Dear readers, 

I don`t write anymore on this blog! All my articles are integrated in my website: 

www.fluteandmore.com

 
Please subscribe, share and comment there! Thanks!

Dear readers,

I`m happy to anounce you, that from now on you can read my articles on: www.fluteandmore.com. The BLOG is also integrated in my website. 
Please, feel free to leave your comments and SUBSCRIBE there!

Many thanks!
Lidia 

To overcome difficult moments, it is important to speak!

 

Each of us knows to enjoy a successful performance, appreciation, recognition, a strong motivation or a clear goal in our career. But how do we overcame the moments when we are facing: stage fright, critiques, mistakes, memory slips, lack of motivation or a way without perspective in such a competitive environment? 

A career in music requires: passion, motivation and perseverance to go further, especially in the hardest moments. And more than this, I believe that in some critical points of our career we need somebody to understand us, to empathize with our situation and to give us good advice. We need to talk about our difficulties and to find solutions. A simple discussion can be very helpful and sometimes it is much more valuable than reading some good articles. As an artist, to open yourself and to speak about your own feelings and thoughts is a big step.

I encourage you to take this step and get in touch with me. I`m very confident that together, we`ll find a good answer!

 

Flute learning through relaxation

  

To play a difficult piece is not so easy and it requires a lot of concentration especially at the beginning. We should be careful about the sound production and his quality, intonation, rhythm, tempo, notes, finger position and so on. We can`t be very concentrated on our technique and relaxed in the same time, especially when we have to play a difficult piece. Just after we resolve all this problems, we have more freedom for interpretation and to think about our feelings. The question is if we can learn some technique by playing an instrument and in the same time to feel relaxed and focused on our state of being NOW and not after a while? Yes, I think that`s possible to learn to play through relaxation and in this case we should start with a easy piece. It requires less concentration for notes, technique, rhythm and gives us more space for our feelings and imagination.

What is so fascinating about this method of learning through relaxation?

1. It`s not very demanding technically.
2. The focus is more on your thoughts, feelings, creativity and less on your technique.
3. It changes your state of being.
4. You don`t need to practice the piece at home.
5. And what`s more, you can experience all this in the PRESENT and not after a while!

Do you want to try it? 



 

Classic, Rock or Modern?

Classic, Rock or Modern?

Classical musicians are used to play classical music! Well, it`s nothing wrong about this, but it can happen that our students desire to play with the instrument not only classical music. Sometimes they look for other styles like: pop, jazz, rock or modern music. We are very different in tastes and so are also our students. Sometimes just playing classical music became boring and not anymore interesting for practicing at home. How do you react as a teacher when your students want to work with you some jazz pieces for example? Do you take their wish seriously or do you think that this preference is not so important for your class? This year, two of my students told me about their preference for modern and rock style. Knowing this, I decided to make our flute class more interesting and to avoid the "routine" by just playing classical music. I encourage all the teachers to take their student`s wish very seriously. Are many benefits of doing this: 
1. The class will be more interesting
2. The students will practice more
3. The teacher will see some results and will learn new things
4. The relation between teacher and student will become stronger and more pleasant

I think that`s very important to find a balance between what you SHOULD do and what you LIKE to do.

SHARE YOUR OPINION and write from YOUR EXPERIENCE as Student, Teacher or Interpret! 

How to improve your practice results

Because I experienced this with my students many times, I can tell you what inefficient practice means. If you are a student and you recognize some of this habits also in your daily practice, please stop immediately! You are wasting your time and in this case is better to take a walk or to read a book.
Now, please read carefully the examples bellow:

   1. You just start to play the piece without looking at: tempo, measure, tonality.
   2. You just play the piece through from A to Z no matter what happens inside.
   3. You don`t play the right notes but you don`t stop to correct them. You just go until the end...
   4. You don`t play the right value of the notes but you don`t stop. You just go until the end....
   5. You play the note without a sharp or a flat more than 3 or 4 times but you don`t take the pencil to make a notation.
   6. You don`t stop when you see a difficult passage to work on it. You just go until the end....
   7. You think that you have practiced and you know the piece!

 Well, from all this examples the number 7 is the worst. Your practice was inefficient, because you just played the piece from the beginning to the end. The truth is that you have learned maybe 10% of it.

 Now, read this advice for efficient practice and apply! I try to give you the essence of my ideas:

   1. Before starting to play, take a look at: tempo, measure, tonality.
   2. Don`t play the piece from A to Z without stopping. You`ll be able to play the piece form A to Z without mistakes later. Now you are learning the piece, so be ready to stop many times.
   3. Try to play the right notes and to correct the wrong ones immediately.
   4. Play the right rhythm and don`t go further if something is not clear. Stop and think about the right value of the notes. If you don`t understand something, ask your teacher.
   5. Take a pencil and write the sharp or the flat if you forgot it more than once.
   6. Stop when you see a difficult passage and work on it. Try to learn and to reproduce it as good as you can now and later.
   7. You feel tired and maybe you think that you don`t know the piece yet, but you have learned more than 50% of it.
    

You can apply this advice for studies and pieces. To practice in this way is not easy, but I can tell you from my experience and from the experience of others that the result is much better than before. Maybe you can`t apply everything what I wrote, but also a small change in your daily practice it matters. Take from above what you like and what do you think it can help you to improve your results.

You can read also this article about efficient practice:
http://www.essential-music-practice.com/faster-progress.html 


Let me know what it worked for you!

Successful performance

There are probably many definition about the meaning of being successful. Of course I didn`t read all of them, but I`ll write what success means:

1. The favourable outcome of something attempted;

2. The attainment of fame, wealth, or social status;
3. An action, performance, that is characterized by success;
4. The accomplishment of an aim or purpose;

How would you describe a successful performance? In my point of view, it means to be yourself on stage and to play at your best potential when it matters most, in some important moments like: exams, competition, auditions, concerts, in front of other people. Being yourself and playing at your best potential will bring you harmony, satisfaction and a nice remember about a great performance.

Let me give you an example. You are in the front of an upcoming performance ( an exam, competition or concert). You prepared yourself very good and practiced a lot. Now, the expectation is to play as good as you can but the result is totally different. You are doing more mistakes than usually, your sound is not so beautiful and maybe the technique it creates you some unexpected problems. Exactly now, in this very important moment! It sounds familiar? How does it feel? Of course, very frustrating; First, because you were not able to play as good as you can, and second, because you consider your performance was bad and you still ask yourself why did it happened to you? What was wrong? It was a bad day, you were unlucky or to much tired? Hmm, I believe that`s not the answer. Try to remember about your goals before playing on stage and about the conversation with yourself during your performance. Which words did you addressed to yourself? Maybe you think that`s not so important, but in fact it is!
When I was student I took part in many competitions and I played many concerts in front of the audience. Rarely I played below my potential in some important moments, but it happened and I know why. It was because I compared myself with other flutists, colleagues of mines or I tried to fulfill  some expectations of my teachers, or I thought about winning the first prize. Well, this goals were for sure not the right ones for a great performance, but I learned something from my own experiences and today I would like to share this with you.

My message for a great performance is quite simple: I strongly believe that our goal on stage should be very clear: To play at our best potential- no less, no more! Giving your best is more than enough to feel happy and satisfied about your performance. This I`ll call a successful performance. It worked for me and I believe that it can work for you too!

Share your opinion about a successful performance! Your story can help and maybe inspire other musicians!