Are you practicing to succeed or are you practicing to avoid mistakes?

Question for you today:
 
Are you practicing to succeed or are you practicing to avoid mistakes? 
 
At first glance, these two things may seem similar… isn't succeeding avoiding mistakes? 
 
Maybe that's a portion of succeeding… but these are two TOTALLY different mindsets! If you're practicing to succeed, you're trusting the process. You're taking risks. You're going for it. You're in a growth mindset, encouraging yourself to keep trying. 
 
If you're practicing to avoid mistakes, you're on the defensive. You're closed. You're focused on what could go wrong, not what could go right. 
 
Of course, it's a balancing act, like everything else in life, to play with freedom while also ensuring you've got your ducks in a row. 
 
But, we often forget that the practice room is for… practice. Without a bit of a jolt back to reality, practice can start to become an exercise in just, not messing up. That leads to tension. And all the sudden, you're in a downward spiral of slow progress, feeling defeated and … probably sounding pretty boring. 
 
Because you know we love a good list, here are 4 tips for reconnecting with your ability to succeed in the practice room - and on stage. 
 
  1. Remember that practice is for taking chances. Do 200%, mess up, squeak, and find the limits of what you can do. Within the spectrum of what you explore may lie a solution or a discovery.
  2. Keep thoughts of “Don't mess up here” in check - instead, ask yourself “How can I feel confident here?” or better yet, “You know how to play this.” (And remember - try to find a musical solution to a technical problem whenever possible!)
  3. Find your freedom. If your sound and expression is free, guess what? People will be REALLY forgiving of a few mistakes, because they can feel the sincerity in your music making. (Sort of the whole point.)
  4. Visualize your ideal and don't sell yourself short. How can you channel your ideal sound, phrasing, articulation? Work towards it, and don't worry if you miss the mark today. Missing the mark is better than not having one - or avoiding one because you're worried you'll miss it. ♥️
 
Life is too short to play for the sole purpose of not messing up. Play to make an impact. That starts in your practice room! 
 
We wrote about a couple of other ways to optimize your practice sessions here, so check that out if you need a little more inspiration about how small practice habits can add up! We also talked about air flow versus air pressure yesterday… they're different and we need them both! Oh, and if you need some sight reading tips, those are comin' in hot! 
 
One more thing before you go 
 
What are you curious about?! What would you like to know more about? We'd love your input and hearing your thoughts - it's always really helpful! Comment and tell us! 
 

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Co-directed by us, professional clarinetists Ixi Chen and Dr. Tiffany Valvo, the Digital Clarinet Academy has become the most trusted place to take your clarinet skills to the next level with world-class digital content and virtual training. Welcome to our virtual home!