The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 222 When Practice Isn't Fun Anymore - What to Do When Music Stops Feeling Inspiring

Episode Date: April 18, 2025

In this episode, I share a personal story about preparing for a major event—and struggling to find joy in the process. We explore: Why it's normal to feel disconnected from familiar repertoire How to stay motivated when the spark is gone A mindset shift to help you keep showing up Practical tools to bring freshness back into your practice How reconnecting to your purpose can carry you through challenging times   If you're ready to build consistency, confidence, and performance readiness without the overwhelm, The Music Mastery Experience is for you. Inside this small group coaching program, I help committed musicians grow through intentional, inspired practice so they can reach their next level with clarity, ease, and joy. The next cohort is starting soon and spots are limited, so now is the time to take the next step. Visit mindoverfinger.com to apply and learn more. Let's get you the structure, support, and strategies you need to thrive, on stage and beyond.   Apply to join the new cohort of the Music Mastery Experience HERE Download the transcript from this episode HERE Grab your Joyful Practice Guide HERE   Mind Over Finger Click www.mindoverfinger.com/coaching to book your free consultation with me. Visit MindOverFinger.com for my online courses as well as free resources on peak performance. Grab my free workshops and PDF downloads by going to www.mindoverfinger.com/resources. Connect: https://www.youtube.com/@MindOverFinger https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/  

You're preparing for an audition. Again, our big performance. Again. You've played the concerto a hundred times. You've played the excerpts a thousand times. And you know exactly where your fingers go. You know how your bow should move or how your embouchure should feel. But there's a big problem. It feels like you're dragging yourself into the practice room time and time again. And the hardest part is that you're not even sure if you care anymore. Does that sound familiar? If so, listen on. You're listening to the Mind Over Finger podcast.

This is episode 222. Welcome to the Mind Over Finger podcast, where we dive into the world of mindful music making, peak performance, and crafting a purpose-driven life and career. I'm your host, violinist, certified performance and life coach for musicians, and your guide to unlocking your full potential, Dr. René-Paul Gaultier. So everyone, I hope you're doing wonderfully well today. I'm really glad you're here because we're going to talk about something I know a lot of you are facing, maybe even this week. And I should say a lot of us, because this is something I definitely experience as well. If you've ever felt bored, burned out, or disconnected from music,

and that's music you've played for years, well, you're not alone. In today's episode, we're going to talk about why that happens, what it means, and how you can re-engage with your repertoire, even when the spark feels like it's gone. And for this episode, I was inspired by a question one of my clients asked during one of our coaching session inside the Music Master experience, which was, how do you keep the repertoire interesting, especially when you've played it for so many years? And today I'm going to share with you what I told her, and I'm going to expand on that a little bit as well. We're going to talk about both sides of this reality. The first one is that there are practical ways to bring freshness back in the repertoire. And I have

a great resource for you when it comes to that, which is my joyful practice guide that you can download today. And the second one is the honest truth that sometimes it's not going to feel joyful. It's not going to. So what do we do then? Well, let's talk about it. Let's dive in. So many of us hit this wall, especially in audition or performance preparation. you're practicing the same music over and over it's the same concerto the same excerpts the same spots that you've struggled with forever and instead of feeling inspired or curious it just starts to feel like a grind all right have you been there and if you're a normal human being you might start to ask yourself some questions how can I make this interesting again

Why am I doing this if it doesn't feel good anymore? Is something wrong with me for not enjoying the music I love? All of these questions are normal. And it happened to me recently. I was preparing for something big. And honestly, I don't think I enjoyed a single minute of my life over the three weeks before that event. I mean, it's not quite true, but that's how it felt at times.

and I didn't find a whole lot of joy in the practice either, for sure. And I know that I'm not alone. I know many of you have felt the same way because some of you reached out and told me. So I didn't find enjoyment in the work itself, but I was deeply connected and committed to my goal. And that's important because when you feel disconnected from your practice, it's not just frustrating, it really can shake your confidence and leave you questioning everything. It has you questioning your preparation, your purpose, even your love of music. And when auditions, competitions, or high stakes performances are on the line, that disconnection can be dangerous. Ideally, you would want to be engaged. You would want to feel

motivated. And it's great if it also feels fun and joyful and rewarding in itself. But what do you do when the joy isn't there? Here's the truth. You need to reconnect to the why. even when the what feels stale. Back to my experience, I wasn't finding joy in the practice room but then I would go to work and I would play La Boheme and it was magical

and that's what kept me going. The love of music that I have outside of the practice room and the bigger picture and that's the shift. Sometimes you're not going to find joy in the process, but you can stay connected to the goal. Maybe you don't love working on Don Juan for the 90th time, but you do love walking into an orchestra and making music. So you want to be ultra prepared for that audition.

or maybe practicing that tricky cadenza feels pointless right now, but imagine how it's going to feel to walk on stage with confidence knowing you earned that performance. So the mindset shift is about accepting that practice doesn't have to feel joyful all the time to be valuable. Sometimes it's okay to just get it done because the joy lives in the why. The joy lives in the why. For me, going through this recently, one thing was still incredibly clear. I love my work. I live for Puccini. I live for Verdi. I love for Mozart. And I knew that this process was the path to playing more of what I love. My purpose was clear. So I kept showing up in the practice room,

not because the practicing itself felt exciting, but because it was the bridge to what truly lights me up. And that clarity is what carried me through. So yes, sometimes practice is going to feel dull. Repertoire gets old. Motivation fades. But that doesn't mean you're broken. And it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. what it means is this you can stay connected to your goal even when the process isn't fun at all times when the practice itself feels dry or discouraging or repetitive one of the most powerful things you can do is zoom out and reconnect to why you're doing this in the first place. Here are a few ways that you can do that. The first one I would recommend is

to visualize the outcome as vividly as you can. So take 60 seconds before you start practicing to picture yourself playing the music you love on the stage you dream of or contributing to the kind of musical life you want. Feel it, see it, and let that vision anchor your session. Another way is to journal your why. You can keep a sticky note on your stand or a note in your phone that says something like, this is why I'm doing this. It could be to express myself fully, to serve the music i love to perform puccini with passion and presence to make a living doing the things i'm passionate about whatever resonates with you write it down and remind yourself often and finally don't forget to celebrate the process this is something i tell

my clients all the time, we have to celebrate the wins, all of the wins, the big ones and the very small ones. So when it's tough, especially when it's tough, acknowledge that showing up is progress. I see this as well all the time. It makes a difference. Showing up is progress. You're building resilience. You're building discipline and depth, even when it doesn't feel exciting. So the goal isn't to force joy when it's not there. That's not going to work. It's to stay grounded in your purpose. And that purpose can really carry through almost anything. so you stay connected to your goal your purpose and when you're ready you can also bring freshness back using joyful curiosity-based tools let's unpack this a little bit and this is where the

joyful practice guide comes in it's packed with simple powerful prompts that can reawaken your curiosity and help you reconnect with your instrument, even if you've played the same piece a thousand times. You can grab it at mindoverfinger.com or click the link in the show notes to grab your copy. And I highly recommend that you do that today. It's a great resource and it really will change things for you in the practice room. So if you're feeling stuck, try one of these today. I'm going to give you a quick sample to get you started. And those are some of my favorites from the guide. First one is to pick one teeny tiny thing. So you're going to zoom in on one note or one shift or one articulation or one dynamic, and you're going to

Explore it like you've never seen it before. Ask, how can I shape this differently? Maybe it's the shape of a single crescendo or how your vibrato lands on the last note of a phrase. And really get micro. Play it five different ways. Ask, what haven't I tried yet? And it might sound like overkill,

But this kind of focused play can be so satisfying, and it often reveals what actually is not working. Second one is to channel your favorite musician. So try playing your piece as if you were your favorite performer. Choose someone who's playing you really love, maybe Hilary Hahn, Emmanuel Pahud, or a colleague, or your own teacher if you're a student. And watch or listen to them playing, not just the piece you're working on also, by the way, but also other repertoire. Then, once you've bathed in that spirit, play your piece as if you were them. Try to think about what they would emphasize. How would they use timing?

What would they do with this articulation? what is the sound that they're able to generate and how would that come about for you and it's amazing how freeing this can be you might discover a whole new phrasing idea or a color just by stepping into someone else's musical shoes for a moment trying to see things from their perspective. And you can try to embody their sound. It's fun. It's freeing. And it's very revealing. Another thing you can try is to switch the order. The order of anything. Play your passages backwards. Start with the ending of the piece. You could rearrange your routine so you can snap out of autopilot. So for example, if your routine is always scales,

etudes, excerpts, solo rep, flip it. Start with the last thing. I mean, warm up a little bit before, but you can switch things around. If you're practicing your piece, start somewhere where you've never started. Start in the middle and work backwards or play the coda first. You're going to catch your brain off guard in a good way when you do this. It's going to wake you up. It's going to give you a fresh perspective on music you thought you knew inside out and add a reward. And this is Rachel Barton Pine's suggestion inside of the guide and it really works. It works for me. It's going to help your brain associate hard work with something positive and it gives you something to look forward to in your session. Okay here are some examples. You can

give yourself a reward after getting through the hard stuff. You can practice the thing you love most after the thing you don't love as much. You can try pairing something challenging with something you feel amazing playing. You can tackle a tricky shift or super hard passage and then reward yourself with something that lights you up. Maybe your favorite movement from a sonata or a phrase that just feels good to play. And then here's one of my personal favorites. Play with tenderness.

As a reset, spend 10 minutes just playing. No goals, no fixing, no judgment. just music and you. Again, no corrections, no recordings, just music and you. Pick something that you love and just play for the sheer pleasure of sound, of connection, of feeling, of experience. Maybe it's a slow movement that brings you peace. Maybe it's a piece you played as a kid. Maybe it's improv or folk music. This is just for you. For me, Bach does it every time. And this is your reset button. It reminds you why you started all of this in the first place. So try these today. And if you like them, and if you're curious for more tips,

the joyful practice guide is full of ideas just like that they're simple they're fun little prompts and they're going to help you bring a spark back into your practice it's totally free and it's there for you whenever you need a little reset you can grab it at mindoverfinger.com and I'm going to put the link in the show notes where you can find it I think you're going to love it So, to conclude, here's your invitation. In your next practice session, try one joyful practice prompt. You're going to find them again in the joyful practice guide, or you can try the ones that I've shared here, even for just 10 minutes.

So try that for 10 minutes and see what happens. then if the joy still doesn't come if things still feel hard ask yourself what is my bigger why so reconnect with your purpose that alone can get you through the hardest days the hardest weeks because you're going to be fueled by your purpose believe me I know it. And if this kind of support, balancing structure, motivation, and joy is something you're craving, that's exactly what we do inside the Music Mastery Experience. Inside the program, I work closely with a small group of committed musicians who are ready to grow, not just through effort, but through intentional and inspired practice. Together, we build confidence,

we build consistency, and performance readiness. And all of this without the overwhelm and the burnout. The next cohort is starting very soon, just a few weeks, and spots are limited. So if this speaks to you, now is the time to take that next step. You're going to find all of the information about the Music Mastery Experience at mindoverfinger.com because I want to make sure that you have the structure, the support, and the strategies you need to reach your next level. And all of this with clarity, with ease, and with joy along the way. all right this is what i have for you today thank you so much for being here with me and remember just because something isn't fun it doesn't mean it isn't working

and the results are worth it so keep showing up keep reconnecting to your why and when you can bring a little more curiosity and joy into the process. You've got this. Much love going your way, and à bientôt. And there you have it. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you'd share with your friends and colleagues. Take a screenshot, post it on social media and tag me. I'm mind over finger everywhere. I always love hearing your favorite takeaways.

And if you're ready to take your playing career to the next level, I'd love to invite you to join the Music Mastery Experience. This is my signature group coaching program where we're going to dive deep into building your confidence and mastery and set you up for success and fulfillment in your life and career. You can find all the details at mindoverfinger.com. While you're there, check out the free downloads and online courses available to support your journey even further.

And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you never miss an update or a tool to help you thrive. Again, thank you for being here. Until next time, much love and à bientôt. © transcript Emily Beynon