Since I have entered into the exciting but hectic world of high school, I’ve found myself chronically short on adequate violin practice time. I realized before the semester started that a full hour or two of relaxed practice probably wouldn’t be a frequent reality for me in the next couple of years. I knew that it was now important for me to develop efficient practice techniques that can help me get the greatest gain from smaller time investments. Making music myself makes me happy, but an even greater source of happiness for me is sharing music with others, so I decided to not only study how to practice but also how to perform. Though my semester has been spent with violin as the clear focus, the information I have learned about practice and performance are applicable to nearly any musician, athlete, or student.
One of the first things I learned in my research of practice was the argument about what played a greater role in success, hard work or innate talent. After sifting through quite a bit of research from either side, I came to the conclusion that success is reached through a balance of the two. This balance is encouraging to the hard workers and motivating to the innately talented, in any activity, from music to athletics. Once I had established this, I moved on to discover what kind of practice would best lead to my growth as a violinist. The first skill I learned was to mix old and new material in practice. For example, I might play a piece I have already perfected and performed, and in the same practice session work on new music. Another useful practice tip I have learned is to avoid the trap of “mindless practice.” This can include repeating the same task again and again or playing carelessly through the piece. As a wise music teacher once told his student, “Practice with your fingers, and you need all day. Practice with your mind, and you can do as much in 1.5 hours.” Finally, I have learned that performance itself - playing under pressure - is a very valuable form of practice. These are the most useful pieces of advice that I discovered in my study of practice, and ones I have tried to utilize. But while I apply them to music, many of these tips were given as advice to anyone trying to perfect any skill, be it violin, piano, soccer, volleyball, vocabulary words or writing. The (nearly) “perfect practice session” is invaluable not only for myself as a developing violinist, but for athletes and students striving for success.
Much more daunting to me, at least, than hours of practice is the idea of performing. I set a goal to perform all the pieces I’d learned and practiced at the end of the semester, and as that date approaches, and I reflect on past performances, I realize that this time something has to be different. In the dozens of small and large recitals I have played in, I can count on one hand the number I came away from happy with my performance, and confident in my skills. My sensitive musical ear is something I consider more of a strength than a weakness, except when it comes to performance. In a recital, it is as if that sensitivity is multiplied by ten, and suddenly every flaw, nonexistent or trivial as it may be, becomes a humiliating mistake and a failure to perform up to my practice standards. As an athlete and student myself, I am sure that many people who practice and then perform any skill (in a game, or on a test, for example) have experienced a similar feeling.
I have completed some research on the topic of performance psychology and have discovered a few helpful strategies and tips. One of the most interesting has come from Noa Kageyama, a PhD and author of The Bulletproof Musician blog. Kageyama suggests that our self-talk largely determines how we do in and feel about our performance. The subconscious is always listening, and it does not filter through positive and negative self talk. In the end, it will start believing what it hears most often to be true. So, if you constantly tell yourself you’ll never get a passage right, or that something is too hard for you, that is exactly what your subconscious will believe, despite the facts indicating otherwise. Another strategy I have considered is identifying my purpose in performing. If your next performance is a large test in school, you might decide why you want to do well. Whether it is for a good grade in your class or so you can qualify for a scholarship, do it for the right reasons for you. In my case, performing music is about giving.
I have come to realize that in my life, music brings relatively small personal satisfaction. Practice is hard and often frustrating; my instrument doesn’t always do what i want it to; and the whole process is time consuming. So why do keep going? I keep going for all of the times another person's music has changed my life and touched my heart, in the hopes that one day I can share that with someone else. I keep going for the few times that I feel I have done just that...when music comes from me and goes right to the soul of someone else, and transforms us both. With this mission in mind, and after deliberate and diligent practice, my performances can be more fun and more successful than before.
~Emma E. C.
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