Speaking of transitions what is your process of missing the mark like? What can you learn from a miss, a mistake, or something we might describe as a failure?
Well, I just happened to have a miss at Parkour yesterday. My foot caught the bench I was kong vaulting over, the bench tipped and I fell on the concrete. Ouch!
While this is not what I planned at all, I did learn a valuable lesson. I learned that I knew how to bail out of this mishap, diving instead of splatting onto the concrete, and I didn’t get injured. That’s an important facet of the willingness to take chances. In other words, all of my skill practice came together to help me manage the unexpected.
How does this translate to being a musician or living life? Misses happen on stage, in the practice room, or in your activity of choice. They do not have to define us or our next attempt at the passage/activity. In fact, they can be informative and thought-inspiring.
What just happened?
What can I do differently next time?
Is there something I need to understand more clearly? Rhythm, interval, etc…
In the moment of a performance or audition, we don’t have the space to ask these questions, instead, we need to be resilient, to rely on our skills and musicianship to stay with the music.
A miss is another form of transition. You can get stuck in qualifying your miss as good or bad, or you can reflect on the questions above and practice to continue to solidify your skills and understanding.
Be curious…
Tuesday Musicians’ Body Mapping Drop-In “Moving Away from the Instrument to Build An Accurate Body Map”. This is a Parkour inspired class. I have learned so much about movement that informs my playing. We will be doing some cool Parkour movements to build awareness. We will then take it back to the instrument. Join me and other curious musicians. $15 per class or 5/$60