is called 100 Days of Practice. This is absolutely not my idea and you may have heard about this from any number of artists. I discovered this via the amazing violinist Hilary Hahn. If you're unfamiliar with her playing definitely check it out, link below. Anyway, the challenge is simple, practice EVERYDAY for 100 straight days, and post a portion on social media. Hilary posts a one minute clip on Instagram that most represents her session that day. What you post is entirely up to you so be creative. The point is simply to practice everyday. A few things to help guide you: First, set a goal. This can be a large goal for all 100 days (like learning a challenging piece) or small daily...

Greetings from The Music Bowl! I'm The Wonderfish. On Wednesday of this week, November 7, Joni Mitchell turned 75 years old.  In honor of one of my favorite songwriters, I thought I would send the second letter of our "fin mail" series to her.  Below is my message of gratitude and, if you are so inclined, you can listen to some of my favorite Joni tunes - there are plenty of links at the end of the post.  As you will read, she had quite an impact on me and my songwriting.  We all have our sparks - the artists and innovators - who inspire us to reach higher.  Joni Mitchell is one of mine.  How about you?  Who are your sparks?    ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Joni, Happy Birthday to you!  I hope you were able to celebrate in every way that you wanted to.  It's about time that I send you a message of thanks.  Your music has inspired me since I was little girl.  Some of my fon...

Ahoy! Growing up, there was some apprehension from my parents around my desire to be a musician. Society (at least in the US) doesn’t view it as a “real job” and now as an educator I hear many students saying things like “my parents want me to find something more stable.” These views are not limited to music but transfer to all the arts fields. American culture definitely views musicians as “less thans” unless their cranking out Top 40 hits that have little to no musical value. The life of a musician is certainly atypical compared to a 9-5 job but is sustainable and can be a viable career path. First things first, I’ve never worked harder in my life than the times that I lived solely based on my music income. I’ve noticed that most people think I only “work” for the 2-4 hours I’m playing that night's gig. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The amount of effort it takes just to book the gig would stagger most people but then factor in personal practice time, band reh...