Ever feel stuck in your practicing? Let's use the power of mindset shifts to dismantle that! Join me as we embark on a journey to explore the power of constructive self-dialogue and how it can revolutionise your practice sessions. This episode takes a deep dive into the importance of acknowledging your efforts, no matter how small they might seem, and how positive self-talk can fuel your progress. I'll share three transformative mindset shifts that will empower you and your practicing.
Ever listened to a recording of your performance and cringed? Well, it's time to reframe that experience! Gleaning insights from the brilliant Professor Titus Underwood, I'll guide you through the process of objectively assessing your performances, stripping away the emotional baggage that often clouds our judgment. More than pushing and perfecting, we'll shed light on the often overlooked aspect of practice - rest. We tend to ignore our bodies' cries for rest, but especially as musicians, rest is crucial to our progress. Let's redefine productivity in practice - from objective reflection to restful rejuvenation.
Like what you heard? Don't forget to subscribe!
Oh, and guess what? This episode is also available in blog form! Click here to read.
Ever feel stuck in your practicing? Let's use the power of mindset shifts to dismantle that! Join me as we embark on a journey to explore the power of constructive self-dialogue and how it can revolutionise your practice sessions. This episode takes a deep dive into the importance of acknowledging your efforts, no matter how small they might seem, and how positive self-talk can fuel your progress. I'll share three transformative mindset shifts that will empower you and your practicing.
Ever listened to a recording of your performance and cringed? Well, it's time to reframe that experience! Gleaning insights from the brilliant Professor Titus Underwood, I'll guide you through the process of objectively assessing your performances, stripping away the emotional baggage that often clouds our judgment. More than pushing and perfecting, we'll shed light on the often overlooked aspect of practice - rest. We tend to ignore our bodies' cries for rest, but especially as musicians, rest is crucial to our progress. Let's redefine productivity in practice - from objective reflection to restful rejuvenation.
Like what you heard? Don't forget to subscribe!
Oh, and guess what? This episode is also available in blog form! Click here to read.
Your host, Eleanor:
Practicing is your power center. It is your tool to achieve your goals. It is so important that this time is working for you and not against you, which is why it is so crucial to not get stuck in your practicing, because, let me tell you, that can be so frustrating. Hello and welcome to the Confident Musicianing Podcast. I am your host, eleanor, and after countless practice sessions, a ton of broken reads and seven different music school acceptances in three different countries, I have learned a thing or two about savoring your practicing, becoming your best practice companion and actively working towards your musical goals, and I want to share this with you Because I want you to become your best musical self. Are you with me on this? Let's get started. So today we are going to dive into three critical mindset shifts that boost that practice session so you can make it work for you and not against you. You ready, let's get into it. Number one we got. itch that negative self-talk. You know that negative self-talk. It is so easy to get frustrated in practicing and it is even easier to tend to blame ourselves. Then there's the spiral of self-doubt and feeling like you won't get better because you listen to that negative self-talk. Sound familiar? Well, I can tell you it really doesn't work Because, if we think about it, all negative self-talk does is weaken the chances that we will progress during that practice session, as well as making us feel bad about ourselves. Let me think about that again, because it will weaken the chances that we will progress and make us feel bad about ourselves. That does not sound like an effective way to practice at all. It can start a negative feedback loop, which we know too well. So ditch that negative self-talk and I know it's easier said than done, but you are in this for you, so there is no point in bringing yourself down as soon as you hear yourself talk negatively. Stop yourself and say this to yourself I am doing my best and I am not going to talk to myself like that today. I'll give it to you again I am doing my best and I am not going to talk to myself like that today. Let's say it together, because you're going to be saying this I am doing my best and I am not going to talk to myself like that today, because you are doing your best and you deserve kind words. Now you might be saying to me Eleanor, how can I do my best? How am I doing my best when I am not doing as well as I did yesterday. Well, if you, let's say, had 100% to give yesterday whatever that looks like and you gave 100% and say you have 80% today and you gave 80%, 80% of energy, 80% of your mind power, whatever you have that day, and you give that 80%, all of that you have because you have 80% and you give 80%, that is doing your best. If you have 50% and you give 50%, that is doing your best. So, even if you had, say, 80% yesterday and now you have 60%, if you gave 60% today, you are still doing your best and you deserve kind words. And even if you aren't doing your best, even if you have 60% and you're giving 50%, you still deserve kind words. So ditch that negative self-talk and start speaking to yourself kindly.
Your host, Eleanor:
This is a practice. It is hard to do at the beginning, but it is a practice and, trust me, when it gets going is so beneficial. Number two when listening to recordings of yourself, think objectively, not emotionally. Let me say that again when listening to recordings of yourself, think objectively, not emotionally. I got this tip from the wonderful Professor Titus Underwood from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory. He is an amazing human being and an amazing teacher and he emphasized the importance of listening to yourself. But listen carefully, because this is important Listening objectively, not emotionally. Now let me explain what I mean by that, because those are big words. It is so crucial in this process to separate your personal feelings with how you actually did in the recording, pretend like this isn't your recording and analyze it without the emotional part.
Your host, Eleanor:
So let me give you an example. Say, I just recorded myself playing and I play it back and I say to myself oh my gosh, these runs are not as fast as I want them to be. I practiced them yesterday. Why aren't they fast enough? Or, oh my gosh, my intonation is so bad today. I don't understand why I feel so bad. Do you hear all the emotions stuck inside of that? That is not what you want. You want to listen objectively. So instead of saying all those emotional things, you could say my runs are not, as even I'm going to work on them. My intonation on the D-flat is a little high. I'm gonna remember to make sure that it's in tune. Do you hear emotion in that? No, it is all objective. That is so important because it helps you be more productive when you listen to yourself.
Your host, Eleanor:
Remember, think critically rather than emotionally. Us as musicians, we easily tend to listen to ourselves and get emotional and emotionally critical, but we need to objectively think about it. That is how we improve. So the next time you listen to a recording and you think to yourself the runs are not as good or the tempo is going fast and slow and it's not consistent, remember to not put emotion in there and to just think critically. Okay, number three it is totally okay to take breaks and rest. You deserve it. Remember this you are a human first and a musician second. Okay, let me say that again you are a human first and a musician second.
Your host, Eleanor:
If you don't plan time to rest, your body will eventually force you to rest. I realized this so much this summer. I was working really hard, I was practicing a ton and I was working on this podcast. Because, yes, even in the summer I was working on the podcast. This has been a long time coming and I'm so excited about it. But I was working a ton and I wasn't letting myself rest and because of that, I got migraines every single weekend, literally every single Saturday. I did nothing because I was in pain, because I had migraines, because my headaches were so bad. That was my body forcing me to rest, and after a few weeks of these, I realized I am working too hard and I need to rest, because this is my body making me rest and it's not pleasant. So remember that rest is so important.
Your host, Eleanor:
Now, when you're practicing, you need to focus right.
Your host, Eleanor:
That is your focus time.
Your host, Eleanor:
But when you're resting, you need to rest. That is your resting time. And listen to your body. Okay, if it's telling you to rest, then rest and remember what actual rest is. If you are resting your body but your mind is thinking about practicing, or your mind is thinking about deadlines, or your mind is thinking about whatever it is thinking about that has to do with music or practicing or work, that is not proper resting, because your mind isn't resting. You have to have your body and your mind resting and then that is proper, fulfilling rest. Okay, you got to do what you want to do during that resting time, whatever it is hobbies, even sleeping, you know, or going for a walk but you got to rest both your mind and your body, and that is it for today. Thank you so much for listening and hanging out with me today. I am so grateful. If you like what you heard and you don't want to miss the next episodes, make sure that you hit that subscribe button, and I cannot wait to see you in the next episode. Bye ذ.