Practice Tip: You Will Always Be Your Worst Critic - Make Sure You Are Also Your Own Best Friend

It can sometimes appear as though practice sessions are merely mental floggings and attacks on your ability to play and/or improve.  We all have good and bad days, but the bad days tend to stick with us more than the good.  On a bad day, it is easy to just get overly frustrated and decide, "Why do I bother? I am never going to get it anyway." or to pull out a piece we mastered years ago to boost our confidence.  While I am all for a confidence boost, or just reminding yourself that playing flute is fun, neither help you improve on whatever is your current woe.

Basically, although it isn't all that easy,  you have to face your problems directly in order to get better.  Numerous times in my blog posts I have said that "you are your worst critic" and it is so true.  But if you only ever rip yourself you won't improve either.  In my experience, negativity has never actually gotten me anywhere.  You have to balance out your negativity with some positive thoughts.  Be your own best friend.  Think about it, your best friend is open and honest with you, telling it "like it is," but they also are your biggest champions.  They will tell you all the great and wonderful things about you.  They are also your therapist.  You tell them about your problems and they immediately offer you possible solutions.  To improve, and to be able to stand practicing, you need to counter all of your "This went horribly. I sound gross.  I'm just playing notes; I'm not playing the music," with "This measure sounded much better.  I know exactly what I am trying to do here and I am doing it well." and "I can use rhythms to practice this measure and fix my uneven fingers.  I should listen to ::insert favorite flute players' names:: recording of this section to get inspiration for my interpretation."

If you record yourself playing, cough cough, it will be easier to hear all the good things that are happening in your playing.  I know that for me, if I don't record myself, I often get stuck on what is going wrong while I am playing and I don't even hear the good and therefore can't give myself a pat on the back at the end.  Yes, listening to yourself on a recording is painful (at first...maybe always), but recording yourself gives you the opportunity to listen as a pseudo-second party (distance is good when it comes to judgement).   Of course, it is still very much a first-person experience because you know it is you and you really care about your playing, but unless you can magically make a second you, this is the best option.

When you listen to yourself, write your thoughts down.  Try to start with the positive and for each negative write a possible practice solution.  If you only write critical thoughts without offering yourself some fixes, it's just a bunch of negativity.  The other bonus of writing things down is that you can remember what you are trying to work on every time you pull out a piece.  That's efficiency.  It makes it easier for you to be productive.  Furthermore, all the nice things you said about yourself are recorded to give you the confidence boost you need to begin a practice session if you are feeling anxious.

This post was inspired by reading Noa Kageyama's "Practicing Self-Compassion" article in The Flutist Quarterly v. 40.1.

Take Care Of Your Flute!

As it gets colder here in the Deep South, you need to make sure you take extra special care of your flute.  Not only should you take extra care to warm up (tuning will be affected), you should remind yourself of the basic rules of caring for your flute. Also note that one of the warmest part of your body is your armpit.  I am not saying you should stick your flute under your armpit per se, but it will warm your instrument up to room temperature pretty quickly.

It is important to take care of the flute on a regular basis in order to avoid large, and expensive to repair, mechanical issues.  Make sure your case is kept clean and that you store your instrument in a dry area so that your pads can dry quickly and, worst-case scenario, mold cannot grow from the leftover moisture in your flute.

1. Prior to putting the flute back in the case, the inside of the flute should be swabbed to remove moisture.  This can be accomplished simply by attaching a cloth, thin enough to maneuver in and out of the flute yet thick enough to absorb moisture, to the end of a plastic or wooden tuning rod.  There are also specialty products available for the specific purpose of swabbing out the flute; one example is a flute flag.  Here are some other products suggested by Flute World.
2. If your pads are sticking while you are playing you can use cigarette paper or similar thin papers to remove some of the moisture from the pads.  Place the cigarette paper under the pad that is sticking and gently push the key down while pulling the cigarette paper out.  If you push the key down with too much pressure the cigarette paper may tear (as well as damage the pad).
3. The outside of the flute should also be cared for on a regular basis.  Using a soft cloth made of any material that will not scratch the flute or leave any residue behind, wipe fingerprints off the tubing and keys of the flute.  Be careful not to apply too much pressure when wiping the keys because the keys may bend.  It is also very important to stay away from the pads of the flute when cleaning the outside.  Pads are easily ruined and expensive to replace.  On occasion, once a month or so, you can use a little rubbing alcohol on cotton balls or a soft cloth to clean away any oily residue on the tubing of your flute.  Again, it is important to stay clear of the pads.
   

Periodically, once a year or so, it is a good idea to have your flute serviced by a technician.  They will clean, oil, and adjust (COA) your flute and make sure it is in top shape.  The technician might also notice a leak or necessary pad change that you might not.  If you do notice a leak while playing, the easiest way to narrow down the problem key, spring, etc. on your flute is to play a chromatic scale, slowly, down starting on the C# on the middle space of the staff.  If your sound is stifled, changes or even disappears, you have found a leak.

There are kits available that you can buy and they will probably contain more tools than you will ever need.  Honestly, the best way to care for your flute is to stay on top of it.  Swab it out on a regular basis, make sure it is stored in a dry area, and let it see a "doctor" once a year.  Also try not to drop it, dunk it in water (or snow as it gets colder), or throw it against a wall in frustration (seriously, when you are getting angry, just put it down and walk away - everybody wins).  If you think something is wrong with your flute, don't wait to take it to someone who will be able to confirm or disprove your suspicion as delaying could make the problem worse.  So, basically you could think of your flute like a person, a little dependent person (like a child), who is counting on you to take them to the doctor, feed them, bathe them, clothe them, etc.

Don't forget to take care of yourselves too! Stay warm, friends!

Posture and Presence

This blog post is inspired by the masterclass with Mark Sparks that I had the privilege of participating in Sunday night.  Sparks talked about his education and the opportunities he had which helped him to get where he is today, but after the introduction he spent roughly thirty minutes discussing how your posture, when standing, is your presence when playing and how it impacts your ability to play well.  Here are my takeaways from the initial thirty minutes with the St. Louis Symphony Principal.

1. Stand with your feet apart, left foot forward and right foot back and slightly turned out.  This stance gives you stability which will translate into strength and power in your playing.

2. This one is more for people like me, flexible in a not-so-good way - watch your knees.  Don't lock them or bend them backward as that messes up the alignment of your pelvis and back.  Obviously this will impact your ability to breathe and, quite frankly, you might pass out with your knees locked.  Not good.  For those people, like me, you might feel like your knees are more bent than they are and you might feel unstable in that position.  What Sparks suggested, and it makes sense, is that because you are not accustomed to standing thus, your joints and muscles are weak in this position.  Strengthen them by insisting that you play and stand with your knees in the correct place.

3.  Don't slouch.  Mark Sparks called me out on this one a few times last night (it is almost like the guy didn't know that I just had a baby and that I take care of my two demons all day).  When you slouch, you aren't ready to play.  Not fully, not well.  If you pretend there is a string coming out of the top of your head and that it is gently pulling up, your body will naturally stand straight up in a relaxed manner (this I learned from a decade of ballet).  The other point Sparks made in regard to slouching is that you want people to be interested in your playing before you start playing.  You need to demand and command the attention of the audience.  This is your presence as a musician and it should be powerful.  Slouching does not suggest power or, even worse, interest.

4.  You need to have this presence or persona that is directly linked to your flute playing.  This means that every time you pick up your flute, practicing or performing (really, what is the difference?), this persona takes over.  Your posture automatically improves (if necessary) and through your posture you put your best foot forward (there is a potential joke here, I am pretty sure) and lay a solid foundation before your flute gets anywhere near your face.

5. Bring your flute to your face, not the other way around.  If you bring your face to your flute, your posture will be out of line.

Sparks also discussed tone and suggested playing without vibrato (say what?! I feel like this has been mentioned previously in my blogging) and warming up slowly, meaning playing scales slowly to reacquaint yourself with your flute.  I haven't been more nervous playing a B to a Bb before in my life.  It was an amazing experience that only makes me want to go to St Louis and play more than two notes for Mr. Sparks to hear what he would have to say.  Like all of my music experiences, Mark Sparks affirmed my love for fluting.  Thank you, sir!

The College Audition

My thoughts on this post will be brief because I am going to include a link to an article written by Dr. Michelle Stanley, the Flute Professor at Colorado State University (lots of links today). Here we go:

I am sure most people auditioning for college, or anything really, are most concerned about the physical preparation including but not limited to practicing.  However, it is important to recognize that the audition is equal parts physical and mental.  The mental preparation tends to be much more difficult.  As I have discussed practice methods quite a bit, let's look briefly at the mental aspect of the audition.

Playing in front of people is not easy, especially if you know they are judging or evaluating you in some way.  Are the music professors at the college checking to see if you possess the necessary skills to succeed?  Absolutely.  They are also wondering what musical knowledge you already have.  Yet, they don't expect you to be perfect.  If you were, you could skip college and just go straight to the major leagues.  Remember that they are also attempting to gauge your potential and your ability to adapt or respond to their criticism or suggestions.  So, try not to freak out too much.  You are going to college to improve on your skills and the admissions people are well aware of this; they went into education for the express purpose of helping young musicians reach their full potential.  In other words, they want you to succeed too.

My recommendation is to play your audition for as many people as possible prior to your audition.  Allow them to give you feedback and be open to listening to what they have to say.  It would also be smart to record yourself when you play for people, so that you can go back and hear what they are talking about in regards to your playing as well as listen to yourself, judge yourself, and know how you sound to you.  You will be your worst critic.

Seriously.  I remember one audition for my college tour in which I was told prior to the audition that there was no room in the flute studio for me.   I took the audition anyway for experience.  I thought it went horribly and walked out of the professor's office crying.  A month or so later, I received not only an acceptance letter from the school, but also a music scholarship that covered a substantial amount of the tuition.  You will be your worst, absolute worst, critic.

Without further ado, read Dr. Stanley's thoughts on preparing for college auditions: "Playing Your Best: College Music Auditions".

High School Extracurriculars and College

Thinking back, applying for college is somewhat annoying.  Why?  Well, colleges want to see that you are doing every possible activity you can so that you are well-rounded, but they also want you to have a solid foundation, and great potential, in the field in which you are applying to earn a degree (especially in music).

When I was in high school, I was required to maintain honor roll and participate in a sport or some activity every season...and this was a requirement by my parents.  So I made honor roll, played in every band ensemble and the orchestra, played tennis in the fall, did gymnastics in the winter, danced almost 10 hours a week the whole year, and took flute and clarinet lessons.  Oh, I also participated in a youth orchestra junior and senior year.  My mom's philosophy, and now mine, is that you should leave every door open to you.  If you have the opportunity to do something and you can do it, you probably should.  Open doors are infinitely better, and more useful to you, than closed ones.

But when is too much, too much?  I knew I wanted to play flute.  Did all these other activities take away from my flute playing?  Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it since most of my activities were flute-related.  Most importantly, not only was I in a handful of ensembles that met every week,  I seldom missed a lesson.  

With college expectations only seeming to grow, how do you find the balance of doing all the extracurriculars admissions like to see on an application, and still show that your main focus is playing flute?  Yes talent is important, but surely it must go beyond talent.

I am not sure I have the clear answer to this dilemma, because I like to have more than one thing going on in my life at any given time.  In high school, I thrived on being busy and honestly, being busy probably helped me focus.  Because I didn't have a lot of free time I had to manage time efficiently.  All that being said, here are my thoughts on being in all those clubs and sports at school when you could be playing flute.

- Do what makes you happy.  If Spanish Club and playing soccer are just part of who you are, don't drop them from your schedule because you are worried some college's school of music admissions person will think you aren't focused enough on your flute.  Yes, practicing is important, but you need to have a life outside of flute.  A happy life outside of the flute world will only make you happier in the flute world.

- As always, be honest with yourself.  If you aren't someone who thrives on being busy, know when you are taking on too much.  Quality over quantity.  You can't be amazing at everything.  No one can.  Pick the activities that are important to you and leave behind the others that are just "would-be-nice".

- Which relates to the main thought I have about all this: PRIORITIZE.  Some activities are more important than others, fact.  Getting good grades and practicing flute need to be at the top of your list if you want to go to college for music.  However, these need not be the only priorities, just remember they should be in the top three if not top two (not counting family time and down time, both also very important...and you know, eating).

You need to figure out the perfect balance for you.  Prioritizing your activities/commitments should help you succeed overall.  Be open-minded and don't burn bridges, but be mindful of your limits.  Mainly, do what makes you happy...and practice flute everyday.  :)

Thinking About College

I don't know about you, but I started thinking about college, as in which colleges I would apply to, when I was a freshman in high school.  Looking back, that was somewhat ridiculous and I didn't really have a thought process in my school selections.  I sort of just said, "There is a music program? Great." and I wish I could go back.  By no means do I regret going to Notre Dame.  I only wish I had put some more thought into the other schools on my list and much more thought into the schools that were not.

So, knowing what I know now, and having grown up quite a bit, here are my recommended considerations for all flute-playing or musically-inclined high school juniors (the more appropriate age perhaps) as you begin to think about college.  The most important thing throughout this process is to be completely open and honest with yourself:

1)  Note that when you are looking at colleges and music schools/programs, you are actually looking at who you would be studying with primarily.  So in the case of a flute performance major, the flute professor is key to your search.  If you don't know anything about the flute professor, do some research on their websites and Youtube (they may have recordings!).  Things to consider: Do you like their playing?  Does their resume match what you would like yours to look like?  If you are interested in new music or baroque music, are they known for their performance of new music or baroque music?  Do you think they will be able to offer you the opportunities or connections you want to have?

As you begin to narrow down your list, contact the flute professor and see if you can schedule a lesson with them.  It is important to know if you and the professor have a connection with each other as you will have a relationship with them for the four years you study with them.  Do you work well together?  Are you comfortable with them?  Do your personalities mesh?  Does it seem like you and the professor have the same general goals for your future?

Many great and well-known flutists teach at universities.  This offers a great opportunity but may lead you to disappointment.  There is a small chance that your favorite flutist (to listen to on Youtube, etc.)  may not be the flute teacher for you, for whatever reason.  Try not to despair!  You can still listen to their recordings on Youtube to inspire you, but maybe you take lessons from someone else.  And that is okay.

2) Figure out if you want to go to a conservatory or not (taking a lesson and visiting the campus/shadowing a current student for the day may give you a good idea if you don't already know).  This is where you really need to be honest with yourself.  A conservatory lifestyle may not be for you, and guess what?  Not going to a conservatory doesn't make you less of a musician in any way, shape, or form.  So relax.

It is not just that living in a practice room may not be for you.  Maybe you want to double major and your second major is not in music.  Majoring in something other than music also does not make you less of a musician.  But if you are going to major in Math or German, you should probably go to a school that boasts a great music school and a great Math or German program.  Makes sense, right?  And the amazing thing is that there are many universities that are well-known for their music schools that aren't conservatories.

3) Location. Location. Location.  Not into small towns? Want the opportunities of a big city?  These are things to think about as you make a list of schools.  You don't want anything to distract you from focusing on and getting the full college experience.  If you won't be happy where you are living...you simply won't be happy and it may effect your success in school.  Again, be open-minded.  You may think that you simply would not be able to stand a small town/college town, but you might be surprised.  You can't know everything.  Take the time to visit any schools you are considering so that you can see the environment you would potentially be thriving in while earning your degree.  Be honest with yourself.

Finally, as you start compiling a list of schools, make a spreadsheet of audition requirements. The more overlap, the better.  You will be taking an audition tour and it will be a lot less stressful if you are playing the same music at each audition.  The audition music shouldn't really influence your choice in school as much as you should just be aware of the load you are taking on for these auditions.  Be realistic with yourself - don't bite off more than you can chew...it's no fun.

Besides the specifics of this short list, what you really need to remember is to be open, honest, and realistic.  Without a doubt, that is the best way to get where you want to go.  Later this week I will have another post concerning preparation for college, so stay tuned!  And for all those going through the college search/application/audition process, relax and good luck!