Posts

MINDFULNESS

For Lauretta Violin Studio, the mantra for December is MINDFULNESS.  Before I dive into this month's blog post, I want to take a moment to discuss common misconceptions of mindfulness. Mindfulness originated 2,500 years ago, and long-term Buddhist meditation practitioners may have mixed feelings regarding mindfulness in today's Western society.  Mindfulness is NOT -  1. a calm, empty or quiet mind. Sometimes mindfulness involves "sitting with" intense emotions and experiences. 2. always associated with meditation. One's mind may easily wander during a meditative practice. 3. a passive act. Mindfulness requires the active awareness of thoughts, emotions, sensations, and behaviors. 4. the active awareness of every single moment. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the pioneer of bringing mindfulness into Western medicine, says, "...becoming even a tiny bit more mindful is good. You do not have to be totally mindful at every hour of the day and night. That is merely an ideal."...
Post a Comment
Read more

November: Support

For Lauretta Violin Studio, the mantra for the month of November is SUPPORT. Admittedly, my intention during November was to attend live performances to support my fellow classical musicians. Due to a couple of life events, I haven't attended many live performances this month. Therefore, I focused on SUPPORT in two other ways: (1) SUPPORT the parents who attend lessons with their young, beginner violinists, and (2) SUPPORT my playing through challenging myself in the practice room. (1) SUPPORT the parents: As a registered Suzuki violin teacher, I work with young, beginner violinists often and I witness a familiar trajectory in lessons during the first six months. At first, everyone is enthusiastic! Learning the instrument is novel and fun. The three of us (student, parent, and teacher) get to know one other and these initial lessons are filled with curiosity and enjoyment. Then, the enthusiasm diminishes; the student rejects practice and the parent wonders why. The child may reco...
Post a Comment
Read more

EXPECTATION

       For Lauretta Violin Studio, the mantra for the month of October is EXPECTATION.  Recently, I read snippets of Rezvan Ameli's 25 Lessons in Mindfulness: Now Time for Healthy Living , and I came across an impactful message regarding expectations. We typically grow frustrated, irritated, or disappointed when people or situations do not meet our expectations.  As musicians and teachers, we may often experience unmet expectations, such as... (1) Expecting a coworker to respond to an urgent email in one day, but he responds three days later. (2) Expecting a student to arrive to her lesson on time and prepared, but she frequently arrives late and unprepared. (3) Arriving to a rehearsal prepared with the repertoire, but our colleagues arrive less polished. (4) Expecting a performance to run smoothly, but certain sections of the repertoire don't go as planned. Phew! No wonder many musicians experience burn out.  Unmet expectations are exhausting....
Post a Comment
Read more

ACTION

Image
 
Post a Comment
Read more