What are you investing in?
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Recently, I have been very frustrated by the slowness of my computer.  Then, I realized that my hard drive had years and years worth of files that I no longer need and forgot to delete, and my inbox had emails going back to 2009! So, I’ve been deleting a lot of files and emails, and my computer is working more effectively now. 

            Interestingly, I have a hard time deleting emails from family members. Before we all had smart phones and a group text thread, we would email each other to discuss mundane, everyday things like July 4th celebrations, grocery store lists, planning baseball game attendance, etc.  And I don’t want to delete the record of those conversations.

            Why do I feel compelled to save the emails of those ordinary conversations?  We live in a digital age, where photos, tweets, and status updates can disappear with the touch of a finger.  One bad tweet can create a national controversy or ruin a reputation.  One Youtube video can turn an unknown person into a sensation overnight.  In contrast, the emails that discuss ordinary activities are records of something precious and long lasting: my relationship with my family members. We have a lot of history together, and we’ve shared life together.  We have invested time, tears, sweat, laughter and hard work into big events like weddings and births and mundane events like checking the air pressure in the tires before a road trip.  These relationships cannot be deleted by the swipe of a finger.

            My question to you is, what are you investing in?  Are you investing time and effort into learning an instrument? Are you investing in your relationship with your child by listening to them practice, and helping them practice?  Are you investing in the musical community by going to local music events? In this digital age, where so much of work and “life” occurs between the lines of code, will you make an effort to put down your phone or tablet, walk away from your computer, turn off the TV, and make an investment? Invest your time and energy into something or someone that cannot be erased. 
 

New Year Practice Challenge
 
This fall, once we got back into a regular schedule after the hurricane, the studio practice challenges were very successful.  Most of my students completed the twenty day practice challenge, and in December the ornament challenge made my studio doors very colorful (see picture). This semester, we are doing a longer challenge of 100 days, but I will still be keeping track of each twenty day segments on my bulletin board. Here are some suggestions on how to make practicing a regular (and fun) part of your routine.

1.  Be consistent. Don’t try to do it all in one day.  If you leave practicing until the day before your lesson, you will be overwhelmed and frustrated and stressed out.  Instead, set a daily routine, and try to practice at the same time every day.
2. Be practical.  If you only have ten minutes, identify the measure/section that is the most difficult and work on that for ten minutes.  This method is much more effective than playing through the whole piece once, stumbling during the tricky spots, and getting discouraged. 
3. Be time savvy.  If you are able, break up your practicing into several small chunks over the course of the day.  Try to practice for 10 minutes before school, 10 minutes after dinner, and then 10 minutes before bed. Your brain works much more effectively when concentrating intensely for a short period of time. 
4. Be organized.  Make a schedule and put it on the fridge or bathroom mirror.  Do not underestimate the power of a visual reminder.  If you are so inclined, put a sticker on the chart for every day that you practiced. 

Music can be very rewarding, but like all things, the output is directly affected by in input.  The reward is worth the effort. 

Happy Practicing!
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“Do not hurry, do not rest.”  Suzuki