{"id":2689,"date":"2015-01-01T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2015-01-01T15:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pianonotes.wpengine.com\/?p=2689"},"modified":"2014-12-31T10:25:53","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T16:25:53","slug":"5-new-years-resolutions-every-pianist-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pianonotes.piano4u.com\/index.php\/2015\/01\/5-new-years-resolutions-every-pianist-make\/","title":{"rendered":"5 New Year\u2019s Resolutions Every Pianist Should Make"},"content":{"rendered":"

The beginning of a new year is fast approaching, and the one thing that comes to the minds of most of us this season is that formidable word \u201cresolution.\u201d We can choose to think of the word with dread and annoyance, reminded of all the times that we\u2019ve tried to stick to our resolutions and failed, or we can choose to think of each new resolution not as an impossible chore, but instead as an opportunity to improve, grow, and move forward. In order for our New Year\u2019s resolutions to work, they have to serve us, not the other way around.<\/p>\n

Every pianist, no matter what his level, is aware of some specific aspects of his piano life that he\u2019d prefer to be different in the coming year. The question is, what are the five New Year\u2019s resolutions that every pianist should make? What are some areas in which we could all grow?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1) Make playing a part of your everyday life<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been said that in order to make something a habit, you have to do it for 30 days straight. \u00a0This coming year, start writing practice sessions into your daily planner, just like you do your\u00a0appointments and sports practices, and stick to it for 30 days. In order to keep it from\u00a0becoming a chore, consider playing first thing in the morning before you even know what\u2019s hit you!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2) Commit to ongoing learning<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Every pianist has further to go in his educational journey. If you\u2019ve stopped taking lessons,\u00a0then consider starting back up. If you\u2019re currently taking lessons, then consider taking more\u00a0often, for longer durations, or even taking a free online college course in addition to your private lessons. Some sites, like\u00a0Coursera.com<\/a>, offer free classes from accredited institutions, and occasionally you\u2019ll find ones\u00a0focused on songwriting, musicianship, and even world music. You won\u2019t get a college credit,\u00a0but it\u2019s a fun way to become a better musician.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3) Get a few fun, new songs<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Whether you get these new tunes from a music store, purchase and print them out from a\u00a0site like Sheet Music Plus<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Musicnotes<\/a>, or borrow from a friend,\u00a0doesn\u2019t matter. What does matter is how it\u2019ll breathe new life into your piano practice. The\u00a0songs inside don\u2019t necessarily have to be new to you, just new to your playing. You can find\u00a0arrangements of almost any song that you know. There\u2019ll be days when you just don\u2019t want to\u00a0play, and those fun tunes will be there just to get your fingers on the keys.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4) Stop judging yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all done it. One terrible lesson, one recital disaster, one seemingly impossible song and\u00a0we\u2019re telling ourselves that we just aren\u2019t as good as we thought we were, that piano\u00a0isn\u2019t our thing, and asking ourselves, really, who are we kidding? Never, ever forget that even\u00a0the best pianists in the world have had bad recitals and lessons and really difficult songs that\u00a0they couldn\u2019t stand. Have compassion for yourself in the same way that you would have\u00a0compassion for a friend having a tough time with their piano studies. Self-judgment can be the\u00a0most fatal and growth-stunting mistake of all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5) Start recording your lessons<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are few things more effective at improving almost everything about your playing than\u00a0audio or video recording your lessons. With your instructor\u2019s permission, start recording all\u00a0of your lessons. Not only will you get to hear your teacher\u2019s comments, but you\u2019ll also get to\u00a0hear everything you play. I\u2019ll be honest: not all of my students are fans of hearing their own\u00a0playing. But frankly, it can be a sign of our maturity as musicians. And if you\u2019ve resolved to\u00a0stop judging yourself (see above resolution), there are only two things that you\u2019ll hear in\u00a0each recorded lesson: great playing, and opportunities to improve.<\/p>\n

Think of these five resolutions as five tanks of gas. Each one could get you further along in your journey of learning and your path of self-improvement. Who knows? Maybe this\u2019ll be the year that we stick with our resolutions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The beginning of a new year is fast approaching, and the one thing that comes to the minds of most of us this season is that formidable word \u201cresolution.\u201d We can choose to think of the word with dread and annoyance, reminded of all the times that we\u2019ve tried to stick to our resolutions and failed, or we can choose to think of each new resolution not as an impossible […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-featured-articles"],"yoast_head":"\n5 New Year\u2019s Resolutions Every Pianist Should Make - PianoNotes Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pianonotes.piano4u.com\/index.php\/2015\/01\/5-new-years-resolutions-every-pianist-make\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 New Year\u2019s Resolutions Every Pianist Should Make - 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