Practicing Problem No. 1: No Inspiration...No Interest

I find myself a little down today.  Why?  Because I know what I have to practice but I have no desire to work on it.  If I am the only person who ever has this problem...I can't even imagine that being true so I am not going to worry about finishing that statement.

I won't name what piece is giving me woes, but let's just say that it isn't something I can avoid.  Yes, it is one of those pieces that follows a flutist throughout their career/life.  Ugh!  So if I can't just pretend it doesn't exist, how do I go about dealing with my current complete and utter disinterest in the piece?

I have tried all the conventional fixes:  working on particular measures or problem areas to smooth it out; playing in different dynamics, color tones, and styles; listening to every possible recording on youtube to find a recording by anyone who will renew my interest in the piece; etc. It feels like what I assume writer's block feels like...I feel stuck and quite honestly, bored.

So, does it just need shelf time?  Maybe I truly am just bored with it.  Maybe I have over-worked it and the piece and I just need some time apart (a.k.a. burnt out).  It isn't a breakup, per se, it is a "give me some space" sort of thing.  And you know what?  It is okay that that's where I am.  I first ran into the idea of "shelf time" while working on my Master's.  Never before then would I have considered ignoring a piece for a month or so. How could I when I need to have it prepared in the following months!?  It seemed insane.  But as with all seemingly crazy teachers, there is method behind their madness (at least, that is definitely what I tell my students when they give me the "you're crazy" look).

The bottom line is this: it is okay to sometimes walk away from a piece.  It isn't that you forget all the work you've done; in fact, it is more that you have worked so much and made so much improvement that you need to take a break because you can only push so far at once.  Let all your work take the time to ferment.  When you come back to the piece after your break, you may be surprised at your renewed interest and your general pleasure with yourself because you haven't lost anything.  You may even have subconsciously improved...magically.