Benjamin Zander: Classical Music With Shining Eyes

Watch this video! The first few minutes alone should be directly applicable to your practice but the entire presentation is filled with energy and wisdom. Enjoy!

It Takes Commitiment

Years ago I purchased a 365 page date book. One day I wrote in the book as if were a diary. I penned the story of my day. It felt good to write down my thoughts. Whenever I wanted to feel better, I’d write.

At some point I committed to writing in the book every single day. I’m not sure why it happened that way but I do recall making the commitment. The book wasn’t that big, smaller than a notebook, and so I knew I could fill a page each night before sleep.

Over time the book became filled with stories, thoughts, and ideas. When the end of the year came the date book had become a record of my life. Another thing happened. I couldn’t fit everything on one page anymore. As a result I purchased a regular notebook the following year. I have kept a journal ever since, over 20 years now.

Daily practice sounds daunting. Every single day? It’s especially difficult when you’re just getting started at something. When you begin taking lessons, commit to one or two lessons a week. Attend your classes/lessons without fail. Stay consistent, it is okay to do something for yourself. 

Ideally, commit to 15 minutes of solo practice a day to start. Practice at the same time every day, if possible. Apply the lessons you learned in class to your daily 15 minutes.

Over time you’ll find yourself deeply embedded in your practice. Suddenly you’ll find that you’ve been working at it daily for a year and you’ll have no trouble playing for an hour or more each time. From there, wonderful things happen!

Be Quiet

Sometimes teachers feel as if they have to bequeath a pearl of wisdom upon their students in each and every single class.

The lessons I remember most were often pebbles carelessly dropped from the pockets of my teachers who most likely have no recollection of the things they said. It’s as if they plopped ideas into my psyche and the meaning didn’t make sense until the waves eventually rippled to the shore.

So when teaching a class allow the body to tell the tale. Let the posture be the plot and allow each individual to determine their own motivations. Let them breathe.

The practice isn’t a construct like a class. Practice is self guided, ongoing, never ending and ubiquitous with the individual. Class is something we must attend during a particular time frame. We must go to it and do as we’re told while we fear social scrutiny. Practice is lonely but free.

The student who stops and steps off the path to smell the roses, or one who crosses the river on a log while the others get their feet wet, that’s the student who will find their own way when the teacher is not around. Allowing them the freedom to find their own steps is wise enough. Let it happen without forcing or enforcing. Let it happen without words.