Although I am loathe to admit this much of the time, I am thankful for life's challenges. And now that I am a parent and find that the challenging times have grown exponentially both in number and in charged emotions, I believe I am finally beginning to grasp how to live through these moments with more of a forward glance. Through experience I have discovered that out of these rough patches grows new knowledge, convictions, and patience. Right now, as my daughter is approaching her fifth birthday, I find myself in a period of relatively objective reflection - I am beginning to see how my struggles with motherhood have reshaped how I approach life, music, and most pertinent to the next few blog posts, practicing.
OK, OK...some of you out there might be thinking, "Practicing? Come on, aren't you being a little dramatic?" Well, yes, perhaps. But I build so much of my life around practicing, it would be hard for me not to be consumed with the topic. I also feel strongly about the subject because I work with so many musicians, young and old, and I see on a daily basis how their practicing affects how much joy they get out of music-making. Although I wouldn't have said this a few years back, I genuinely feel that if one practices with an engaged and inquisitive mindset, ready to problem-solve, there would be a lot less frustration, faster acquisition of new skills and music, and here's where I get really excited, more pride and joy in making music.
In the past 10 years, thanks to hand problems and motherhood, I have been forced to examine how I practice. In the next couple of weeks, I want to look at the changes I have made and the things I have learned along the way in hopes that maybe some small part will help someone else out too.
So stay tuned...until then, happy practicing :-)
To continue on in the series:
Learning to "Leave Las Vegas" when it come to practicing
Project Capriccio: Learning how to practice by learning a new piece
Project Capriccio-final act! a.k.a. Ignorance is bliss
To continue on in the series:
Learning to "Leave Las Vegas" when it come to practicing
Project Capriccio: Learning how to practice by learning a new piece
Project Capriccio-final act! a.k.a. Ignorance is bliss
Can't wait to hear how you've changed your practice habits. I struggle to play 2 hrs a day (with a full-time job and other demands, it's quite difficult), and I find that I'm at times very tired when I do find the time to practice, and my mind wanders.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Rhea. My daughter talks of having two stomachs so that she can eat more food...well, I wish I had at least two energy banks so that I could do more things :-) Hope some of my ideas will help you out!
ReplyDeleteErica