Category Archives: Journaling

I’ll be Bach

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I recently started reading daily posts from Arnold Schwarzenegger – known for his movie line,

“I’ll be Bach” 

What do you mean that’s not what he said?

I’m impressed with him because he demonstrates a single-minded focus on achieving things he thinks are important.  Now, whether you agree with him on his choices or not, it’s difficult to argue with his successes.  I admire that he works hard, doesn’t pretend that the work isn’t work, faces challenges head on, thinks before acting, owns his successes, moves onto other goals once he has achieved the current goals, and is relentlessly upbeat (sound familiar?)*.  I’m pretty sure that if he had an interest in playing an instrument, he’d be quite good at it – for all the same reasons.

But the one thread to which he frequently returns is the importance of consistency.  He champions the reality that, no matter what your focus (weightlifting, acting, authoring, playing an instrument) you have to put in not just hard work but consistent hard work.  He highlights that it is the small gains that accrue day after day that are behind success.  And that these daily small achievements build on each other to become what we often think of as “real success” – achieving big goals. 

He doesn’t discount that these small daily increments are sometimes challenging to detect. What does he suggest? Capturing them (dare I say, in some sort of journal?). Why didn’t I say that (except maybe here, here, here, and here)?!

Consistency doesn’t have to be huge, BTW.  Consistency is exactly what it sounds like – do small things with extreme regularity.  It means practicing every day.  Making some routine for your time at the harp so that you can complete the consistent behavior.  Acknowledging that you have been consistent (whether that’s giving yourself stars on a wall chart or giving yourself a cookie – well, that’s up to you!).  And don’t forget being grateful for the outcome of consistent small progress.

You can become consistent by making the commitment to yourself.  You can help yourself along with a calendar reminder, a schedule, a process, a cookie (if needed. I’m sure I’m not the only one that is big on external rewards!). Keep in mind that consistent is not the same as perfect.  If you mess up or get sidetracked, don’t beat yourself up, just get back on it – consistently.  You don’t need excuses, just get back to it.  If it helps, at the end of each practice session, tell your harp, “I’ll be Bach”.Could you benefit from increased consistency?  What do you do to keep consistent?  What might help you to be more consistent?  Let me know in the comments!

* if you want a daily dose of relentless optimism that’s nearly as relentless and almost as optimistic as this blog, you can get it from Arnold here in his latest thing of bringing positivity to the internet.  Not an affiliate, just a fan.

How to Never Run Out of Things to Practice

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Do you ever have that feeling like you’re casting about trying to decide what to practice?  You know you should be practicing, but maybe you don’t know what to work on.  Even if you have a teacher who helps structure your practice time, do you feel hesitant on where to start on other stuff outside your lesson?

No?  It’s just me then?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Never Run Out of Things to PracticeIt can be a little challenging to think of what to practice, especially at those points on the calendar (like now) when we know we should have already started on holiday repertoire (but maybe haven’t).  Or at the end of the year when you’re staring into the abyss of the upcoming year, but not knowing what you might want to come out of it with.  Or thinking about the upcoming competition season and preparing to perform, but not being ready to buckle down.

There are all kinds of reasons that we can be a little stumped on what to be practicing at any one point in time.  And if you’re an externally motivated person (that is, if you need something or someone outside of yourself to get you kicked into action), it can be very difficult to determine what you should be practicing, which can lead to procrastination….or worse, just not practicing!

So, this week, a few ways to help ensure that you never run out of things to practice!

1. Keep track of what you’re working on, how long you’ve worked on it, and your assessment of your progress to date. Why yes, this is just another thinly veiled suggestion that you keep a journal, but it will help you keep in mind what you’re working on right now (and how well it’s going) as well as whether you need to keep working on it.  It also gives you an idea of which tunes might need to be parked so they can marinate for a little while (that’s fancy talk for “put it away and bring it out again later”).

2. Keep a list of tunes you would like to play. Just note them down, preferably with as much detail as possible (title, composer, anything else that helps you find it later). You can’t possibly learn all the tunes at once, so you will be well served to write down the ones you’d like to learn…later.  Don’t worry about it getting too long – you can always add to it, or cross titles off as you go along (and you get the added bonus of crossing titles off as they move to your “learning” list! and you begin to practice them).

3. Focus on what you’re practicing now. When you’re practicing, don’t think about what you’ll practice next.  Think about what you’re practicing now.  Save thinking about what you’ll do another time…for another time… and actually practice while you’re practicing. If you have a great idea while you’re practicing, jot it on your list of tunes you’d like to play and then get back to your originally scheduled practicing.

4. Make connections between music you already know and that you have to learn. It is always useful to be a thinking musician. It’s an illusion that great musicians just sort of channel stuff.  They are actively involved in the music they play.  They analyze the music.  They don’t let it just wash over them!  Thinking about what you already know, what you’d like to learn and how they’re related will help you find tunes you like and will make practicing easier (because similar patterns will be easier the second time and even easier the third, etc.).

5. Be curious. It’s all well and good to know what you like and play that, but be curious about it – what is it about the music you love that captivates you? How far away from the exemplar can you go and still love it?  What other music has those same traits?  Does it appeal to you, and will you learn it?  Being curious means you’ll find new things to play in places you wouldn’t necessarily look which not only broadens your repertoire but also will expand your thinking.

6. Refer to something you practiced before. Why yes, you can always practice something you used to play to death but haven’t in a while.  Keep those oldies but goodies in your hands and in your memory so they’re ready to go when you are!  Those tunes are, after all, the core of your repertoire.

Don’t be left feeling like you don’t know what to practice or how to get started. These six simple steps will help you pull it together so you can never run out of things to practice.  What else should we add to the list?  Let me know in the comments –

The Bucket List

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Some people have a bucket list. Of course, even more haven’t made one, but they probably have things they’d like to have accomplished by the time they’re done on the coil mortal.

A bucket list is a compilation of all the things a person would like to have accomplished, completed, or dreamt of.  It is (yet another) goals list, pure and simple.

You might think a Bucket List is a macabre thing to keep.  After all, most people think of it as a list of all the things you may (or might not) have accomplished in your entire life.  Ok, that would be macabre.

But what if you instead think of it as a gentle reminder of what you think is interesting, curious, important, and/or worth pursuing?  If you look at it that way, it could be sort of interesting – and a little goading.  And probably worth keeping for quick and frequent reference.  For guidance.  And as a reminder to keep your head up (metaphorically…. although you should also do that physically while you’re playing!).

Apparently loads of people have lists that include travel around the world, run a marathon, be a better person, write a novel, or pursue a passion.

BUT – YOU ALREADY HAVE A PASSION.  You’re no desultory harper!

What sort of things might you put on the list?  Well, that’s going to be fairly personal.  After all, it will be all the things you hope you will do before you are no longer able to play the harp. I have my own ideas (although, to be fair, I’ve been checking mine off as fast as I can!).

How, you might ask would you go about making your bucket list? Well, it’ll take a little time and effort, but it’ll be worth it!  First, note that you might be making more than one list.  After all, once you start thinking about it, you might be making a life list, a harp list, a family list, etc.  And that’s ok – you can have multiple lists!

I’d suggest making the list in your practice journal.  You have to keep it somewhere, so why not there?  That way you’ll see it each time you sit to practice – and be reminded of some of the reasons you’re about to practice…

It’s your list – you can put anything you like on it.  Secret fantasies, deepest desires, put ‘em down.  You’ll never know when you’ll have the chance to check one of them off, but you’ll be ready for the opportunity if you know you want to (you won’t have to think about it when it happens – you’ll be ready!).

Of course, also put down stuff you know you can do if you try.  Learn that piece you admire.  Write down that tune that you hear in your head.  Ask that well-known teacher for a lesson. You have nothing to lose!

Then there’s the harder to define stuff – what do you want your harp legacy to be.  Don’t think you have one?  Oh, you do, you just might not have thought about it before.  Do you want to be sure that you have actually played for your friends?  Wish you would sit a Master Class?  Want to participate in that fabulous workshop everyone’s always talking about?  While these things might be more challenging, you can get there.  And writing them on your list will remind you to keep at it.

Maybe the hardest thing about generating your bucket list is to prioritize it. What’s the most important to you?  What will take you the most time (or require new skills or significantly more practice)?  Does anyone in your life need to have an input (whether they be an audience member or a travel companion or some other adjunct to your thinking)?  You’ll need to factor that in. Also, is there any intersection of your harp and your life bucket lists?  Maybe you can take your harp with you as you travel around the world?  Always wanted to go to Scotland (always a good idea) – maybe there’s a workshop you plan around (or you could join us sometime in the future!). Two birds, meet one stone!

What does not belong on your Harp Bucket List?  ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN!  Don’t want to play in an ensemble? Don’t.  Don’t want to play orchestra parts? Don’t even write it down!  Never wanted to learn that “must do” repertoire?  Then DON’T!

You’re capturing what YOU want to do with your harp life.  Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.  Maybe you’re not quite ready to do some of it, that’s ok.  You’ve written it down so you can be reminded of what you want to be so you can keep acquiring the skills or practice you need to be able to get there.  And remember – it’s your list.  Share it with others if you like, but you don’t have to.

When you complete something on your list, savor that!

Make your bucket list – so you can do all the things you want while you are able. Live your harp life!  What might you put on your bucket list?  Got a good idea?  Want to share it in the comments?

Getting out of the Land of Should

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I love teaching.  I learn so much from each of my students.  They all have their own strengths and challenges, but I find that there are sometimes overlaps.  This week, no less than three students have been trapped in the Land of Should – a dark and horrible place which is easy to find and sometimes hard to leave.

You might have been there. You might be there right now.  You can tell you’re there by the signs:

“I should practice more”

“I should be more motivated (even though there’s a global pandemic and nothing is as it typically is)”

“I should be able to ignore the things going on in my life and keep playing”

“I should be able to play this by now”

“I should be better than I am”

I get it.  The Land of Should can be very seductive.  And sometimes it seems like it’s the only place the bus stops.

But being trapped in the Land of Should is actually painful and not very comfortable.  After all, WHY should you (practice more, be more motivated, be more accomplished, and by extension, have a pristine home, have read all the “right” books, being wearing the right look, etc. – whatever)??

But shoulds are often unhelpful – these thoughts don’t get you any further ahead. Telling yourself you should do (or be) something doesn’t change anything or suggest useful changes.  It only sets you up to feel like you’ll never get where you’re going.  The Land of Should is like that.

One way to look at is that these thoughts are actually you bullying yourself!  You’re telling yourself you’re a disappointment.  Would you say something like that to your best friend?  I didn’t think so.

And right now, we all need a little more TLC – especially from ourselves!  Even the most stalwart and resilient among us are feeling a little peaky.  So, it’s no surprise if the pull of the Land of Should is becoming stronger.

How do you escape its terrible orbit?  Here are five ways to get out of the Land of Should:

  1. Journal.  You know I’m always exhorting you to keep a journal of your practice.  Here’s a good use for it.  First, you can document your practice time – what (objectively) did you work on, where did you leave it, where will you pick it up next time?  Secondly, you can also capture how you are feeling about the time you had (especially if you’re feeling like you have not done enough).  As always, keep your journal in any means that works for you – in a notebook, on your computer, as an oral history in your phone voice memos, as an abstract drawing – it doesn’t matter how you keep it as long as that medium works for you!
  2. Be realistic.  There’s a lot going on in the world, no matter who you are or where you live.  With the ongoing uncertainty and changing information as physicians and scientists learn more about it, it’s easy to feel like we’ll never have our feet on solid ground again.  You can use your time at the harp to help soothe your frayed nerves and the anxiety of not knowing.  Maybe this isn’t the time to double your repertoire or add those highly chromatic pieces you admire but don’t feel ready to take on.  But you do have repertoire already with which you can be fairly comfortable – play that.  Noodle!  Improvise.  Play nothing at all.  But don’t cut yourself off from your harp.  At a minimum, allow the reverberations of playing the notes impact your body.  Take some time and take some ease.  No matter your level of play, you can do this!  Are you a rank beginner, still trying to remember which finger is 2?  No worries, play a single string and let it ring while you feel the gentle vibration and hear the beautiful timbre!  Then play another. Think that’s only for beginners?  Nope – there’s a lot of soothing in a playing a single string and letting it reverb for you for as long as it likes…then play another one, etc.
  3. Reframe.  It is easy (especially in difficult times) to focus on the negative, to beat yourself up and as a result to feel bad.  Reframe your thoughts! It isn’t that you didn’t practice enough.  Rather, you made the best use of limited available time.  It isn’t that you aren’t progressing.  Rather, you currently have higher priorities requiring your time and attention.  It isn’t that you’re not motivated.  Rather you are dealing with a lot and will be back and focused soon.  But DO NOT tell yourself you’re not “good enough” because you haven’t done something.
  4. Study your history.  You haven’t always felt this way.  Think back to a time when you didn’t feel like this and understand that you have ups and downs and that’s ok.  Your truth includes being strong and resilient and sometimes it includes being a little bit fragile and that the fragility passes – and all of it is part of you!  And that’s kind of cool – because there’s interesting in there (to be found sometime when you’re transitioning from fragile to strong!).
  5. Be nice…and positive.  Be nice in general, but especially be nice to you!  And don’t torment yourself.  Instead, focus on the good (if only because it’s so easy to focus on the bad – and who wants to do easy stuff?).

If you find yourself lost in the Land of Should, perhaps one of these might help.  If something works for you, please let me know.  And if you have another way to escape – please share in the comments below.

Planner vs Journal: What do you need?

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You have endured my repeated suggestions that you keep a harp practice journal. I hope you have taken me up on my suggestion and that, in so doing, you have begun to understand why I make the suggestion. I also hope you saw, in short order, how the act of journaling can help you become a better harper. Simply by entering the conversation with yourself, you are able to capture your thoughts, feelings, successes, plans/goals and good ideas. And with review (or just idly flipping through) you can get an appreciation of all your hard work (and maybe a glimpse of the work you would be well advised to undertake – later…in the future….let’s not get too crazy!).

Recently, one of you asked about using a practice planner as a journal. Well, a planner is different from a journal, so today, some thoughts on each and an insight into how I (try) to use these with my students.

Planners and Journals serve two different functions. A Planner is forward looking, capturing what you should be working on, and how to schedule it all into your practice time (by the hour, the day, the week, the month, the season, the year, etc.). It describes what your teacher (or you, if you are actively using it) would like you to work on so that you continue to grow and so that you build the skills needed for the repertoire you will attempt in the future. It helps to organize your time spent and usually includes short term goals (which are actually criteria that, when reached, indicate readiness to move forward).

A Journal, on the other hand, is, by definition, a retrospective of your work – mental, physical, emotional, and more. It can incorporate external factors (e.g. “I didn’t practice all week because I was on a cruise, but when I returned, I was delighted to be behind the harp once again and I quickly conquered my new tune that I was having trouble with before” or “I had a terrible week at work and I just didn’t feel like practicing which explains why I haven’t made progress with my tunes this week, but next week should be better!”). You write in your Journal after you practice or play, while reflecting on what happened, why, how you feel about that, and perhaps what you’d like to add to your planner (to avoid a negative or to reinforce something you see needs shoring up). And of course, you will, on occasion, go back and read through your thoughts and feelings to rediscover items that have fallen through your mental cracks.

A practice planner should be very clear and detailed – a set of instructions for the week. What (specifically) should you be focused on? At what point, then, do you move on for the next time? How many times to do the scales? In which key? What are your warm-ups this week? What skill builders will you do? What musicality exercises will you work on? How do you know when to stop? How good is good enough? What is expected of you in the practice time allotted?

A journal allows you to express your assessment of your practice time and your ideas on your progress (NB – this is NOT a platform for your inner critic! Rather you are capturing your opinion in a constructive way, so you can grow from it). You might include thoughts like “although I thought I’d never “get” those funky chord exercise note progressions, with three days of focused attention, I do “get” it and can now focus on the technique work that the exercise is needed for”. A little work, a little assessment, a little reflection, a lot of growth!  You are also not limited in how you might capture those thoughts, reflections, and feelings – write, jot, paint, whatever will help you remember later on.

So, which should you have? A Planner or a Journal?

You need the Planner and the Journal! The real question is – in what form? The right answer is – in the form that works for you!

You can use simple planner sheet (want a free one? Subscribe here!) and a journal book. Then you have two things to work together to suggest your practice time. You want (and need) order and structure for the planner, so that the homework notes from your lesson help you to structure your practice time and to prepare for your next lesson.  But you also need and want the freedom to capture your thoughts as they come and as they are best expressed.  If you’re lazy like me, you want to have it all in one place. I prefer this for my students because it also provides a continuity to our discussion from lesson to lesson – one place for all thoughts.

Are you already journaling?  Using a practice planner? What’s your method?  And if you’re not, what’s stopping you? Journals and Practice Planners can help you grow and focus your work while reminding you that you love to play! No matter what form it takes, there is a lot of potential in writing it down. You can do this yourself – just get a notebook and start writing. But if you’d like a bespoke one, I can help you with that too – just leave a request in the comments and I’ll get back to you with details.