Time management was never something I really had to worry
about when I was in high school. I did
my schoolwork and practiced my two hours a day. Afterwards, I went to my music lessons and dance classes and
that was it. I didn’t have deadlines for
papers and homework or have to worry about a huge test. I always had plenty of time to finish all of
my work. Then I came here…and oh my gosh,
talk about a shock to the system! I
suddenly have homework in every subject that’s due TOMORROW (or the next
day). I have to squeeze in practicing between
classes that go until 5 pm. I have to
not not NOT eat six Gee cookies in a vain attempt to relax. I know I’m going to have trouble juggling
everything I need to do, but I’m determined to make it through this year.
My problem is motivation.
I’ll admit it: I AM SUPER LAZY!!! I know. I know. “Every time I see Natalie, she’s practicing or
studying!” I do spend most of my day
practicing or studying, but it’s really hard for me to convince myself to actually
DO it. Thinking about practicing makes
me inwardly groan when I have a piece that I’m bored with because I know it
well. Thinking about practicing a piece that’s
extremely hard and frustrating also causes dread. Honestly, my motivation in those situations
is the fear of failure and disappointing others. I may not really want to go work on my Rachmaninoff,
but I get so scared of doing badly in my lesson or not performing well at a
competition, I practice anyway. I may
space out halfway through, but when that happens, I go do handstands and get myself
focused again. While the practicing is
not fun when the pieces are frustrating or boring, performing them well makes
it all worth it.
My advice to others regarding practicing is three words: JUST
DO IT! You got into Petrie! You obviously love music or else you wouldn’t
BE here! You are given wonderful
opportunities with amazing professors!
Don’t throw all of that away by slacking off and wasting time. Just get your practicing done (even if you
have to force yourself), finish your homework, and know Tonal Harmony backwards
in your sleep. You may miss out on
something fun tonight, but tomorrow when you nail your audition, you won’t feel
badly about not going. If you truly need
music in your life in order to feel complete, then you’ll never have regrets.
So, Natalie: you sound a bit, um, frustrated? :-)
ReplyDelete1. Make sure you're sleeping. I HATE practicing when I haven't had enough sleep.
2. Make sure you give yourself enough rewards. For instance, when I was in school, if I was good in my practice six days a week, on the seventh day I'd let myself play whatever I wanted--just reading through stuff, or playing old favorites, or diddling around on showtunes, or whatever.
And yes, college homework schedules can be a shock, especially if you've been homeschooled (you were homeschooled, right? I think I remember that bit...). But it does get easier once you've been in the system awhile. And the nice thing about a small place like Converse is that you often have the same professors for several classes, so you get to know how much time their assignments and exams tend to take.
And I love the bit about the handstands. :-)
Eating six Gee cookies isn't too too bad!!! I think we all go through those times where we hate practicing, don't want to, it just seems pointless, you want to sleep, there are so many more activities you could be doing...the list goes on. Just always remember you can do it! Practicing is definitely worth it in the end when you succeed with the piece. I loved reading this post; I could imagine sitting and talking with you about this, and I could see your facial expressions, hear your tone, and imagine hand gestures. Let's do handstands together one day.
ReplyDeleteI totally get the laziness. I know I need to go practice, but it's so hard to get out of bed and go do it. I know when I get bored of practicing, I'll take a couple of minutes and try to figure out a "fun" song by ear (like a pop song). It makes practicing a little more fun and less monotonous. As for Gee's cookies, I see no problem eating six cookies on your bad days and three on your good days. Cookies (and ice cream) solve all problems. (:
ReplyDelete