Yo-Yo Ma is a world treasure, and his perspective, playfulness, artistry, and educational inclinations make him one of my absolute favorite musicians. His Silk Road Project creates some of the most interesting musical collaborations I’ve ever heard. Check out the video below. I think you’ll agree. Below the video is a link to a wonderful interview with Yo-Yo Ma in which he talks about a wide range of topics, including–you guessed it–practice.

Discovering a new source of discussions with masters of their craft (musical or otherwise) puts me in such a good mood. These are superbly edited, with beautiful musical garnishes. Here is the link to the interview with Yo-Yo Ma.

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MR. MA: So whatever you practice for on the engineering side that fails is all right, because we have a greater purpose. The greater purpose is that we’re communing together and we want this moment to be really special for all of us. Because otherwise, why bother to have come at all? It’s not about proving anything. It’s about sharing something.

and

MR. MA: You know, I remember, as a five-year-old — at the age when people want to, you know, say, when I grow up I want to — do whatever. I thought that what I really wanted to do was to understand.

I can’t wait to explore Ms. Tippet’s other discussions (over 600!) with other guests, like Bobby McFerrin, Rosanne Cash, Indigo Girls: Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, and a whole host of other topics, artists, thinkers, and do-ers.