Tag: Cancelled Gigs

Getting Myself to Practice During Coronavirus Lock Down

I have a confession to make: I had a really hard time getting myself to practice during the lock down. I tried all my normal tricks to get myself to practice, besides gigs because…lock down. Nothing happened. I just couldn’t get myself to do it.

I finally did get myself to practice. Here is the information about it.

Aversion to practice was common during lock down – unless you’re a student.

First, let me put this out there: my students practiced more during lockdown than ever before. They were bored and their flutes and pianos were fun. I was very proud of their progress.

I talked to a lot of adults – professionals and semi-pros, and I wasn’t the only one having a hard time practicing during lock down. It was a common problem. Even Two Set referred to it.

Why was I having a hard time getting myself to practice?

For me, I think I had a hard time practicing because all my gigs got cancelled. It completely erased my accountability. I had nothing to practice for except practicing, itself.

In addition to that, my excitement and anticipation were completely gone because 2020 wiped out all my gigs. Normally I have no problem practicing for its’ own sake, but this time everything was such a downer that my subconscious associated practicing with the downer of the virus.

Finally getting myself to practice.

A friend asked me to write an arrangement of a piece, and that got me excited to open up the piano. I love being creative. Once that spark ignited, I started putting my flute together and practicing that, too.

I wasn’t very rusty at all, which was surprising. I made sure that I was either doing the two-stand method or ending with a fun piece. This kept the spark of joy alive from session to session.

What will I do if this ever happens again?

There were three problems that needed solving for this particular situation.

  1. I needed something to work towards.
  2. I needed accountability.
  3. I needed to erase the fallacy that had crept in about practice.

Here are the things that I’ll do if this ever happens again (unlikely, but good to have a plan).

Get Lessons

One easy way to solve all of these problems would be to get lessons. There’s a reason my students weren’t having problems with practicing. They were working towards a goal and I was holding them accountable.

Sightread Fun, Easy Music

I might also buy some fun sightreading music. I bought a Veggie Tales book to sightread and I’ve been having a blast because it’s easy enough for me to sight read and it’s bringing me back to a time when my friends and I loved that cartoon.

Write Music

Writing music worked this time. I’m not sure if that would be reliable for me or not, it depends on the situation or the composition idea. This arrangement that I’m working on is really fun and it pulled me out of the slump.

Conclusion

I’m not pretending to have all the answers. I know what has worked for me in the past. I know, based on the solution, what would have worked for me in this situation. Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.

Maybe this will help you pull out of the Covid practice slump. Maybe you’re reading this five years from now and there’s another slump that’s going on. I just hope this helps you.

How I Am Handling COVID-19 as a Private Music Teacher

Our mayor just announced a ruling by the CDC that there will be no gatherings in Omaha greater than 10 people for the next 8 weeks. This is going to affect a lot of people in a lot of different ways.

Events – Cancelled or Postponed

I was going to play pit orchestra for a musical next weekend. That musical has been postponed. It’s tough because it was going to be a world premiere of a new version of Phantom of the Opera. I was really excited about it, but I understand that the government wants to keep people safe.

We were going to have a spring recital at the end of the month. I have to go with the CDC recommendation and cancel the recital. I feel bad for my students who have worked so hard on their pieces, but I need to keep the safety of the immunocompromised in mind. Edit: Some parents are suggesting some online alternatives that I’m looking into.

I may be disappointed, but I’m glad that I can do my part to keep people safe.

Online Lessons

I did my first Skype lessons this week! They went better than I expected. I really liked that it changed the angle of what I usually see, so I could watch the form from a different angle.

I sincerely hope that this is an avenue that will allow my students to continue their studies through this social distancing event. I haven’t heard back from some of my families as to whether they’re continuing lessons, but most are.

Summer Schedule

This week I’m going to start talking to families about switching to a summer schedule – two or three days per week. That way my time is more blocked and I’m able to spend more time taking my kids to the park.

What I’m Doing Personally

This social distancing mandate may give me some extra time. I hope so. Here’s what I’m planning on doing with my extra time:

  1. Spend time in nature.
  2. Do some composing.
  3. Increase my practice time.
  4. Finish reading Quantz’s Treatise on Playing the Flute. (not an affiliate link)
  5. Spend more time with the family
  6. Make some YouTube videos? (Comment if you want some, and what the videos should be.)
  7. Front Porch Concerts – AKA: Annoy the neighbors. 🙂

Conclusion

I refuse to panic over this virus, but I will make smart choices. Based on what I’ve read and seen, these are the choices that I have made. I may have to make some different choices based on other things that come up, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I’m doing my best to keep others safe while continuing to do the things that I love.