What motivates YOU to practice?
For me, there is nuance when it comes to motivation – both intrinsic and extrinsic. For all I know, as of writing this today, I cannot rely on motivation to practice. Continue reading “On Motivation in Practice”
Category: Growth
A happy, healthy, and musical New Year to you!
I’m one of those people who traditionally sets resolutions at the end of each December. The list usually comprises of roughly 6 things based on different areas of my life and interests. Not everything gets accomplished within the next 12 months, but I’ve been pretty happy with the typical 50-70% success rate. Unfortunately, New Year’s resolutions don’t work for everyone. While some things in life are clearly outside of our control, we can navigate our long-term goal challenges by looking at the four following scenarios. I take the most common saboteurs of resolution achievement and for each, include an action step or alternative perspective that we can consider.
Continue reading “Overcoming Common Roadblocks to New Year’s Resolutions”
As musicians, we climb up to some important events along the journey here and there. One might call these milestones, highlights, or significant check-ins. These moments can take the form of a concert, an exam, a recording project, an audition, or even just a lesson. Sometimes it feels like a lot is at stake. For example, final audition results can vary even with the best preparation. Not to mention that auditions can get very expensive! However, if we zoom out, one thing becomes certain. These big events take up a very tiny percentage of our overall growth as musicians. Continue reading “The 24-48 Hour Rule”
Last week I enjoyed being a participant of the Starling-Delay Symposium at the Juilliard School. It left me overwhelmed to say the least – I haven’t felt this inspired and lit on fire in a very long time. In the spirit of Ms. Delay’s legacy, much of the Symposium revolved around discovering “one’s own truth”; self-discovery, authenticity, possibilities, and purpose. Over 150 participants from around the world gathered to learn, play, absorb, interpret, and exchange ideas and personal experiences. Within this review and reflection, I decided to share some (paraphrased) quotes and notes I took. I hope that they inspire you too.
Affirmations – positive statements about ourselves in first person and in the present tense. But do they really help cope with performance anxiety and resolve negative feelings leading up to a performance?
Have you ever felt like a fool sitting there repeating phrases to yourself like “I am a great musician. I sound amazing. I am very confident about this.”? All in the midst of being a nervous wreck just before getting up on stage or taking an audition. Ever feel like you were forcing this message to your subconscious self and try to trick yourself out of feeling inadequate, intimidated, or like an impostor?
This is a pretty common scenario. Unfortunately, affirmations don’t always work, even with all best intentions. If we feel like we are lying to ourselves with these statements, affirmations may cause us more harm than good.
There is a better way.
Continue reading “What We Get Wrong about Affirmations and Why to Try EFT Instead”
Going into the new year, one of my resolutions this year is to be stricter with myself about the “less but better” principle when it comes to striving for the bigger goals (whether it be in the practice room, the studio, or the gym). Ever since the pandemic started, my social media and email inbox has been bombarded with a crazy amount of (very valuable) information. It caused my attention to divert in too many different directions. I would rotate a few too many hats in a single day, convincing myself that I could somehow “do it all” – of course the reality is that everything comes at a cost.
Continue reading “New Year’s Resolutions: “Less But Better” & Sleep For Success”
If you’re anything like me, the busyness and excitement of holidays (combined with shorter/colder days in the northern hemisphere) can lead to feelings of overwhelm and anxiety. One effective way to manage (besides sitting with the feelings and accepting them for what they are in the moment) is by practicing gratitude.
Try an exercise with me, called Three Great Things: Continue reading “Three Great Things: The Power of Gratitude”
Have you ever been told (or know someone who was told) “It’s too late to learn an instrument at this point in your life” or “You’ve aged out of all music festivals and haven’t landed a big job – it’s too late to progress”? This is part of an old, false belief that’s still making its rounds around the globe. It’s part of a fixed mindset epidemic that’s easier to fall into as we go through life.
Like most classical musicians, I occasionally have some very unwelcome guests in my mind – feelings of doubt, uncertainty, or insecurity. Having some of these feelings are quite normal and in fact, there is a way they can help us grow. However, they become a serious problem if we try to either force them out by faking confidence or dwell on them too long. The longer the negative feelings and thoughts stay, the more they push confidence and reassurance out, leaving us potentially feeling helpless.
This post won’t be about centering or visualization – both essential skills for improving our best performance under pressure. This is a deeper dive that explores what strengthens the roots of true confidence. I’ll briefly summarize 3 concepts as explained by bestselling author, athlete, and coach Steve Magness in his brand new book Do Hard Things. Continue reading “3 Practices to Achieve True Confidence on Stage”
Did you ever take a break from playing your instrument and worry about getting your chops back in shape? Perhaps some time off to go on vacation or recover from an injury? You might experience some surprising benefits.