You've been working hard, tackling your weakness, and preparing solos/etudes. The Jury/concert is over, and now what? For me, I still wanted to practice, but my motivation to keep tackling my weaknesses was pretty low. I have music for Christmas gigs I can work on, but what about other things? How can I still keep the horn on the face, work on valuable things, and be motivated?
Do you remember why you started playing your instrument? For me it was two things: it was fun to play good music with friends, and I loved the emotional connection to beautiful music. So I return to these roots. Here are a few things that would and could be valuable for me or you to practice before we choose to start learning new repertoire: duets with friends, work on an easy/old etude or solos, play fun and/or beautiful melodies (hymns and folk tunes for me), go to a jam sesh, or throw on a Youtube karaoke to a favorite song and play along (Disney or Broadway for me). There are countless more ideas. Ultimately we want to keep the horn on our face for a similar amount of time, maybe slightly less structured, and engaging in some more fun activities. Who knows you might end up finding something fun to incorporate into your normal practice.
Time to Keep it Simple,
Adam C White
