Category: Mindfulness
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Enjoy the Process and Make Progress
I hear this kind of question a lot: “As a musician, while practicing, how do I both enjoy the process and also ensure that I’m making progress?” It may seem like there’s a contradiction between those two, but to make progress, you do need to enjoy the process. In this article (and video), I give 4 reasons why you’re not getting as…
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Stop slacking off! You need to make PROGRESS!
If you grew up in modern society, like I did, chances are you have these two competing voices inside you. While you are practicing, one of them says “Work hard! Stop slacking off! You need to make progress!” Meanwhile, the other says, “This is so stressful! This is not why I signed up for this…I…
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Music is NOT Frustrating
There’s no such thing as a difficult piece. Come on. Where does this idea even come from? OK, I know this sounds crazy, so let me try to put it into a little bit more context. When you say “this is piece is so difficult!”, what are you trying to say? Do you mean “if…
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Overthinking for Musicians
Do you find that you simply can’t be satisfied with your performance, no matter how hard you work? Are you constantly obsessing over your deficiencies? Do you get overwhelmed easily while practicing? Is “overthinking” inhibiting your ability to be efficient and productive?If so, you are probably wondering how to stop overthinking, once and for all.In…
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Stage Presence for Musicians
Many musicians struggle with stage presence and feel a lack of confidence as a result. Fortunately, by practicing mindfulness, we can improve our stage presence, feel more confident, and play better.In this article, I will give several tips for developing a confident stage presence. 1. Have a clear intention when performing musicA confident musician has…
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Seeds of awareness
A turning point in my understanding of the role mindful awareness plays in music practice occured while I was practicing singing one day. I’d like to attempt to share that experience, and the resulting thoughts that I observed in my mind. I was attempting an exercise that had me sing three notes. Somehow, it wasn’t…