CHALLENGE

For Lauretta Violin Studio, February's (belated) mantra is CHALLENGE!

When I'm juggling a ton of repertoire, I sometimes feel unprepared for rehearsals and performances. I often think, "Oh, I can't play this passage," or "This is not worth practicing. There is no way I can accomplish what I need to in this passage," instead of challenging myself to, indeed, play the passage!

At a recent rehearsal, I chose to challenge these thoughts, however. Instead of accepting my lack of confidence, I chose to "will" myself into playing the difficult passages. Although some passages required more practice time, I was surprised by my ability to play other passages somewhat successfully. With a little more practice (not a ton), I realized I could play these daunting passages well!

As a professional, I understand my weaknesses, but I wonder if I view my weaknesses as limitations instead? Might I limit myself from improving by acknowledging my weakness too often? This month, I choose to challenge myself by letting go of weaknesses and willing myself to play difficult passages. I may just surprise myself...

As a teacher, I have difficulty balancing how much or how little to challenge my students. I never want to challenge the student so much that they feel overwhelmed and defeated, but not so little that they don't recognize the value in working hard. I think this may be one of the hardest things to juggle as a teacher. 

I wonder if any music teachers have advice on how to find the right balance of challenge and support. How do you instill confidence and humility in your students at the same time? How do you encourage students to embrace discomfort for the sake of improving on the instrument? 

March's mantra is EXPRESSION...something else I've also been chewing on lately. More later!

Happy (almost) spring!


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