‘Secret short-cuts’ or ‘ole fashioned hard work?

Hello! Welcome to the ‘Practice’ portion of the Flourishing in Music blog. In today’s music world there are many voices competing (ultimately for a share of the market) to be heard when it comes to learning to play an instrument. There are an increasing number of musicians touting ‘secrets’, ‘short-cuts’, ‘personal pedagogical genius’ and more to consumers and hopeful amateur or professional musicians. Some of those voices also disparage other teachers and claim that their approach is the only one you should care about. Snake oil! On this part of the blog, I’m going to contribute my own voice - hopefully without the marketing hype. Unlike the advertisements that claim a break-through ‘method’ or ‘approach’ can get you playing the way you would like to without any pain, I’m going to share with you both the ‘secrets’ that I learned on my own multi-year journey with plenty of ‘wood-shedding’ in the practice room, to being able to play in a professional orchestra and place in a national competition. The truth is that there are ways to practice smarter, not harder, but it is also true that even with the best of teachers the student is going to have to put in good ‘ole hard work: time+effort.

But, there are ‘secrets’ that can make you a better musician. They probably are not ‘secret’ to most pros, however, not all students are fortunate to be able to study with a teacher, or with a teacher that can pierce through some of the potential confusion (music is, in fact, very complex!) and show students ways to arrive at understanding that does actually make technique easier and artistry less mysterious and more achievable.

Some of the things I learned about practicing come from high-level professional artists and coaches of other professional musicians. In learning how to practice, I want to tell you that ‘learning how to practice’ effectively is the real secret of being able to make great forward strides in your playing. I’m going to tell you that learning how to practice takes time+effort. It’s not a straight-forward path, (and also not one that most children are going to embark on - I’ll save that for a future blog post) but it is a path that can be creative and fun, and that develops your own unique voice, rather than being drudgery and frustration. If you’re willing to step ‘out of the box’, suffer some initial less than wonderful sounding attempts at ‘practice’, and stay patient – it is possible to find an accelerated path in your technical development, and in your ability to find a solid and secure technique for the pressure of performance. We can work smarter, not harder to progress musically. Most importantly, it is important to keep a balanced view of yourself, your progress, and music’s place in your life - something a good teacher or coach can help with.

Check back here for tips on how to turn ‘practice’ into an art in itself, and practice tips that are appropriate for different ages of students – and flourish more in your musical endeavors!