Happy New Year, everybody! Looking back on 2024, I am really excited about one particular new idea that we tried out. Each time Kyle and I played our duo program For The Beauty Of The Earth, we gave you, the audience, pen and paper to write down whatever thoughts, reactions, feelings, or memories came up for you as you listened, and share with us after the concert, if you felt moved to do so.
So many of you showed us that you were making personally relevant and powerful connections with the music, that you were not just passively and politely sitting in attendance, but actively making meaning with the music we offered you. This is the greatest gift a performer can ask for, and we are so grateful to be shown this window into your inner worlds. Making the concert experience a two-way street for connection has always been the goal, but this gave us concrete evidence that it really was happening!
Going into 2025, I’m looking forward to more moments of connection through music: we are planning some exciting concerts for spring and summer, so stay tuned for announcements coming soon.
And now for something completely different! Besides reflecting on the past year, the other thing we do on New Year’s is make resolutions and set goals. I’ve been playing around with a habit tracker app for my practicing for the last few weeks. This is not a revolutionary idea, and it has been suggested to me many times before, but somehow I was never interested until now. For whatever reason, at this moment it feels good! It feels like an easy and satisfying tool I can use to keep myself in shape and ready for whatever musical challenges get thrown my way. I’ve created a list of general categories to get to each day before I dive into repertoire work: exercises for left hand speed and dexterity; open strings to work on smooth bow changes and purity, evenness, and fullness of sound; double stop work for intonation and coordination; vibrato. I also put “record my practice” on the list, because I always need that reminder! And I’ve got some repertoire on there that I won’t be performing right away, but I want to get an early start on. As a busy working mom, I may not check everything off my list every day, and that’s ok, but opening up this list as I start my practice each day, and checking off the boxes as I go, keeps me on track with general technique maintenance so that I’m in optimal shape to do the fun, interpretive work.
I think using a habit tracker for technique work would work well for most of my students too, and I would love to help each student create a personalized set of daily or weekly goals. Of course you can use this strategy with non-musical goals too. Each person needs something different to keep themselves motivated and organized, depending on their particular brain wiring, personality, and season of life. Anybody else making use of a habit tracker in 2025? Do you find it helpful?
Sending much love as we enter this new year. As always, be well and keep in touch!
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