#classicalmusicproblems

Me: lol let's watch a video of piece X for inspiration

Me: *clicks on first clip that pops up*

Me: oh no this is a child prodigy isn't it?

Me to me: I will just watch it as merely a learning opportunity and inspiration help and drive me to become a better musician.- Just because I didn't start at the age that they did and was not trained in such a way that maybe would have rejected my education in other fields, I can still gain an insight as to how a piece is interpreted by someone younger than me who has different and unique experiences compared to myself. No there is no need for jealousy.

Me in reality: *finishes watching video*

Me: ....

Me: ....

There are two kinds of mental practice I would like to talk about: mental rehearsal specific to the music, which would include working with the music score (or without if it is memorized) but without the instrument, and positive visualization of overall performance outcomes. Both of these kinds of mental practice can be practiced at the same time.

Mental rehearsal has been known to enhance musical performance significantly. Connolly and Williamon (2014, 225) state that “informed physical practice at the highest levels of musicianship can hardly take place without some sort of cognitive or mental activity”, and so mental skills must be finessed through intentional practice. 

In preparation for an orchestral audition, it is important that I incorporate intentional mental rehearsal into my practice regime. This is what I will do:

Once I arrive into my practice space I will unpack all of my things and assemble my instrument. I will then take a moment to practice a moment of Alexander Technique; becoming aware of the “this is where I am right now” sensation, allowing my feet to stand on the floor and my head to lift up and away, lengthening my spine and allowing all of my joints to release and expand. Once I feel the liberty in my whole body, I may visualize myself picking up my flute and begin to play with freedom in my airway, and complete ease in my arms and neck. I may then choose to mentally rehearse difficult passages in the orchestral repertoire that I had sent an intentional goal to rehearse that day. I will visualize myself playing these passages with complete ease in my body, but with all of the emotional weight with which I would perform them. I will imagine my fingers coordinating tricky fingerings for awkward technical passages, as well as my airstream and embouchure working completely under my control. If my head is filled with words, I will make those words positive reinforcements for these specific difficult passages. I could say things like: “you nail this every time”, “you always get this perfect”, “you play this beautifully”. Eventually, it will be my intention to remove words from my music-making, and let the sounds speak for themselves. In the meantime, I will focus on making those words as supportive as possible. I may open my eyes and begin to play my warm up exercises and then rehearse these passages at any time, and I may also return to the mental practice exercises throughout my physical practice. 

Much of the literature I have read about improving concentration emphasize these same points:

Begin with a clean space

Eliminate distractions

Create a routine

Set goals 

As someone who is easily over-stimulated by visual distractions, having a distraction-free practice space is crucial. Occasionally, due to time-management constraints, my study area is not distraction-free and I must use other concentration techniques to guide my practice, such as specific goal-oriented tasks. I have been advised by my colleagues to turn off communication devices while practicing. This is something I would like to do more often, as I am much too addicted to my smartphone.

Motivation exists in all of us, but it is our choice whether we use it or not. Daniel Coyle (author of The Talent Code, 2009) shares this inspiring thought on motivation, which he refers to as “ignition”: 

"Where deep practice is a cool, conscious act, ignition is a hot, mysterious burst, an awakening. Where deep practice is an incremental wrapping, ignition works through lightening flashes of image and emotion, evolution-built neural programs that tap into the mind’s vast reserves of energy and attention. Where deep practice is all about the set of signals and subconscious forces that create our identity; the moments that lead us to say that is who I want to be. "

Valentine (2004, 188) refers to a study by Denis (1987) in which 13 wind players taking 20 weeks of Alexander Technique lessons reported positive improvement in overall musical and technical quality of playing, heart rate variance control, self-related anxiety, and positive attitude towards performance.

“It is difficult to imagine a more diabolically designed instrument than the flute” states Perry (Parry 2004, 54). Playing the flute requires both arms to be extended outwards - the left, across the body, and the right, away from the body. The left wrist can become quite prone in order to cover the keys properly, depending on the arm length of the flute player. 

I am a rather small person, and so my arm length is limited. In order to facilitate the keys in the left hand, I must pronate my wrist and use the side knuckle of my left thumb to maneuver the keys. As I mentioned earlier, I have had tendinitis in my left forearm around the ulnar nerve, as well as in my right forearm along the top of my forearm and wrist. 

Perry suggests to take adequate breaks during practice, and that these breaks should not consist of activities that use the neck and arms in a similarly strained manner. Specific to me, that would include computing, texting, or knitting.

Maintaining a high level of fitness is also an important component of increasing my weekly practice volume. It is general knowledge that maintaining a healthy body lends itself to a healthy mind, which enables the musician to function at a higher capacity. According to Taylor and Wasley (Taylor and Wasley 2004, 165), “Extensive literature surveys (Petruzzello et al., 1991; Taylor, 2000) have concluded that acute exercise can reduce self-reported state anxiety and physiological indices of stress”. From my own experience, incorporating several sessions of moderate to high-intensity cardio exercise per week has increased my overall level of health dramatically. I have slowly changed my eating habits and my relationship with certain foods which from my own self-reported data, has also lifted my level of health significantly. Since eating mindfully and being “in-tune” with my own body, I have been able to maintain energy, focus, and general happiness throughout every long, demanding work day.

My goal with this plan is to explore performance enhancing research to contextualize strategies to use in my own personal musical practice and growth. I have been incorporating several strategies learned from the research already, and I have been experiencing success. I will be referencing my own personal experience, as this plan is for me to draw upon in the future in order to improve my performance.