Tag: success

  • You Don’t Need Magic to Succeed

                      There are thousands of books and videos on how “positive thinking” can create success, or how “visualizing” your goals will make them come true. Is there a “secret” to this? If you just believe hard enough, will the universe re-arrange itself to make you happy? Let’s explore…

  • The Three Elements of Practice Loose Ends

    It may seem odd to have a part four in a three part series, but there are a few things to add that we can think of as the “filling” for our triangle. These have more to do with the planning and organization that goes into musicianship, as well as the emotional issues that come…

  • The Three Elements of Practice Part III

    So far, we have examined the concepts of repetition and reinforcement, which make learning possible by imprinting the knowledge and making it “stick.” The third element of this triangle involves testing and experimenting with the things we have practiced. Learning the limits of our preparation is how we make our learning stronger and more useful.…

  • The Three Elements of Practice Part II

    Reinforcement Last time we discussed repetition, the act of playing the same passage over and over in a short time-span. In this article, we will discuss the second element in successful practice. As we learned in part 1, repetition is effective for a limited time; after this short period, continuing to repeat can waste time…

  • The Three Elements of Practice Part I

    Practicing is a personal activity; no two people are the same, and this also goes for practice. However, there are some fundamental forces that are part of the learning experience for all of us. Learning to use and balance these processes will lead to successful and efficient use of our precious time. In this series, we…