118 Remember Your Why – Try it at Home with Dr. Gauthier
00:00you're listening to the mind over finger podcast episode number 118 this is a try it at home shortwelcome to the mind over finger podcast discussions on mindful music makingefficient practice and building a purposeful career and now your host violinist teacherand high-performance coach for musicians, Dr. Renée-Paul Gaultier.Hello, everyone. Welcome to this episode of the Try It At Home series. In this series,I offer some suggestions on how you can take the actionable tip from the latest interviewof the Mind Over Finger podcast, try it at home, and make it your own. Let's unpack myguests awesome wisdom together and apply it in our lives let's start by revisiting last week's
01:01advice from kelly mcgary and jesu signs from musicians for the world kind of i mean i guesskind of what we've been saying all along is to remember why we do what we do it's really easyto like i said get tunnel vision and get sucked into all of it but just remembering you know wedo this because we love it and find things that remind us of that because it's not always easyto just remind ourselves like okay remember you love this right to find things and you knowactively participate in things that keep us in love with what we do because otherwise it doesI mean music can get kind of discouraging or you know you get where it's like we're looking atourselves constantly and that's not easy to do so just finding ways to remind yourself like
01:52activities that you could do to remind yourself that you're doing what you love and we can alwaysfind evidence of what we're looking for so if we look for this we will find it yeah and making apoint of doing it yeah this is great i think if you are having a hard time getting to serveyourself to practice, just open your instrument and put it somewhere, but open. There is a bigdifference between making yourself practice when your instrument is close than when your instrumentis out there. I love both these pieces of advice. One of my favorite quotes is from Gretchen Rubin,and she says, make it easy to do right and hard to go wrong. So as Jesus shared with us,having your instrument easily accessible will make it more likely that you'll pick it up
02:49and start playing. Now, when it comes to what Kelly shares, I resonate with this very stronglybecause it's a really important part of the work I do with my students and with my clients,which is to help them gain clarity about their why and their purpose remembering why we do what we dowhy we love it it would be easy as you hear that to roll your eyes and think of course that's obviousbut because it's so obvious it's one of the first principles that we take for granted and don'tapply in our daily lives. As Kelly mentions, we get sucked in by the demands of everyday life,our perspective shifts, and we lose sight of the purpose behind what we do. And this can affectour behavior everywhere, in performance, in rehearsal, and of course, in the practice room.
03:49As Aristotle says, we are what we repeatedly do.And the way we practice every single day is reflected in how we are as an artist and as a performer.I've talked about this before.Each practice session is both the most important practice session ever and the least important practice session ever.What I mean by that is that one great practice session will not make you and one bad practice session won't break you as a player.So in that sense, a practice session doesn't mean much in itself, whether we have the perception that we progressed a lot or not.The player that we are today is a reflection of all the practice sessions we've had so far.all of the experiences we've had, all of the things we've read, all of the things we've absorbed.
04:45The next practice session you'll have is the most important because nothing happens if we don't showup consistently. The progress you make that day, big or small, is important because it's part ofthe journey. It's a link in the chain. The problem is when we forget that this practice session isalso not that important in itself and we let our thoughts about it get out of proportion and impactnegatively the subsequent sessions. Then we might have a streak of frustrating and less than idealpractice sessions and we love what we do even less. So if we can put everything back into thisperspective of the ultimate vision, the bigger purpose. It puts every practice session, everynote we play in the context of serving that bigger purpose. And that gives us a different outlook on
05:46each practice session or each rehearsal or each concert. They are all links in the chain. It'sthe compilation of all of those that makes an artist what they are, not just one isolated event.So let's try this in the practice room in our lives this week.When you practice today, be present in the moment.Meet yourself where you are and make the most out of this session by remembering that it is part of a bigger whole, that it serves your bigger purpose.But how do you reconnect with that purpose when you get distracted by the hustle and bustle of our daily lives?by the requirements of full schedules and deadlinesand interpersonal relationships with teachers and colleagues, etc.
06:39Well, as with so many other things in life,it starts with asking yourself questions.I selected some questions to ask yourself every dayor ask yourself anytime you feel confusion or frustration.And I've created a free resource for youthat has all the steps I'm about to share.Download it to follow alongand continue the reflection after the episode.
07:06You'll find the link in the show notesor at mindoverfinger.com slash resources.So here we go.Use these questions as a starting pointand expand from there.Let's start by going back to the sourceand remembering what drew us to music in the first place.What attracted me to music and to my specific instrument?
07:32Is there a specific anecdote or a specific moment that comes to mind when you realized how cool music was?A feeling that you had that made you want to learn an instrument?How do I feel when I play?What do I love about music or about playing my instrument?I don't know about you, but there are moments when I feel so free while playing, where I feel so connected to myself.And there are moments actually where I just enjoy the ability to produce sounds so much.So what is it for you?How do you feel when you play?
08:16another thing that I find so wonderful to spend time thinking about is the people we meet andthe experiences we get to have because of music what comes to mind for you when you ask yourselfthis question what wonderful people or experiences has playing my instrument brought in my lifenow let's explore the purpose you feel right now when it comes to your musical experiencewhy do i play music what does it mean to me what does it bring to mewhat does it bring to others what is my purposewe also want to reflect on your long-term goalwhat do I envision for myself
09:1420 or 10 or 5 years from nowif you take some time to imagine itask yourselfwhat kind of musician am I10 years from nowwho am I20 years from nowwhat does my life look like? And don't be afraid to dream big. Don't stop at what you think is
09:41possible, but really think about what you want. One question I ask my clients often is,if everything was possible and I could not fail, what would I do? This is a very powerful question.connecting with your why remembering that spark that got you started on your musical journeyand knowing your purpose will keep things in perspective for you and help you through thechallenges so when you need a little pick me up pull out those questions and reflect on the answersfinally let's figure out how to bring more joy in your practice right now for this tooit starts with asking questions. What's my favorite thing about playing my instrument?What piece always makes me happy when I play it? When do I feel the happiest while playing?
10:43Now that you have a better idea of what brings a little bit more bounce in your beats,treat yourself to an activity that brings you absolute musical joy. Is there a specificmovement that always makes you smile. Why not play through it? Your favorite thing to do is to playchamber music? Can you call a few friends for a sight reading party? Or plan a concert with yourfavorite colleagues? Play along a CD? Join an improv night, either online or in person? Or siton the couch with your favorite beverage and listen to your favorite record from start to finish?Whatever it is that reminds you how much you love playing, find a way to bring some of it in your life.So, in conclusion, follow Jesus' advice and keep your case open for easy access to your instrument
11:38and take the time to reconnect with your why to be guided by your purpose as Kelly recommends.That's what I have for you today.print a handout that comes with this episode and keep it nearby for a quick reference in times ofneed. I have the link for you in the show notes and you can also find it at mindoverfinger.comslash resources. And while there, check out all the resources I have for you about efficientpractice, performance preparation, and mindful music making. And make sure to visit in the comingweeks, because I have a lot of great things coming your way, including the return of theJoyful Practice Challenge, a free performance workshop, and a pretty amazing offer. Don't
12:25forget to share this episode with everyone you think might benefit from this insight,and tag me so I can say hi. I'm mind over finger everywhere. So be well, my friends.Thank you so much for listening, and à bientôt.© transcript Emily Beynon
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