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Quick Fix Friday: Recovering from Mistakes
My practice sessions are divided into two main parts: practicing to fix and avoid mistakes (woodshedding) and practicing to recover from mistakes (performance practice). I’ve already discussed the minutiae of woodshedding, from improving your rhythm to becoming a better sight-reader. Woodshedding is a crucial part of practice, but today I want to talk about performance practice. One of the simplest yet most under-utilized practice techniques is to incorporate full run-throughs of pieces or larger section to fortify your mental and physical ability to recover from mistakes (because let’s face it – no matter how much you practice, there will always be live performance errors). Many musicians do not include performance…
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What To Do When You Have A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Practice Session
True story: When I was 10, I was reduced to tears during a practice session spent trying to master “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” I am an impatient person and get easily frustrated when things don’t come quickly to me, so I had a complete meltdown when I couldn’t play this song immediately. I’m happy to share that I can now play a mean “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, but this practice meltdown still sticks out clearly in my head. We’ve all been there before. No matter how many times you repeat that one passage, no matter how many different ways you try to phrase that one section, or no…
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My Current Warm Up Routine
One of the most often-asked questions for musicians is “How do you warm up?” (followed closely by “What’s your setup?” – but that’s an article for another day). A lot of people have recently been asking about my warm up, so I thought I’d share my current routine. I think warmups and breakfast have a lot in common. The old adage of the most important meal of the day rings true for warmups, which I consider the most important part of your practice routine. Also, there are varying degrees of warmups, from short and efficient (the breakfast equivalent of grabbing a granola bar as you run out the door), average…
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I Got (Better) Rhythm
Let me begin this post with a potentially controversial statement: rhythm is the most important element of your musical foundation. Hear me out – other musical concepts such as tone, interpretation, and repertoire selection are very subjective and abstract. Even seemingly concrete aspects of pedagogy (embouchure, articulation, fingerings, posture) have fiercely divided and loyal devotees. Don’t believe me? What syllable should be used for articulation? Dah? Dee? Tah? Tee? Tu? Your answer depends on your musical upbringing and a myriad of other factors. The one unifying element of music is rhythm. Rhythm is the universal equalizer – musicians and non-musicians alike are capable of keeping a steady beat and recognizing…
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Musical Advice in 140 Characters or Less
With the rise of Twitter, there is a new-found expectation of delivering information in a short and concise method – a tweet. 140 characters or less, to be specific. Twitter is a great platform to edit your thoughts and present them as succinctly as possible to the public. Although not ideal for music education, there are certain doctrines which can be conveyed in the character count of a tweet. Here are some of mine: More air, less fingers (specific to instrumentalists) Phrase horizontally, not vertically Be present when you practice Match your tone when you tongue to your tone when you slur Always play with a beautiful sound Practice your scales!…
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Lies My Band Director Told Me
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, this article is for some of the hardest-working teachers out there – music teachers! Thank you for enduring all the squeaks, scratchy bowings, loud trumpets, and forgotten mutes! “One more time!” “You would make a great bassoonist/alto clarinetist/other auxiliary instrumentalist nobody else wants to play!” “Rehearsal will only be two hours!” “Just because you’re in band doesn’t make you a band geek!” “Band camp is really fun!” “It’s not that fast!” “More piccolo!” “We won’t practice outside if it rains.” If you are a music teacher, how many of these have you said (or what other small fibs do you tell your students)?
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Musical Advice I’d Give My Younger Self
Let’s pretend for a moment that time travel exists. Besides disrupting the space/time continuum to visit the dinosaurs, joust with knights, or see Mozart perform (all high on my list!), I assume you’d also want to visit your former self to give them advice about the future (or maybe just leads on popular stocks). I was practicing the Francaix Clarinet Concerto earlier this week and was thinking how awesome it would be if I could transfer my current technical abilities to a past version of myself (if only, if only!), which got me thinking about what I would tell past-Jenny. What would I do differently if I could restart my clarinet career…
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Mental Health Tips for Artists
Mental health is not often discussed in the arts. Musicians, dancers, artists, photographers, and other creative fields have incredibly high-stress careers. Our livelihood is based on public approval, perception, and criticism. We spend countless hours practicing, perfecting, analyzing, improving, and examining our art. Our art is an extension of ourselves, and we expose our most vulnerable thoughts and emotions with family, friends, and complete strangers. By pursuing a career in the arts, you are unknowingly signing a contract which exposes you to a lifetime of criticism, rejection, and crippling self-doubt. Because creative fields are so competitive, you will receive ten rejections for every success (by my rough estimations). Also, balancing professional, personal,…
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The Musician’s Practice Pyramid
Have you ever walked (or dejectedly shuffled) into the practice room, begrudgingly opened your case, assembled your instrument….and wondered what the heck you have to practice? Maybe you’re overwhelmed with excerpts. Maybe you have to learn your scales for All State auditions. Or maybe you don’t even know what you should practice. Not to fear, my trusty Practice Pyramid is here! You’re probably familiar with the food pyramid from health classes past. It’s undergone a few makeovers recently, but the basic idea is essentially the same. A daily diet with the right proportions of certain foods will increase your overall health. Like the food pyramid, your practice routine should also…
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Why Distractions Make You a Better Performer
The crisp snap of the opening Coke can was followed by the rude guzzling of the ice-cold refreshment. The fizz of carbonation gradually lessened after its owner noisily placed the soda on the folding table in the makeshift band room. The entrance of a second soda-wielding woman was announced by a slamming door, causing the snare drums to sizzle. As the two soda-slurping women discussed their lunch options, I focused on the manipulated sound of the electric keyboard playing the accompaniment to the lyrical movement of Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 73. This wasn’t a casual practice session – this was the final…