Confident Musicians

6 Ways to Multiply Confidence Exponentially

2018-02-21T13:54:00.002-08:00

Have you ever gone into an audition or performance situation where you’re feeling pretty good about what you’re about to play or sing?

You’ve practiced. You’ve prepared. And then she walks in…

She looks perfect. She looks totally relaxed and confident. You just know she’s going to throw your performance under the bus and stomp on it with her perfectly manicured toes.

Wait! Where did your confidence go? It was just right here!

Is it in your bag? Nope. Stuck between the pages of your music books? Nu-uh.

Oh wait! There it goes! Some hooded figure tossed a bag over its head and rushed out the back door with it!

What just happened?! Who was that??

You hear a wicked laugh, which you’d recognized anywhere…

Comparison.

Confidence vs Comparison

When you compared yourself to the person who you felt was better than you, that act of comparison kidnapped your confidence and ran off with it faster than you could say “huh?”

Confidence and comparison cannot coexist. (Oh! Look at all those C-words! I love accidental alliterations, which "accidental alliteration" was not, that one was intentional.)

“Well, what if I compare myself to someone that I’m better than? Won’t that make me feel more confident?”

Nope! It certainly will not.

When you compare yourself to someone that you think you’re better than, you just get prideful and cocky and maybe start acting like a bit of a jerk. I’m not naming names here, I’m just sayin’ if the shoe fits, kick it off and find some better shoes.

Really, though. Think about it.

Do you feel confident and poised when you compare yourself to someone that you’re better than?

Not really. You become kind of smug and a bit rude.

The Confidence Multiplication System

Okay, so how should we approach situations, especially naturally competitive ones like auditions and competitions, with confidence and not comparison?

Well, it depends on how you’re feeling about the so-called competition.

If you’re feeling like everyone else is better than you are, you can maintain your confidence by doing one, two, or all three of the following:

1. Appreciate their hard work.

This person clearly put a lot of work into their appearance and their performance. Instead of feeling intimidated by that hard work, appreciate it.

It’s said that hard work beats talent every time when talent doesn’t work hard. Anyone can work hard. Yes, anyone. Even you! Which brings me to my second point.

2. Appreciate your hard work.

You did work hard, didn’t you? You didn’t? Well, no wonder you don’t feel confident about your performance today. It’s not the other person’s fault.

Oh, wait. You did work hard? Good for you!

If you worked hard and you bring your best to this audition or competition, who cares what the other people do? All you can do is work your hardest and bring your best and leave it up to the judges to decide.

You may think that you’re not as good as another person is, but the judges may be looking for things that you did not even realize you had!

3. Compliment them.

If you’re feeling intimidated by the competition, take a moment to compliment them on something – their outfit, their hair, their bag, or their performance if you had a chance to hear it.

If they’re a pretty cool person like you are (I know you are because you’re still reading this), they will appreciate your compliment and may return the favor, which would be a total boost to your confidence and theirs! Win-win!

You just multiplied the available confidence in the room! Well done!

What if you’re feeling like the most talented person in the room who other people are intimidated by? How can you remain cool and humble instead of cocky and rude? I’m so glad you asked!

1. Compliment someone else.

When you take the time to compliment another performer, you accomplish that confidence-multiplication thing and boost their confidence as well as yours! I mean, do you ever feel less confident after you’ve paid someone a genuine compliment?

You know how it feels to be scared and intimidated by other seemingly more talented musicians. How would you feel if one of those awesome musicians came by and told you that you were doing a good job?

Amazing. That’s how you’d feel!

2. Encourage someone else.

This is similar to point 1, but if you cannot honestly find something positive to compliment the other person on, you can make something up!

Wait, no. We want to remain honest here, guys.

Instead of complimenting them on something, you could give them a bit of encouragement. Something as simple as “Hey! I hope you do well in there!” can really do a lot to encourage a newcomer to the industry or someone who looks really nervous.

But seriously, if you can't find something to compliment them on, you're not trying very hard.

3. Share some advice.

This must be done from a point of genuine care and humility, lest you come across as a know-it-all, which is not the goal here. If you see someone doing something that you used to do before an audition or performance, you could approach them using the Feel-Felt-Found method, which goes like this.

“I used to FEEL nervous when I came to auditions like these.

I FELT that if I did not do my absolute best, my life and career would be over before it began.

I FOUND that even the worst audition is quickly forgotten by everyone else and would not be harmful to my career as a whole. As a matter of fact, terrible auditions can be quite beneficial if you view them as a learning experience. I’ve had my fair share of bad auditions, and here I am today, still performing!”

Once again, all three of these things serve to multiply the confidence of both people in the situation.

Conclusion

Comparison will always wreck your confidence, whether you're comparing yourself to someone better or worse than you are.

It’s best instead to appreciate everyone’s hard work – including your own - and to encourage and compliment the performers around you.

This results in that awesome confidence multiplication that we talked about twice already.

Side benefit: In addition to everything mentioned thus far, when you compliment, encourage, or share some advice, you just might make a new friend, and Lord knows we musicians need all the friends we can get.

Speaking of friends, I have so enjoyed meeting new people from all over the world on Instagram! If you’d like to be my friend on Instagram, look me up @confidentmusicians! I’m always up for meeting new musician and non-musician friends!

Now go forth multiply confidence wherever you are!

7 Things I Learned During my First Week on Instagram

2018-02-17T13:57:00.000-08:00

I joined Instagram this week!

At the encouragement of my friend Ryan Dalgliesh of R T Dalgliesh Fine Art, I did a little Googling about Instagram and decided to take the plunge!

And plunge I did! I posted 34 times in the last 6 days!

Now that I’m an Instagram expert (hahahaha!), I want to share with you 7 things that I learned that you could also use to up your Instagram game!

1. If you’re not using hashtags, you’re not really Instagramming.

Hashtags, the tags with a pound sign in front of it like #music or #confidentmusicians, are your connection to the vast world outside of your world.

If you are content to only share content with your friends/followers, then you can skip hashtagging and move on to point #3.

If you’re like me and want to meet new people and make connections all over the world, then hashtagging is a must!

2. If you’re not using the right hashtags, you’re not reaching the right people.

On Facebook, I always thought it was fun to make up ridiculous, silly, extra long hashtags just for a laugh. #yesIknowitsfoolishtoarguewithatoddler for example. Surprisingly, there are no other posts with that hashtag.

On Instagram, though, if no one else is using that hashtag, then you and your friends are the only ones who will see it. (There are however 9.6 million posts with the hashtag #toddler.)

Less is More is Less.

I thought I wanted my posts to go on the feeds with the largest number of posts, but last night I posted something with the hashtag #moms and when I went to look for my post in the #moms feed 30 minutes later, there were at least 30 other posts above mine in the "Most Recent" category. So, though lots of people are using and probably viewing that hashtag, it is also easy to get lost in the crowd.

Relevant

Your hashtag should not only be relevant to what is in your post; it should also be relevant to the types of people you want your post to reach.

I posted something about music theory (as I often do) and decided to tag every popular orchestra instrument, knowing that these fellow music-readers would appreciate what I had posted. Though my post said nothing specific about flutes, trumpets, or violins, the content was something relevant and helpful to them. And I ended up with a lot of likes and follows from trumpet players, flute players, and a one-girl band

3. If you want to see your private messages, you click on the little paper airplane looking thing on the top right of the screen.

Oh. My. Gosh. I just now realized WHY that’s the icon they chose. It’s like writing a note, folding it into a paper airplane, and tossing it across the Internet to its recipient! I spent a couple of days going to a person’s profile and clicking “Message” in order to read their response!

4. If you want to make real connections, you have to be real.

There are enough fake profiles and fake people in the world to last a thousand lifetimes.

Why not mix it up and be yourself? No, you don’t have to air all your dirty laundry or confess everything you ever did wrong (Those are the same thing, aren’t they?).

But you should post things that you genuinely care about. Some people may think that what you care about is dumb, but since there's no "dislike" button on Instagram, those people will likely just keep scrolling and not waste time posting a comment to share how they feel

There are other people out there who will say “Oh my gosh, I feel the EXACT same way!” and leave you a like and probably a comment, too!

Boom! Instant friend! (Insta-friend? Wait, no, they call them followers, not friends.)

5. If you want people to like and follow you, like and follow them!

Let me clarify. As I said in point 4, you have to be real.

Don’t just go find random people, like 7 of their posts, follow them, and expect them to jump on your train. Find people whose posts you really do like and do more than just like their post, write a comment!

I light up anytime someone writes a comment on one of my posts! If I’m really interested in a person’s profile, I’ll even send a DM to find out more about their goals, their music, their inspiration, or their backstory.

If you show genuine interest in other people, they will show genuine interest in you.

6. There are enough followers to go around.

Instagram is not a competition. Just because someone has 10x as many followers as you do, doesn’t make them a better person/musician/teacher/student/whatever.

If you see someone on Instagram who you might consider your “competition,” check out what they’re doing and see what you can learn from them!

Follow them. Like and comment on a few posts. They may choose to follow you and learn something from your posts, too!

Win-win!

They may even encourage their followers to check out what you’re doing. You never know!

7. Just post it!

It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be beautiful. It doesn't have to be popular. If it's something that interests or amuses or concerns you, post it!

Post a picture of that obscure Russian novel that you're reading. There are currently 22,629 posts with the hashtag #russianliterature! I bet at least one of them is about the same book you're reading!

So much fun!

I am having a blast on Instagram! I have met people from all over the world, whose passions include everything from marketing for musicians to creating inspirational jewelry out of old books.

I am a brand new baby Instagram rookie with so much still to learn! But I love learning new things, so it should be fun!

I would love for you to join me on Instagram @confidentmusicians !

Send me a message or tag me in a comment if you’d like for me check out how you’re rocking the Instagram game!

Now go forth and post something!

6 Ways to Have Your Most Successful Semester Ever – FREE printables!

2018-02-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

Students these days are busier than ever before.

Between class, rehearsals, homework, performances, work, social activities, family time, social media, and more, it seems impossible to get it all done!

The following six practices will help you to have the most successful semester ever!

Don’t believe me? Use this 5-day weekend to make a plan and see if next week isn't more successful.

1. Plan how you spend your time or wonder where it went.

I was first introduced to this concept by Dave Ramsey in regards to money. If we don’t budget our finances, we are left at the end of the month wondering where all of our money went.

The same happens with our time. If we do not plan how we are going to spend our time, we will find ourselves at the end of the day, week, month, or semester wondering where all the time went.

We only have 24 hours in every day and 7 days in every week. If we don’t plan how we will spend our time, someone else will plan it for us, and their plans will further their dreams and goals, not ours.

2. Even 10 minutes can make a big difference.

Last week, a student told me that they were unable to practice much the week before. I encouraged her to find just 10 minutes a day to practice. Those 10 minutes can really add up!

Sometimes when you sit down to spend 10 minutes doing something, before you know it, you end up spending 15 or 20 or 40 or 60 minutes on that task.

If you only spend 10 minutes, you’re still 10 minutes further along with that task than you were before!

In her lesson today, my student remarked that those 10 minute practice sessions really did make a difference!

3. Schedule breaks, buffer zones, and transitional times.

I am addicted to being productive. Rest feels like a waste of time. Socializing is a luxury I can’t afford because I have way too much going on. I jam-pack my schedule with back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to…- you get the point – commitments. It’s no wonder I’ve been so stressed!

Breaks.

I was reminded by my friend Sarah Petty of Sage Advice Wellness that stress causes so many mental, emotional, and physical issues in our lives. When I look at breaks as something healthy for me like a bowl of vegetables, I allow myself to do something good for myself by scheduling 15- or 30-minute breaks where I can get away from work and get outside or have lunch with a friend or two or four, as the case was today.

Also, your brain can really only focus hard for about 45-65 minutes at a time, so a break allows your brain to revive itself before you continue working.

Buffer zones.

When my schedule is so full, if one thing runs longer than expected, everything else suffers. My poor kids suffer the wrath of their running-late mama more often than I care to admit. Buffer zones allow for something to take a little bit longer than expected - like putting on a toddler’s shoes - without causing you to run late to the next thing on the list.

Transitional times.

Transitional times are different than buffer zones because they are an intentional time to shift mental gears from one task to another. Teaching theory, teaching music appreciation, and teaching piano lessons, though all teaching, require a different mindset. When I have a few minutes scheduled between each task, I can shift gears more effectively.

4. Group similar activities together.

I have raved about batching on Facebook a lot lately! Batching is the practice of doing similar tasks all at once.

I am currently working on a project that has bi-weekly lessons with ten components in each lesson. Those components are similar from lesson to lesson, but not exactly the same. When I sit down to create a lesson and try to create one of each component to put into the lesson, it is very tedious and arduous and other –ous words that mean “not fun.”

This weekend, however, I sat down and made twelve of Component 1, twelve of Component 2, twelve of Component 3, and so on. I was able to focus on one particular type of task that I repeated twelve times instead of shifting gears between ten different types of things. It went much more smoothly and made the final assembling of the next twelve lessons much smoother as well!

Anytime you can group similar tasks together, your brain does not require transition time (see #3) and can work more efficiently. Who doesn’t like a more efficient brain? (Put your hand down, Husband.)

5. Plan your day the night before.

This advice has been shared by many authors and speakers, but I was most recently reminded of it by Kenn Hughes, Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Mobile.

When we take the time to plan our day before we go to sleep, we are able to be so much more prepared in the morning.

When I don’t plan ahead, I am running like crazy trying to get everything done and everyone out the door on time.

I end up having to print things out at the last minute, hoping the printer works and has ink and paper. I realize that the healthiest thing I have to offer my son for lunch is cheese puffs and a honey bun. I also realize that I should have done a load of laundry the night before because now my 2-year old is throwing down because she wants to wear her puppy shirt which is still dirty.

If you take even 10 minutes (see #2) to consider what all is going on the next day, you can preempt so much of the morning craziness by preparing the night before, which leads me to my last point.

6. Establish routines, especially for the mornings and before bed.

I have recently gotten back in the habit of writing down the things that must be done each night before bed and each morning before we leave for school.

When my mind is exhausted, I can look at that list and remember to grab the lunches that I did manage to pack the night before. I am also reminded to put shoes on my daughter, which I completed neglected to do earlier this week.

People these days are busier than ever before. Anything you can do to help your brain not have to think as much is much appreciated by your mind and body. Writing down these routines gives you less to have to remember each night and each morning.

Free printable schedule

To help you plan your days, including breaks, 10-minute activities, and morning and evening routines, I’ve created 6 simple printable weekly schedules that includes these 6 practices on the top or bottom of the schedule.

Click here and in exchange for nothing more than your e-mail address and first name, I will send you all 6 printable weekly schedules in both PDF and Excel formats.

I want you to have the most successful semester ever! It all starts with taking control of your time by creating a plan!

Click here to start becoming more successful!

3 Reasons to Do Away with Homework in College

2018-02-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

I remember it like it was yesterday…perhaps you do, too…

*cue flashback music*

The lights are low in my dorm room. Midnight is fast approaching.

Unfinished homework is piled as high as the unwashed laundry. (Or is that laundry clean? Better wash it again just to be sure.)

“How could they do this to me???” I ask no one in particular.

“Don’t they know I have other classes?”

“Don’t they know I have to work to afford to come here?”

“Don’t they understand how many rehearsals I have this week? Not to mention having to practice for applied lessons!”

“Why? Why is homework even a thing?”

The Origins and the End of Homework

Homework has been around since the invention of homework. Since then students have had to bear the unbearable burden of homework.

I propose we do away with all homework and teach everything that is necessary during class time and require nothing extra of our students.

I have 3 excellent reasons to support my proposal.

1. Homework is brain altering.

When you sit down to work on an assignment and have to remember what was taught in class AND apply it to the homework, your brain starts to change! New pathways are formed as new skills are developed.

I’m sorry, but I did not sign up for involuntary brain transformation!

And to make it worse, the more homework you do the more your brain changes to adapt to the new skills!

This is dangerous stuff that we are exposing our students to on a regular basis!

2. Homework is a waste of time.

There is way too much going on during college to waste so many hours of the day doing homework. This is not helping students prepare for real life.

They certainly won’t need any of these ridiculous organizational skills that come with having to balance class, homework, rehearsals, work, social life, spiritual life, their health, and everything else.

When students graduate, they will have plenty of time and not have to manage their time carefully to get everything done.

All they will have to worry about upon graduation is finding a job, finding a place to live, buying their own groceries, taking care of themselves, going to work, going to church, making time for friends and family, getting married, having kids, continuing to practice their craft, continuing to educate themselves in their field, and a few other things.

Who seriously needs time management skills to handle that kind of stuff?

3. Homework is soul crushing.

When students receive a graded assignment, marked with corrections and instruction on how to do better the next time, their weaknesses are revealed to both them and their instructor.

No one likes to have their weaknesses exposed like that. It is devastating!

When students realize what they’re doing wrong, they are faced with the choice to keep doing it wrong or make a change and do better. If we never give them any homework, then they never have to face this uncomfortable choice.

Once they graduate, they will always do everything right the first time and never have to handle corrections and figure out how to do something better the next time.

We really should stop exposing our students to such negativity.

My Proposal

I propose that going forward, we should teach our hearts out in class and expect that every student understand what we say the first time.

There’s no reason to waste their time and crush their souls and alter their brains with assignments that cause them to practice and grow the skills that they are paying thousands upon thousands of dollars to learn. As long as they get passing grades on their transcript, what does it matter if they actually learn anything?

It’s not our jobs to give them every opportunity to grow and not only learn skills related to our class but also skills that will benefit them through the rest of their lives – like how to manage their time or how to handle making mistakes.

And don’t even get me started on requiring students to practice 30-60 minutes per day 5 times a week.

I mean, how is that fair?

The teacher only teaches for 30 minutes and the student has to go practice 5 times that much.

All this practicing does the same thing homework does – alters their brains, consumes their time, and reveals room for improvement.

I’m so ashamed of us teachers for exposing our poor, sweet, innocent students to such terrible things.

*Endnote - In case you weren’t sure, this article was in fact satirical…which means I don’t actually believe anything that I am proposing. Also, I am not critiquing any teachers' policies concerning whether or not they choose to assign homework. One of my students asked "Why homework??" so this is my response.

5 Reasons You Should Try New Things

2018-02-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

I tried something new today!

I recorded and submitted audition videos for the Elvis-themed jazz band concert at the University of Mobile on April 2. (Buy tickets here! It will be a great show whether I make it or not!)

At the Jazz Band concert last semester I said to myself “That looks like a lot of fun. I should audition for the next one!”

Instead of talking myself out of it, which I almost did two or three or 30 times, I decided it was time to try a new thing!

Here are five reasons why YOU should try something new, too!

1. Variety is the spice of life.

Trying new things keeps life interesting!

Read a new genre of fiction. Take a different route to school. Listen to a new style of music. Try a new food.

Maybe you hate all of the new things you try, but at least you tried, and that in and of itself gives you an interesting story to share, but it’s also possible that….

2. You might find something you enjoy.

When you try that new food, new music, new book, new workout, new whatever, you may find something that you really enjoy!

I never would have thought that I would enjoy Zumba until I tried it with a friend. I thought I hated mushrooms until a friend sautéed them for me. I never would have thought that I would enjoy role-playing games (RPGs) with dice and character creation and monsters, but I do!

You never know what you might find to make your life more enjoyable, but even more than that…

3. You may discover something that you are really good at.

It’s very possible that there is something out there that you could do really well if you just gave it a try. It’s silly to think that you already know everything you are good at.

You may be really good at teaching 4-year olds about music. You might excel at Excel and creating spreadsheets. Maybe you have a hidden knack for marketing.

You won’t know unless you try new things. But be warned, when you try new things…

4. You will fail...a lot.

Wait a minute, you say. I thought this post was 5 reasons why I should try new things. Failing sounds like a reason not to try.

Failure is something we’ve been trained to avoid, but the more we fail, the easier it gets to pick ourselves up and try again.

When you fail at something, you can quit or you can learn from it and keep going.

I may not be selected to perform in the Jazz Band concert. I could take that as a sign to quit trying, or I could look forward to auditioning next semester and figure out what I could do better next time.

Failure is an excellent teacher if we will take the time to learn from it, but the best reason to try new things is that…

5. You will experience life.

In the role-playing game that I play, you gain experience points (XP) for what you do in the game. Whether you succeed or fail, you gain XP because you have experienced something. Defeat the enemy. Gain XP. Get your tail handed to you and run away to fight another day. Gain XP.

Do you feel like your life is too busy for new experiences? Be intentional about approaching day-to-day tasks in a new way.

Have a picnic dinner on the floor or outside instead of at the table. It doesn’t take much more time, but you’re creating an experience.

If your instrument is portable, go play outside, in the woods, at the beach, downtown, somewhere that will create an experience.

Be intentional about the experiences you create for yourself and the people around you.

What are you going to try first?!

I’d love to hear what new thing you’re going to try first!

Comment on this post or send me an email at gtlockhart2010@gmail.com.

You can watch my audition videos, too, if you'd like!

How to Memorize Anything (and Teach Your Child Your Phone Number)

2018-01-31T07:05:00.000-08:00

Google “memorization techniques,” and you get over 8 million results.

Ideas are presented in droves from acronyms and acrostics to visualizing a room or writing things by hand.

Time-Honored Method

One of the best methods has been used for millennia. It has been used to memorize simple concepts like letters of the alphabet as well as complicated lists like the periodic table of the elements.

I’m willing to bet you’ve used this method, too!

Wide Variety of Uses

I used it last month to teach my 5-year old our family member’s birthdays and I use it regularly to memorize large chunks of text.

You can memorize grammar concepts, science facts, multiplication tables – its uses are nearly endless!

Now I know my ABCs

How did you learn the alphabet?

Most people I know learned the 26 letters in order to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep. (Yes, they’re the same song. Yes, it took me a lot longer to realize this than I care to admit. My son picked up on it at about 2-years old when he would sing “ABCDEFG How I wonder what you are.”)

To this day, when I am putting things in alphabetical order, I still sing quickly through the song to put everything in order.

Schoolhouse Rock

My siblings and I watched a lot of Schoolhouse Rock growing up. I can still recite the Preamble to the Constitution, count by 3’s, and know that a noun is a person place or thing.

Music is Glue

You can memorize nearly anything by putting it to song or singing a song someone else has already written!

How many times have you heard a song that you haven’t heard in 10 years and discover that you still remember all the words?

Music is a powerful memory device. It sticks information into your brain in a way that it can be retrieved with ease.

Try it Out

Let’s memorize a 10-item grocery list using a song you already know.

Read the following list and spend a minute trying to commit it to memory:

Milk, Eggs, Toothpaste, Toilet Paper, Diapers, Wipes, Chips, Salsa, Pepsi, and Mountain Dew.

How many items did you remember?

Now sing the same list below set to the tune of Happy Birthday and see how many items you can remember.

“Milk and Eggs, Toothpaste, too!

Toilet paper for poo.

Diapers, wipes, chips, and salsa.

Pepsi and Mountain Dew.”

You don’t have to be a song writer to set any list to a familiar song.

If you have more items, add a second verse!

Teach Your Child Your Phone Number

You can write down your grocery list, text it to yourself, use a grocery app, so perhaps memorizing your grocery list isn’t very exciting or useful to you.

What about teaching a child to memorize a parent’s phone number?

This could be life-saving if a child is lost or missing.

Sing the following to the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat.

“My phone number is
easy, can’t you see?
697-854-9873.”

Most children could learn that song with a little practice. Then when asked “What’s your phone number?” they can sing their song.

To take advantage of the rhyming scheme use the following lyrics based on the last digit of your phone number:

1 – My phone number is / easy and it’s fun! 697-854-9871

2 – My phone number is / easy, yes, it’s true! 697-854-9872

3 – My phone number is / easy can’t you see? 697-854-9873

4 – My phone number is / easy. Sing it more! 697-854-9874

5 – My phone number is / easy to arrive? 697-854-9875

6 – My phone number is / easy with these tricks! 697-854-9876

7 – My phone number is / easy to teach Kevin! 697-854-9877

8 – My phone number is / really really great! 697-854-9878

9 – My phone number is / really very fine! 697-854-9879

0 - My phone number is / easy for me to know! 697-854-9870

I Can Help

If you need help putting important information to song, leave a comment or send me an email at gtlockhart2010@gmail.com. I'd love to write you something!

If You Can Read a Menu, You Can Understand Keys

2018-01-27T20:25:00.000-08:00

When you order the #1 combo at a fast food restaurant, what food do you get?

A burger and curly fries? A taco and some chips? A chicken sandwich and waffle fries?

That all depends on what restaurant you’re at.

Key Signature Menus

Musical keys are like restaurants. Each one serves something different. Some restaurants serve similar items, but every place has something distinct about it.

Keys are the same way. Every key serves something different. Some keys have similar items, but every key has something distinct about it.

What-A-Major

Consider the What-A-Major menu below.

If you order the #1 – the Tonic triad – you’ll get an A C# E, an A Major triad. This combo consists of the first, third, and fifth degrees in the A major scale, shown below the menu.

The #4 Subdominant combo comes with a D F# A, a D major triad.

What-A-Major Scale

If we go to a different restaurant/key and order a #1 Tonic Combo, we will get something completely different.

B-Minor King

At B-minor King, the #1 Tonic Combo includes a B D F#, which is a B Minor triad. The #4 Subdominant Combo is EGB, an E Minor triad, also made from the notes of the B-minor scale.

B-Minor King Scale

*In any minor key, there are alternative Harmonic and Melodic forms of the sixth and seventh degrees, which gives you additional options for the Subdominant, Dominant, Mediant, Submediant, and Subtonic triads.

You Can Create the Menu

By memorizing the 15 major and 15 minor key signatures, you can create the menu for any key signature.

By assembling the 7 to 9 pitches of any scale (including harmonic and melodic alterations) in stacks of thirds, you can easily create every triad that belongs to the key (diatonic triads).

Check out the full menus for What-A-Major and B-Minor King below to see how it’s done.

How to Handle Criticism with Grace and Confidence

2018-01-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

How should we respond when we face criticism?

Not if…when.

When you try something new, you will face criticism.

When you take an unusual path, you will face criticism.

When you don’t do it – whatever “it” is – the same way most people do “it,” you will face criticism.

When you put yourself out there, you will face criticism.

When you follow your dream, you will face criticism.

When you follow the Lord, you will definitely face criticism.

What do we do when this guaranteed criticism crosses our paths?

Count it all Joy

James writes that we are to “count it all joy” when we face trials of various kinds, for the testing of our faith produces steadfastness.

Steadfastness. That’s a big Bible word that we don’t use much these days.

To be steadfast is to be “marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakeable” (Vocabulary.com/dictionary/steadfast).

I literally got chills reading that definition! When we face trials of various kinds, including criticism, we become firm, determined, resolute, and unshakeable. That is a joyful outcome for sure!

Be Gentle

Solomon was the wisest man to ever live. In the book of Proverbs, he advises his son concerning how to respond to others. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov 15:1).

When naysayers tell you that your dream is foolish or that you can’t do “it” that way because it’s always been done this way, respond gently. This person is not likely to change how they feel about what you’re doing, so don’t waste your time trying to convince them.

Solomon then says “the tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly” (Prov 15:2). I can’t say for sure if your critic is foolish or wise, but you can be wise and gentle instead of foolish and angry.

You can also show them love. People who are always critical are usually nursing wounds of their own and could use an extra helping of love.

A Word of Caution

You must use discernment when someone comes to you with a concern about what you’re doing. James says we should be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (1:19).

People who love you may come and voice genuine concern about what you are doing. You should not be quick to dismiss their concern, but consider what they have to say.

However, if someone comes at you with blatant negativity and no interest in seeing you do something better with your life, be gentle, be kind, and grow in steadfastness as you continue toward your goal.

Your Worst Critic

We’ve all heard the phrase “You’re your own worst critic” (I had to read that sentence three time to be sure I used the correct you’re/your.). This is a terrible since you are always with yourself.

On the flipside, you could also become your own biggest fan! I reference Mel Robbins’ book The 5 Second Rule in my very first post to help you overcome not wanting to go practice.

You can also use this 5-4-3-2-1 technique to banish your inner critic and become your biggest fan.

When you notice yourself saying “This is dumb. Why am I doing this? I will never amount to anything. I might as well change my major/career now.” Stop those negative, usually untrue, thoughts in their tracks by saying “5-4-3-2-1” and something true.

“This is dumb...5-4-3-2-1...No, this may be off the beaten path and look ridiculous to others, but this is awesome and adventuresome!”

“Why am I doing this?...5-4-3-2-1…I am doing this because I love it and I’m excited by it and I’m passionate about it!”

“I will never amount to anything…5-4-3-2-1…God know what I will amount to and it’s greater than I can imagine.”

“I might as well change my major/career now…5-4-3-2-1…Nothing good follows the phrase ‘I might as well.’ I will continue on this path, giving it my all, and see how it all turns out!”

I Believe in You

Whoever you are, I believe in you. I believe in you because whether you believe in Him or not, you were created by God and you have a purpose for existing. Deep down inside, you know what that purpose is.

You may not know the big picture, but you know what you’re to do right now, so do it with all that you are. Be the best student, the best fast food worker, the best teacher, the best retail worker, the best friend, the best sibling, the best child, the best leader…the best person you know how to be.

I believe in you and you should believe in you, too!

So go out and do your thing and encourage someone else by believing in them to do their thing!

3 Ways to Punch Stage Fright in the Face

2018-01-20T08:59:00.001-08:00

Picture this.

It’s the night of your big performance.

You look great. You feel great. You’re ready to show your friends and family what you can do.

You’ve practiced for months. You know your music inside and out, forward and backward, figuratively speaking of course. You’re as prepared as you know how to be.

Yet when you step backstage, that’s when he shows up.

Dressed in black with menacing eyes glaring at you above a disgusted smirk, Stage Fright emerges from the shadows.

“You call that ‘prepared’? Ha! You didn’t even practice today. You’re about to make an absolute fool of yourself in front of everyone. That dream career of yours is about to end with one horrendous train wreck of a performance. You’ve only had that last piece for a few months! I can’t believe you’re ending your big recital with your least prepared piece.”

He laughs menacingly and slaps you on the shoulder.

“Look on the bright side! Once you trash your reputation as a musician, you won’t have to worry about me showing up anymore.”

Leaning in conspiratorially he whispers, “You could always just quit and save yourself the embarrassment of falling on your face. Literally or metaphorically. Both will probably happen knowing your luck.”

The stage manager snaps you from your conversation.

“Hey! You’re up!”

Stage Fright takes a seat on the front row and laughs as you take the stage.

An Ever-Present Foe

My first piano recital was over 25 years ago. I’ve played in many recitals, competitions, concerts, seminars, auditions, and other performances since then, yet Stage Fright still rears his ugly head.

What has changed over the last few years is that I have learned 3 highly effective ways to beat Stage Fright at his own game. These techniques also work when you’re giving a presentation, attending an interview, or any other situation where you may fear the outcome of your performance.

1. Best Case/Worst Case Scenario

In The Inner Game of Music Barry Green and W. Timothy Gallwey, share a technique for dealing with Stage Fright. Consider the best and worst possible outcomes of your best or worst performance. “When you explore the answers to these questions in a little detail, it usually becomes clear that the ‘worst possible case’ wouldn’t be so bad after all, and that the ‘best case’ would be just fine – but not so fine that you’d need to worry about it.”

Imagine yourself auditioning for your dream job.

Best case scenario: You perform incredibly and they hire you on the spot.

Worst case scenario: You freeze up, perform terribly, and they tell you they’re not interested.

Can you live with both of those outcomes?

Getting your dream job? Absolutely!

Not getting the job? It stinks, but it’s not the end of the world. Chances are there are similar jobs you could audition for. Or you could work on your skills and come back another time and try again.

Chances are you will neither ace nor bomb your audition, so when Stage Fright starts telling you that your life will be over if you bomb this audition, give him a good one-two punch to the nose and tell him that if today goes poorly you can pick yourself up and try again.

2. Anxiety = Excitement

Every time I perform, my heart races, my hands sweat, and my breathing gets shallow. Sometime those responses are more noticeable than other times, but they are present nonetheless.

Stage Fright frames those feelings as fear and anxiety. If you try suppressing your fear and anxiety by thinking about something else, it usually makes you feel worse, not better.

In The 5 Second Rule Mel Robbins shares a fascinating fact – “physiologically anxiety and excitement are the exact same thing!”

Consider the physical responses you feel when you’re anxious – racing heart, sweaty hands, shallow breathing, can’t sleep. Now consider how you feel when you’re excited about something – your heart races, your hands sweat, your breathing shallows, you can’t sleep.

Notice any similarities in those lists?

When Stage Fright uses those physical responses to prove to you how anxious you are, give him a black eye by saying “This isn’t fear. This is excitement! I am so excited to perform today!”

It’s true, isn’t it?

3. Build up to Every Performance

Have you ever wondered why your teacher has you perform your pieces so many times in front of so many different people before a big competition or a recital?

Believe it or not, it’s not to stress you out. On the contrary, it’s to help you beat Stage Fright!

Don’t you hate it when you can perform a piece perfectly in a practice room and it falls apart in your lesson? I’ve actually had students video themselves playing a piece just to prove that they can do it. Performing in front of your teacher is a slightly more intidimating situation than performing by yourself in the practice room.

In the same way that you build up in skiing from the bunny slopes to the triple black diamonds, you build up from the practice room to the stage with a series of gradually more intimidating performance situations.

Your personal series may include some or all of the following:

In a practice room by yourself
In a lesson with your teacher
In a practice room with a few close friends
In a practice room with a few strangers
In a voice, piano, or instrumental seminar with other voice, piano, or instrumental students
In an audition at your school or church
In a department-wide weekly performance hour with other music students
In a masterclass with a different teacher in front of other students and teachers
In a small competition
In juries/final exams
In a recital with other music students
In a recital by yourself
In an audition for a job or other big performance opportunity

When Stage Fright comes at you dual-wielding light sabers of doubt and fear, you can disarm him easily as you recount all of the times that you’ve already performed this piece well. Don’t let him trick you into thinking you can’t do something you’ve already done.

What about you?

What techniques do you use to fend off the attacks of Stage Fright?

Leave a comment below and you may see your name and idea in a future post (with your permission of course)!

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Become a Musical Super Hero - FREE pdf download!

2018-01-18T15:20:00.000-08:00

Imagine this.

You arrive at a friend’s wedding and spot a mutual friend who looks slightly panicked.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m supposed to sing in the wedding, but my accompanist is lost and won’t get here before the wedding starts!”

What do you do?

Are you prepared to step up and save the day?

Or can you merely sit quietly and hope your friend finds someone else who can help?

Transformation

People love stories of transformation.

Whether it’s remodeling a house, overhauling a wardrobe, or losing weight, we love to watch the process of transformation.

In Cars, Lightning McQueen transforms from being a selfish, friendless jerk who only cares about winning the race into someone who sacrifices his trophy to help a wrecked racer cross the finish line of his last race. Who would love this movie if Lightning McQueen remained a jerk and just won the race himself?

We love these stories because they give us hope that our lives can also be transformed for the better.

Average or Super

There is one thing that can transform any musician from an average citizen to a musical super hero.

What do you think that is?

Innate talent? Beautiful tone? Great personality? A bite from a musically gifted spider?

The majority of excellent musicians have most of those things, but many average musicians have them, too!
Musically gifted spiders do not tend to be very discriminatory these days.

Super Sight Reader

The one skill that makes excellent musicians a cut above the rest is their ability to sight read.

When one performs a prepared piece, it says a lot about the musician’s technical and expressive abilities. In an audition or contest setting, however, everyone’s prepared piece should be top notch. It may have taken a week or a year to get their piece to that level, but it got there nonetheless.

This is why most auditions include a sight reading portion. Sight reading separates the super hero musicians from the average citizens.

Super Powers

Sight reading gives you super powers, including the ability to:

Learn new music without relying on someone else’s recording
Approach new music with confidence
Stop wasting time learning new music
Gain more time for making your music sound incredible
Leap tall intervals in a single bound
Get hired for more gigs
Get hired for better-paying positions
Rescue musical damsels in distress, as in our initial story
Impress your friends
Save the day

The rest of the story

What did I do when I discovered a damsel in musical distress at our friend’s wedding?

Thanks to the super powers I had developed through practice, I was able to spend about 10 minutes rehearsing with my friend before the wedding and save the day!

Who are you now?

Are you a super hero musician with sight reading skills of steel, able to wield the above super powers with ease?

Are you an average citizen musician with average music reading skills who stands in awe of the super heroes, doubting you could ever join their ranks?

Who will you become?

You can change nothing and remain the same, or you can take steps to become a super sight reader.

Take the first step right now! Download The Super Hero's Top Secret Guide to Sight Reading for FREE and learn how to become the musical super hero your world needs!

The Quickest Way to Proclaim Your Mistakes to the World!

2018-01-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

“Hello, World! I made a mistake!”

Nope. That's not the fastest way to let your audience know you made a mistake.

Scrunch up your face or shake your head.

Nope. Too subtle. If someone is listening but not watching, they’ll miss it.

Error Detecting Machine

As a music teacher, I have heard many students and professionals perform. I can easily spot mistakes with my eyes closed, having never heard the piece before, whenever a performer does this one thing.

Am I some sort of error detecting machine? Nah. You could catch these mistakes with ease, even if you knew nothing about music!

Try it out

Imagine you’re listening to someone sing the ABCs: (Underscores are pauses in the music.)

“A B C D E F G_ H I J K L N M O P_ Q R S_ T U V_ W X_ Y and Z”

Did you catch their mistake? Maybe you did. Probably you didn’t.

Imagine someone else singing the same song and making the same mistake in this way:

“A B C D E F G_ H I J K L N M O_ _ _ L M N O P_ Q R S_ T U V_ W X_ Y and Z”

Did you catch the mistake this time? Yes! It was obvious!

Mistake made here!

What made the mistake obvious the second time around?

The break in the music.

It was essentially a neon sign saying “Mistake made here!”

Do we want our mistakes to stick out like a sore thumb? I know I don’t.

The Musician’s Goal

Why do you listen to music? People listen to music for a variety of reasons – to feel happy, to set the mood, to feel sad, to dance, to exercise, and so much more!

People do not listen to music to hear a perfect performance. It is your goal as a musician to provide a effective, musically sensitive performance. Your goal is not perfection.

Your goal is to create music.

When you stop and correct your mistakes, you break the flow of the music and the feelings expressed through your performance.

Not only that, you’re letting your pride get in the way of a musical performance because you can’t stand for anyone to think that you don’t know the way it’s supposed to be performed. The joke’s on you because your performance sounds worse when you go back and fix your mistakes mid-performance.

Just keep swimming

If stopping and fixing your mistakes makes them obvious to the world, doing the opposite will help hide a good number of your mistakes and maintain the flow of the music.

When you make a mistake, don’t sweat it. Just play or sing the next note and keep the music moving forward.

Will it be a perfect performance? Nope.

Will it be a musically pleasant performance? Yep.

Will you maintain the emotional content of that musical moment? Absolutely.

Whatever you do, don’t stop! Don’t go back and fix.

Don’t let your pride force you to wreck a beautiful moment.

Love covers a multitude of sins and moving on covers a multitude of musical mistakes!

Now, go forth and make music!

In Case of Emergency: 5 Tools for Sight Reading in a Time-Sensitive Situation

2018-01-13T07:42:00.002-08:00

Have you ever been handed and asked to perform a piece of music at the last minute?

Your eyes grow wide. Your heart starts racing. You may even begin to sweat.

Saying no may be an acceptable answer, but more often than not you want to come through and make it work for the person making the request.

There’s not enough time to learn the piece perfectly.

How do you make the most of the time you have?

1. Key

Chances are you will be making up a bit of what you’re playing or singing. The least you can do is make it up in the right key.

Once you’ve determined your starting key, look through the piece for any changes in key or mode, as indicated by a change in key signature or the addition of accidentals throughout a section of the music.

In order to do this well, you must know your key signatures and be able to distinguish between major and minor keys. A study of scales and key signatures will improve your knowledge in this area.

1b. Vocalists: Language

Hopefully, if you’re being handed something at the last minute, it’s in English, but that won’t always be the case! This is why it is so important to have a general understanding of the following languages: German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

2. Count

Whether reading alone or with an ensemble, it is crucial to know where you are within the piece of music. If you don’t pay attention to the time signature and tempo, you will very quickly get lost.

Also, if you have to decide between playing the right notes and playing at the right time, always choose rhythm. There are many tools online and off to help you master rhythm.

3. Chords

If you’re singing, you may not be aware of the exact chord progression, but if you know what key you are in, you can be aware of whether a phrase is ending on a strong note or a weak note or if there are unusual notes, as indicated by accidentals.

Strong notes are the first and fifth note of the scale (the Tonic and Dominant). Any other pitches are considered weaker notes. Focus on getting the strong notes right and letting the weak notes fill in the gaps.

At the piano, harmony is more important than melody, especially if you are accompanying. It is your job as the accompanist to support the melody using the given chords.

Using basic theory knowledge, you can usually reduce difficult musical sections to a chord symbol or two.

4. Start and End

In everything you do, whether you’re writing, singing, speaking, or playing, people will remember how you start and how you end. What you do in between is not unimportant, it is simply less important.

When time is limited, focus on starting and ending well and let the middle be what it will be.

5. Musical

Believe it or not, it is possible to play and sing wrong notes beautifully. Dynamics, articulation, and slight changes in tempo can take a piece of music from mediocre to amazing!

Also, ignoring the expressive markings can be embarrassing in an ensemble setting.

Application:

Use these tools to tackle the following excerpt from Malotte’s The Lord’s Prayer:

1. Key: C major! When in doubt, play a natural note and it will probably sound okay!

2. Count: In the accompaniment, you have a steady stream of triplet eighth notes. Whether you are singing or playing, you should have a steady stream of “One-trip-let Two-trip-let Three-trip-let” going in your mind at all times to keep both singer and player together.

3. Chords: In the key of C major, C and G are the strong notes. In this excerpt there are some D# and F# in the melody, so you know just at a glance that they will sound like they don’t belong. The notes on “For Thine” are a G to a C, so that will be a strong, important part of the melody!

For the accompanist, it is unnecessary to play every note written. Using basic theory knowledge, you can simplify each of the above measures to a single chord, which I have done in red.

4. Start and End: This excerpt is from the middle of the piece, but the beginning and the end are both piano only, which is another reason for accompanists to focus on the beginning and end, since you are often playing by yourself at that point.

5. Musical: These seven measures are full of expressive markings, mostly dynamics. How embarrassing would it be to play or sing the wrong or right note loudly when everyone else is playing softly?

Summary

Next time you’re asked to sight read on the spot, keep these five tools in mind to make the best of a tricky situation.

Just remember: the 1) Key is to 2) Count the 3) Chords from 4) Start to End 5) Musically!

Note: These tools are NOT to be used to get you out of a bind when you put off practicing for too long. These tools are for emergency use only!

Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

2018-01-11T04:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the following conversation with my 5-year old son:

Him: Mom, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Me: Umm…your mom!

Him: You’re already that! You have to be something different.

Me: What’s wrong with being a mom, teacher, and piano player?

Him: That stuff’s not important.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

We start asking kids this question at a very young age and really never stop asking them until they get a “real” job.

Children take exams very early on to help them determine what career field they are “best suited for.” I think the first PSAT I took said I’d be good at something like Forest Management. I suppose Smokey and I could still team up to prevent forest fires.

In high school or sometimes even middle school, kids are told to choose a path of study to prepare them for a certain course of study in college which prepares them for their future career.

And then, if you haven’t decided by then, you’re facing pricey college programs which are your final chance to decide what you really want to be when you grow up!

Too Soon

My 5-year old wants to be a firefighter-doctor-veterinarian-police-EMT-train conducting-construction worker and I think that’s great! There’s no reason for him to narrow his choice down to a certain thing at this age. The world is his to explore and discover!

I believe the same can be said for middle and high school students as well!

At a time where education is less expensive (often free) is the best time to explore a variety of fields. Why narrow your field of focus so soon?

A more important question

I believe a more important question to ask students and adults alike is this:

WHO do you want to be when you grow up?

My son loves helping! He loves to help clean. He loves to help his sister get into and out of the car. He loves to help me grade homework or put laundry away or bake cookies. He loves to help!

His diverse career choice listed above is actually pretty consistent with his desire to help people! Isn’t that what fire fighters, doctors, construction workers, train drivers, and all those others do?

Who do you want to be when you grow up?

Years ago I read a book called 40 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller. He led readers through an exercise that distilled their skills into a few key points.

In the past fifteen years of employment at a Christian bookstore, a music production company, an insurance agent’s office, and a variety of music schools and churches, I’ve discovered that I am someone who loves 1) learning new things and 2) sharing them with others in order to 3) help them succeed!

If I only see myself as a musician who also has a degree in business (what I wanted to be when I grew up), that limits my outlook on future opportunities. If something comes by that has nothing to do with music, I would pass it up in a heartbeat.

Knowing that who I am is more important than what I do opens up a world of choices!

If I have the chance to learn something new and share it with someone else to help them succeed, I will likely enjoy it, whether it’s music related or not.

The most important thing

In all that you do, remember that who you are is more important than what you do. It’s difficult for us to separate the two, but it is possible.

In his book The Forgotten Way, Ted Dekker said that what you do are simply roles the true you plays in this world.

Who I am is a daughter of God through Christ Jesus.

I am a daughter of God who mothers children, teaches students, and plays the piano.

I guess my son was right. Being a mom, a teacher, and a piano player are not important things.

Not as important as who I am, a daughter of God who loves to learn, share, and help others!

Take some time today to consider: who do you want to be when you grow up?

Whatever You Do, Don’t Look Down!

2018-01-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Every time someone says that in a movie, what happens next?

They look down and it usually just makes things worse.

Do you trust your hands?

When facing a door that needs to be opened, do your hands perform faithfully?

When you want to send a text, do your hands generally do a decent job of getting the message right?

When you’re driving, do your hands steer, signal, and use the windshield wipers, with ease?

Our hands complete these tasks with relative ease and very little oversight.

When you open a door, do you watch your hand to make sure it grabs the doorknob the right way?

When you send a text, do you watch your thumbs on the keypad?

When you drive, do you look at your hands as they steer, signal, or adjust the wipers?

You trust your hands to perform these tasks without having to watch them do so.

Why do you trust your hands?

Why do you not second guess your hands’ ability to open a door, text, or drive?

“Because I do those things all the time!”

Exactly!

How many texts have you sent today? How many doors have you opened? How many times have you used your turn signal this week? (If the answer to this question is zero, you and I need to have a serious talk.)

You can trust your hands to perform these tasks because they do them regularly.

Why do we not trust our hands at the piano?

Now, we get to the real issue.

So many students of all ages and experience level spend more time looking at their hands than they do looking at the music and this causes a number of problems.

1. Losing your place

If your eyes are constantly going back and forth between the music and your hands, you will frequently lose your place in the music.

Try reading the following series of numbers out loud while looking at your elbow after every number:

“1 5 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 7 6 4 4 4 4 4 5 9 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 5 2 6 7”

Now read the following numbers out loud, keeping your eyes on the numbers at all times.

“1 5 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 7 6 4 4 4 4 4 5 9 8 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 5 2 6 7”

It was much easier to read the second set of numbers when your eyes stayed on the numbers.

2. Inconsistent Rhythm

Imagine walking down an empty sidewalk though a park on a beautiful Spring day. The path is clear, so your steps are moving at a regular, consistent rhythm with no fear of tripping over anything. You trust your feet to find their next step without having to stare at your shoes.

Now imagine walking that same path, but before taking a single step, you must first look at the path ahead of you so you know where to go, then look at the ground to find a place for your shoe, and finally watch your shoe take the step. This way of walking is much slower and less consistent because you no longer trust your feet to do what you’ve trained them to do all these years.

The same thing happens with your hands. If you take the extra moments to look down at your hands and the keys before playing the next note, your rhythm and performance will be inconsistent.

3. You’ll never learn to trust your hands

This is the biggest problem for you who habitually look at your hands while you play. You will always look at your hands when you play because you will never learn to do any differently. It will be a hindrance to your playing indefinitely.

How Your Hands Gain Your Trust

When you first started driving, you looked at your hands on the steering wheel to make sure they were in the right place and you watched your hands reach for the turn signal and windshield wipers. You needed to look because your hands didn’t know where those things were. Pretty soon though you trusted your hands to find those things without the help of your eyes.

When I first started texting on a full keyboard (as opposed to using the numeric keypad, where “Hi” was spelled 44 444), I spent a lot of time looking at my thumbs to make sure they were hitting the right letters. Now I just watch the screen to make sure the words appear correctly and spend very little if any time actually watching my thumbs type.

Practice produces progress!

You gave your hands time to gain your trust while driving and texting (though NOT at the same time!). Now, it’s time to give your hands the chance to gain your trust while playing the piano.

Try this:

Put your right hand on your leg.

Tap your thumb on your leg three times.

Tap your pinkie on your leg two times.

Tap your ring finger on your leg four times.

Tap your middle finger on your leg twice.

Tap your index finger on your leg once.

Did you have to look at your hand do to that?

Next time you’re at a piano, try this (You can imagine that you are playing a piano, but using an actual keyboard will be more effective):

Put your right hand in C position (Thumb on C, index finger on D, middle finger on E, and so forth)

Play C three times.

Play G two times.

Play F four times.

Play E two times.

Play D once.

Did you have to look at your hand to do that?

If so, do it again until you trust your hand enough not to look down!

And while you’re at the piano, go ahead and practice not looking down on another piece of music and then another!

Practice produces progress!

Life-Saving Advice for Walking, Driving, and Sight Reading

2018-01-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

“Watch where you’re going!”

Walking

Imagine walking down a crowded sidewalk. Where are your eyes looking? Mine are looking ahead of me trying to find a gap in the crowd, so I can get to where I’m going.

Imagine walking down that same crowded sidewalk with your eyes glued to your shoes. You’re going to bump into a lot of people that way and chances are when you do find a break in the crowd, it means you’re in the middle of a street!

Driving

Now, imagine you’re driving on the Interstate. Where are your eyes looking? Hopefully, they are looking at the road ahead of you and occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror, so you can get to where you’re going safely.

Imagine driving that same stretch of Interstate with a glass-bottom car that allows you to focus on the road beneath you. You’re going to crash that bizarre vehicle very quickly!

Reading

Read the following sentence out loud and pay attention to where your eyes are looking as you say each word:

“It is important to look ahead while walking, driving, reading, or sight reading.”

If you’re like most people, your eyes were at least a word or two ahead of your voice.

Go back and read that sentence out loud again, but this time don’t let your eyes go to the next word until you’ve finished reading the word you’re on. Go on. Try it. I'll do it with you.

My reading was a lot choppier that way. Was yours?

Short-Term Memory

Your brain is amazing! Your short-term memory is able to playback information that you heard or saw in the past 7 seconds. This is why you can ask someone to repeat what they just said and remember what they said before they actually repeat it. Your brain heard what they said, it just didn’t pay attention to it the first time around.

Sight Reading

Thanks to your short-term memory, you can approach sight reading the same way you do walking, driving, and reading words!

If you fix your eyes on the spot you are playing or singing at that moment, the next beat or measure will catch you by surprise and your playing will be choppy at best or accident-inducing at worst, derailing an entire audition, exam, or rehearsal.

If you look ahead while still holding the previous beat or two in your short-term memory, your performance will be much smoother.

Consider this musical example below. Imagine playing it on your instrument, singing it, or even just tapping the rhythm. (I’ve included both clefs to accommodate all instrument and voice types.)

If your performance was choppy, chances are you were focusing on each note as it came.

If your performance was smooth, you were likely looking ahead as you went.

Try it again. This time be intentional about looking at least one beat ahead, which means before you clap, play, or sing the first note you have to look at the second one and maybe even the third as well!

How did that feel?

It may feel awkward and uncomfortable as you learn to look ahead. Maybe it felt good!

Either way, I guarantee that your reading will become faster and smoother as you learn to look ahead while remaining aware of where you are.

Hmm…there’s a life lesson in there, I think. 😉

What to Do When You Don't Feel Like Practicing

2018-01-07T07:32:00.001-08:00

Most of us rarely feel like practicing.

How can we push past our feelings and get done what needs doing?

“5-4-3-2-1-GO PRACTICE!” And do it!

It’s that simple!

The 5-Second Rule

In Mel Robbins’ book, The 5-Second Rule, she teaches a simple yet powerful tool for getting done the things we don’t “feel like” doing. She explains how our inner wisdom knows what we “should” do, but in less than five seconds our brain comes up with excuse after excuse for why we shouldn’t.

Get out of bed

Mel Robbins first used this trick to get herself out of bed in the mornings.

Does this sound familiar?

Your alarm goes off.

Inner wisdom: I should get up.

Brain: I don’t feel like getting up. Five more minutes won’t hurt. I have plenty of time to get to class. It won’t hurt to miss just one class. I’ll just hit the snooze, or better yet, turn the alarm off completely.

Result: You stay in bed. You're late to class or miss class entirely. You feel bad the rest of the day as you try to dodge the teacher of the class you slept through.

Watch what happens when you use the 5-Second Rule:

Your alarm goes off.

Inner wisdom: I should get up.

Brain: I don’t feel like…

You: 5-4-3-2-1 GET UP! And get up!

Result: You get up! You get dressed. You make it to class. You feel great!

You can use this rule to accomplish anything you know you should do but don’t feel like doing!

I don’t feel like practicing

Inner wisdom: I should go practice.

Brain: I don’t feel like practicing. I have to get dressed and walk all the way over to the music building. There probably won’t even be a practice room available. I should just stay in my dorm room and continue browsing Facebook and watching Netflix.

Results: You don’t go practice. You have a rough lesson that week. You are stressed about your next performance.

Using the 5-Second Rule:

Inner wisdom: You should go practice.

Brain: I don’t feel like…

You: 5-4-3-2-1-GO PRACTICE and you get dressed, grab your music, and book it across campus to the music building!

Result: You go practice! You get a lot done. You are more confident at your next lesson. You are more prepared for an upcoming performance.

You Must Act!

IMPORTANT: Once you get to 1, you MUST make some physical movement toward practicing.

Simply standing up, turning off the TV, or grabbing your music will break your feelings’ hold over you and move you in the right direction.

Once again let me reiterate, when you get to 1, You. Must. Act.

Learn more from Mel:

If you want to learn more about how the Five-Second Rule works and how it can boost your productivity, demolish procrastination, conquer anxiety, build confidence, and more (yes, more!) grab a copy of Mel’s book and check out her YouTube channel.

Now, 5-4-3-2-1-Go do something you don’t feel like doing!

Leave a comment below to let me know what you used the 5-Second Rule to accomplish!

Mel also loves to hear how her rule is changing lives, so let her know using the hashtag #5secondrule and/or tagging her on Twitter @MelRobbins, Facebook /MelRobbins, or Instagram @MelRobbinsLive.

Disclaimer: I am not receiving any financial incentive to promote The 5-Second Rule. I simply believe it's too great to keep quiet about!