Attention young musicians: Don't Forget To Breath!

November 19, 2008

I still don't know why people insist on making the act of practicing and performing music much harder than necessary, especially young musicians. I believe there are two large parts to being a musician, the preparing and the executing. In preparing (practicing) to execute (perform), particularly young musicians, tend to think too much. I know it can also be said that sometimes much younger student musicians simply don't think enough but in this case, in regards to the high school and college age students, they sometimes tend to over think a bit. I'm sure you've heard that before from a good friend or a teacher who will simply tell "you're thinking too much." It seems like such a contradictory statement. Are we not supposed to think about every dynamic, every articulation, every sticking, every possible bowing, every optimal place to breath, the precise tempo, and more?! Are we not supposed to make this absolutely perfect?!

This is some of the vibe that I get around my office, usually around this time of year when students are preparing final performances, juries, or playing exams. It seems to be even more prevalent around audition time when I receive phone calls or emails from nervous parents and students about their upcoming auditions. And although I tell them that they need to practice hard and do their best, I still have a feeling that they are not really fully satisfied with my response.

The answer? It's ok, you can relax.

With that said, please do not take that statement as to be a tolerance of lower standards, a conscious awareness of mediocrity. However, remind yourself of your state of being. Ask yourself, how do I want to play? Although there might feel like a million things we must do to successfully perform, we must do our best to keep things in perspective and I suppose even that is still subjective.

Yes, we must play with accuracy of pitch, articulation, bowing, etc., but don't let these elements come to a point where they can cripple your abilities. This is where we can have a tendency to think to much. Now, the simple answer is practice. The real question comes as "how do I practice?" Have you really thought about that? Barry Green dives really well into this with his book "The Inner Game of Music" along with Jeff Nelsen's Fearless Auditioning Clinics. These phenomenal musicians, and equally great thinkers, always come to the idea of relaxing and having us believe that we can be successful at accomplishing our goals of preparing and executing.

Why have we put so much emphasis on practicing and performing well? The answer lies within you. It may be to win that chair placement, or audition, or for self satisfaction, but whatever that answer is, it is to allow us to have greater ease and fluidity to be successful in our own terms. I warn you, do not become lazy and relaxed in your commitment to your successes, but keep practicing and set goals that are progressive and that you can reach. It's the smallest things that add up to make the biggest differences. Keep things in perspective, as long as you do your part in being responsible, you'll be ok. So, go ahead and take a breath, enjoy a little bit of PS3, and then get back to work and stay focused.

Enough reading...go practice! ;)

-Angel Velez