Welcome To the Blog of World Touring Keyboard Player, Educator, and Music Career Mentor Steve Nixon.  
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The Musician's Life

Mr. Barry Harris: A force to reckon with 

Barry Harris is one of my heros.  Not only is he just a truly phenomenal piano player but he was also one of the first jazz educators ever.  Barry is 81 years old and still teaching in NYC.  His love and commitment for helping others learn music is second to none.  Thank you Barry for your inspiration.

Thoughts On Becoming An Expert Piano Player 


I’ve always believed people have unlimited potential for learning music. If they put the time in to really develop themselves anything is possible. For years I’ve conquered limitations within my own musical development and have helped my piano students consistently do the same for themselves.

The problem that comes in is that most people aren't focused enough to actually put in time consistently for the long haul. So, instead of actually exploring their own talent deeply and completely they'll…Read more

Dealing With Stage Fright At A Recital Or Gig. 

Do you get nervous before you perform?  Have you avoided any opportunities to perform for fear of making mistakes in public?  You're not alone.  Fortunately, there are some really effective strategies to overcome your fear of playing in front of an audience.  When practiced properly performance becomes a true pleasure.

Playing at a recital becomes much easier if you practice the art of performing. One way to practice performing is to do it in an incremental way. You can actually study peformance in a…Read more

New Music Career Mentoring Program Almost in Place 

This has been a really crazy, stressful, interesting few weeks. In addition to maintaining a really intense gigging schedule recently, my behind-the-scenes team has been working day and night to put together my new Music Career Mentoring program.



It’s an exciting new step for all the people who are part of my team. I’m going to be able to offer my elite level career mentoring as part of a fully planned-out program that I’m ready to implement.



It’s been the natural next step for me. I’m really enjoying…Read more

GUEST POST: Karate-Chop Your Music and Your Life 

The following is a guest post by Mark Powers. Mark is a world percussionist and world traveler who blogs for creative-types at PowersPercussion.com. In addition to performing and teaching, Mark has released Ritimista, a world percussion play-along CD and is former co-holder of the Guinness World Record for Longest Drum Roll by a Group.


I don’t know that James Wing Woo has ever strummed a guitar or tapped a drum. But I do know that the legendary Kenpo Karate Master (who turns 88 years old next week) has…Read more

Music Career Longevity 

Many people make the mistake of stopping their search for music work once their students or gigs reach their peak. Even if you have enough income coming in, it can’t hurt to continue trying to expand your music work for the future. The business side of music never stops and growth is essential.

Think of your music career as a flower. Even if your flower is in full bloom you must continue to water it every day. No matter how beautiful the flower currently may be if you don’t water it consistently it will…Read more