Words of Wisdom—Inspirational Quotes to Motivate Students and Teachers Alike

By Benjamin Whitcomb | From the November/December 2025 issue of Strings

Have you ever found your students lacking the will to practice? In my series of “Cello Chat” podcasts, I often ask professional musicians from around the world about their approach to helping students with motivation issues. Perhaps the following insights about what works for them and for their students can help in your own studio.

“Find inspiration in the music itself: the masterpiece that is in front of them. Also, listen to the great masters of the cello—also violinists, singers, etc. There are geniuses everywhere!” —Luis Miguel Rojas, Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico

“Being enthusiastic about the process of practicing is very important . . . I think that the best way to encourage enthusiasm in others is to be enthusiastic yourself.” —Joel Becktell, Sante Fe Symphony

“If I give myself an order to practice, I won’t do it because I buck authority, even if it’s my own voice . . . If I make something fun, it’s different. You can make any-
thing fun, and you can rebrand something that’s difficult into being merely inconvenient. Inconvenient is something that’s more manageable.” —Robert deMaine, Los Angeles Philharmonic

“Find something that you haven’t noticed in your playing before.” —Mark Rudoff, Ohio State University

“Think of tai chi masters or qigong masters who have been doing this one thing their whole life, but they always do their routine. Just do some of that every day, no matter how you feel. Once a student gets into the practice room and starts doing that, then they’re OK.” — Michael Reynolds, Boston University, Muir String Quartet

“The first two hours of the day are worth four hours at night. I tell my students, ‘Get out of bed, brush your teeth, and then spend the first 90 minutes of your day with your cello. You will go through the rest of the day feeling like you are over the moon.” —Theodore Buchholz, University of Arizona

“I try to convince them that even four minutes of smart practice can accomplish something. It doesn’t yield immediate results, but you’re building a foundation, and every four-minute increment helps.” —Benjamin Karp, University of Kentucky

“Everyone loves to be good. I haven’t met a student yet who doesn’t want to be good, and so if you feel like you’re getting better, I think that’s a very powerful way to feel like this practice thing is worth it.” —David Ying, Eastman School of Music, Ying Quartet

“The thing that helps my students the most is to develop a very specific vision for them. Envision two years from now—what would they like to be doing with music? For whatever that specific vision is, I help them break down those goals into bite-sized pieces.” —Sarah Joy, YouTube influencer, music educator

“I tell my students to listen to recordings, listen to concerts. Don’t put yourself in a vacuum and only hear yourself. It’s important that we teachers explain things correctly, but I think it’s also important that we model those things.”  —Steven Elisha, Georgia Southern University