I can't express how proud I am of all my students; every day they come in demonstrating intelligence, thoughtfulness, great attitude, poise, maturity, class and drive. It's a pleasure to teach them every day, and I am always happy to see their hard work pay off.  Congrats to all my students that participated in Marching Band this year; I know that their hard work, drive and determination has meant long days, grueling nights and little sleep, but I am thrilled to see great results- and not just in the scores, but the people they are becoming.  

I am equally proud of two of my students for having successfully won places in the Indianapolis Symphony Side-by-Side performance this year- I can't wait for them to be part of such a great experience. Onwards and upwards for all!

I won't be the first and I certainly won't be the last person to say there is too much stress in our lives - nor is this my first time addressing this here.  However, there's a great article floating around Facebook again about the negative impact of being busy, and I have many students about ready to succumb to the stress of final exams and auditions.  But, as I remind them (and myself), stress is a self-created, self-imposed, destructive concept, and one we simply don't need!  

Jeff Nelsen once wrote- why do we stress about rush-hour traffic? is it unusual or unexpected? 
I find this so relevant! When we get stressed, are we surprised that we have exams to pass, or that we want to succeed in an upcoming concert? These stressors that exist in our daily lives often take on mammoth proportions, and are not contributing to our well-being and success in a positive way.  Being upset about traffic, a looming exam or an impending audition does not help us get around the jam, ace the exam or nail that audition! If stress (in moderation) can be a motivator for you, by all means- use it as a tool! But when it cannot positively affect the outcome of the situation, acknowledge its destructiveness and find a way to work through it.  To nail that concert, you must be focused, relaxed and channeling your energy positively into the music and able to focus on your priorities. To ace the exam, your mind has to be able to receive and process the information as you study and you must be sleeping well for your brain to digest it.  

On a related note - we often closely link stress with busyness.  It is not necessarily a bad thing to be busy. I often find myself most productive when I have many things on my plate at once. However, we should not look with pride at the fact that we haven't slept a full nights' sleep in days or that we do not have time to see friends or read a good book.  If being busy is helpful to your productivity and success, by all means, keep at it! But if you become overwhelmed by your workload or are not taking time to tend to your needs, consider if this busyness is in fact having diminishing returns on your life and health.  

To avoid stress and the dangers of being too busy, consider this instead: be productive. Prioritize your tasks at hand and your big picture goals.  Use your time as efficiently as possible, and when you can take a moment for you, actually do so!  Watch that episode of Modern Family and enjoy it! Leave your emails and organization time for the commercials so your brain has time to recharge and you get to laugh!  We are not as efficient multi-taskers as we think! Trying to watch tv, text your friend and do long tones simultaneously is not going to be as productive as doing one at a time.  Do focused practice,  (turn your phone off!), address one small task at a time, and have great "to-do" lists that keep you aware of immediate tasks and bigger projects that cannot be left to the last minute. When you have a handle on what you need to accomplish and a timeline budget, you will feel much calmer and able to cope.  

To do: Create a to-do list for your day and a goal sheet for short and long term musical aspirations.  Look at your to-do list and decide when you can accomplish these tasks and then ask yourself: what am I doing to tend to my long-term projects? Finally, examine how you react to various scenarios today and ask yourself: can I be more productive with my time? Am I allowing unnecessary stress into my life? Am I functioning in a way that is contributing to my success? These tasks and this self-awareness will give you a new perspective on your effectiveness and any unnecessary stress and busyness in your life.  Good luck!

Hello all,

It has been quite some time since my last post, but for the good reason of having many wonderful opportunities to perform at least once a week across Indiana and Pennsylvania.  I often share my performance experiences with my students and recently shared one with a student of mine.

 

This student had been preparing for an audition for a scholarship to study privately and perform in a large ensemble while at University and was most stressed about the sight-reading which would be a component of the audition. I explained to her that sight-reading is a common and necessary skill to work on and just like tonguing or transposition it had to be practiced.

 

Case in point, I was recently performing principal horn with the Anderson Symphony and half my music was accidentally sent to a wrong address. As a result, I only had a few minutes to prepare music that was often in difficult key signatures or with unorthodox arrangements. In that case, the ability to listen to the works in advance was a great help and the concert went quite well.  But it gave me an opportunity to give this student some pointers.

 

·      Don't be caught unaware. The most panic-filled moments for my students usually occur when they are playing in new transpositions, unfamiliar styles (jazz, show tunes) or in keys that do not show up in standard classical repertory. I strongly advise students (especially on their summer sessions or breaks) to fill these gaps. Practice your scales, especially in patterns that have some variation like the Standley Routine. Transpose beautiful music like a Concone study or Gounod melody. Try your hand at Jazz with Jamey Abersold charts or reading a friend’s jazz band music. The reality is as a freelancer or young student, most chances to play with a professional group are going to be pops shows, and most typical music degrees do not address this type of playing. While I know it's hard to cover everything you need to know but some familiarity is better than none!

·      Have a plan. Usually when we face a “scary” sight-reading opportunity we often panic and have a hard time taking in what is on the page. Taking 30 seconds to strategize will save you. Always start with checking the key signature, time signature and tempo. These are too often neglected. Next, do a quick scan through the music and find the busiest moment. This will be a good method to determine your tempo. Often candidates start too fast and cannot play the whole excerpt at a consistent speed. When the timing goes, so do most other elements.  It is better to play a little slowler and have more consistency and accuracy. When you feel in control of the pulse, you feel more in control of the situation.

·      Ask why. Ask yourself why this is requested – is it the accidentals, timing, style etc? Knowing that can help you know where to put your priorities.

·      A pencil is your friend! When you have a few minutes to prepare, do everything you can to help yourself.  Mark accidentals that carry through, find opportunities to breathe, etc.

·      Don’t panic! My student has been much more successful with sight-reading in recent weeks because she realizes that panicking is only detrimental and that it gets in her way. She also realizes that sight-reading is not a life and death experience! When she stays calm and realizes that she can tackle many elements on the page, she is able to handle the more difficult aspects with a clear head.

·      Remember: you control your horn-it does not control you! How often do you “wait to see what happens” when you first go through a passage you have not played before or run through that day? Doubt and uncertainty are the enemies, and if you go with the mantra “wrong and strong” you are usually right more often than you expect. Another student likes the idea of being the “left shark.” For anyone that saw the Super Bowl half time show, you saw Katy Perry’s left shark backup dancer moving with spunk and energy and gusto. Now that shark is revered even though he didn't seem to have a clue of what he was supposed to be doing! Had he cowered, the reactions would have been far different.

·      With all these ideas in mind, go into your study book, pick a random page and read the first study on it. See what you can do!

This new school year started with a bang, and with it, I have 8 brand new 6th grade students learning the horn for the very first time! For all of them, their excitement - and fear - was amplified with a performance only a few weeks into the school year! After recently attending another great Fearless Performance Seminar with Jeff Nelsen, I was reminded - and let them know - that they could conquer their fears by considering the consequences of facing failure. When they realized that no matter how they performed, that they had still won by participating, they had a great time and surrendered to the thrill of the performance.  For most of us, our fears are connected to fear of failure, and once we take the mystery out of 'what if we fail?' it is much easier to work through the feelings that get in our way.

Ask yourself: What is your fear? What are the consequences of failure? What are the successes that may come from you overcoming these fears? Ask and your mind will tell you the answers!