​It won't be easy. Going stale, losing interest in things, aging out, and other maladies are well known and well documented in aging adults. What can one do to stay in the game?

1. Stay fit or get fit. Creativity takes energy. Fight like hell to stay upright. But work with what you've got. Your high school track days are over. Accept this gracefully and with your doctor's advice, get to the gym.
2. Stay connected. Friends matter. Who you hang with matters even more. Are the folks in your orbit "in the game" or are they lazy, burned out, narrow minded, and in denial of reality? If they are, I'd make a move.
3. Take on new challenges. Start with your tech. Learn to use your phone, tablet, and laptop like a pro. It's not hard, start on YouTube and get busy. Working with senior adults who can't do even simple tasks is heartbreaking to see as a teacher. Tech literacy is a real thing. Incompetency with your gadgets is an impediment to being creative, connecting with other creatives, and just participating in modern life.
4. Learn something new. Take some lessons on your instrument, go all in. Learn a new instrument even. I'm working with a bass teacher this summer learning the basics of Country music bass lines in the music of the 1950s and 60s. My appreciation of that period of American music has grown. I hear it with fresh ears. 
5. Do something new. I'm deep in the breakfast piano minute series.  I've been creating 1 minute daily postings. It's been fun. It is leading to lots of new connections, and it  encourages some daily creative effort. I've learned about camera lighting, video editing, and much more. And folks like them. I've a new and growing audience on social media. 

If I can help you find some new creative activities, call me. 

​David

I’ve an aging body. Accommodations will have to be made. If you are reading this, you are likely in the same boat. Here is what was recommended by the physiotherapist recently.
​

1. During the summer lull, rest and let the body repair. More sleep.
2. Leave more time in the schedule to move and stretch between lessons.
3. Walk, walk, walk. This low impact sport will help reduce the Covid tummy bulge.
4. Space out the practicing.
5. No pounding on the electric drum kit.
6. Strengthening exercises for the core to reduce or eliminate soreness and inflammation in the arms.
7. Heating pads on the affected muscles.
8. Keep walking.
9. Less computer typing time, use the tablet with the stylus when ever possible.
10. Rearrange, once again, my workspace. I’ve another year of online teaching ahead, time to prepare.

  I suggest some further reading. 
David

An ever-present danger. Giving up, settling early. This past year has been unprecedented. Most people have been inconvenienced. Some though have been deeply affected by job loss, illness, or death.

Assuming you are in the first group and not the second how do we proceed and stay engaged in a world of imagination and action?

1. Take steps to stay healthy. You know the drill. Find an accountability partner. Mine is my wife.
2. Practice your instrument, address shortcomings during this lull. I meet twice monthly with my classical piano coach. Prior to that with a jazz coach.
3. Take some online classes with a younger musician. Engage with another perspective. I meet my drum coach twice weekly. It’s been fantastic. A reason to practice and stay sharp. Embarrassing myself in front of a musician half my age is unthinkable.
4. Network like crazy, this won’t last forever. I believe that the post-pandemic world will explode in creative activity and opportunities. It is time to prepare. I recently played piano for an online big band performance. It will be posted soon.
5. Complete a new certification if your area of music provides those opportunities. I’m completing my online teaching certification with the Royal Conservatory of Music here in Canada.
6. Create projects that work online. I’ve had the privilege of working on new works with Fade/Dissolve cinematic noise trio. What a blast.
7. Dream of a musical future and prepare to meet it head on. 

David

The inevitable lockdown is coming. Cases are soaring, too many people are ignoring health regulations through selflessness, willful ignorance, fear and stupidity.

Our return date to the rehearsal room, concert hall, teaching studio has been pushed back again. My guess until the late spring, early summer. Vaccines or no vaccines.  

My take on coming out the other side. I will be: 

1. Networking, keeping relationships alive
2. Practicing, taking the time to learn new repertoire, address those nagging deficiencies in my skills, exploring new musical avenues. 
3. Continuing with coaches. In my case: piano and drums.
4. Continue to work on eliminating my "Covid" belly. Eight months sitting on my ass, 6 extra pounds. Yikes.
5. Follow all the health guidelines, ignoring stupid. 
6. Take care of my students. Prepare for the post-Covid world. I don't' believe it will return to what we all had before March 2020. It will be a new world of creative possibilities. I'm pretty excited thinking about that. 
7. Preserve my financial position carefully.

David

​Ten things you might consider:
​

1. Don't become a ghost. Stay in touch with your tribe of musicians. This is a great time to reach out to a new tribe as well, musicians you've not played with before. 
2. Keep your website active. Inactive websites are dead websites. Post lots of valuable positive content. 
3. Keep practicing. Address your short comings, come back stronger and better. Not, rusty and tired.
4. Keep working out, stay in shape, be ready. 
5. Curate carefully what you give your attention to. Reading doom and gloom all day, or upbeat and positive? We are what we attend to. A simple truism for the ages. 
6. Sort out your music library. This is a good time to rediscover some forgotten treasures.
7. I'm upgrading my gear, selling the old stuff, and welcoming the new. 
8. Start a program of deep listening to newer music and musicians. This will open your mind to new possibilities and help stave off old fart syndrome and aging blowhard disorder. 
9. Call a master musician and book some lessons. 
10. Keep practicing, stay healthy, follow legitimate health authority recommendation, and be patient. This is bigger than anyone of us. 

David Story

Louis Armstrong is reported to have remarked, "musicians don't retire, people just stop calling". Then we move into community groups of various sorts. Rarely do we hang up the horn completely. 

Over the last decade, as a both pianist and drummer, I have played in:

1. community concert bands
2. community big bands
3. community trad bands
4. avant-garde improvisation groups large and small
5. pub pop trios
6. weekend warrior recording sessions 
7. basement bands of all sorts
8. community jazz jams in pubs around the world, including a few famous jazz haunts
9. oodles of online recordings
10. an occasional "arts" concert
11. classical duos
12. jammed trad Scottish music in Scotland
13. community blues band
14. solo in my basement
15. jazz duos

In these settings I have met countless career musicians. Long after the roar of the crowd has dimmed, we are still at it: playing, jamming, practicing, and swapping tall tales.

We the musicians. 

Cheers, 

David

Take care of yourself.

1. Sleep 8 hours a night.
2. Eat well, no junk food.
   
3. Stay sober.
   
4. Go for long walks.
   
5. Stay connected online to your friends. Reach out.
   
6. Curate carefully mental inputs: Newspapers, radio, TV etc.
   
7. Practice and start to resolve those pesky issues in your playing.
   
8. Take some online lessons
   
9. Exercise carefully
   
10. Netflix
    

​David

Assuming you can find the motivation to practice when the world is falling apart, I'd ramp up practice time slowly to avoid injury. Every year at jazz camp I meet so many "hobby" musicians who after 2 or 3 days are in trouble. Bleeding fingers on bass players, blown embouchures on brass players, tendentious flaring up in pianists and drummers. There are tears. 

So, I suggest ramping up practice about 10% a week. Warming up the muscles before you thrash the hell out of your instrument is helpful too. I'm working out in my home gym this morning and then heading to the practice studio.

For helpful advice I suggest all eager musicians read "The Musicians Way". I read it like many people read holy books. 

Good luck.

David 

Self worth theory"The self-worth theory posits that an individual’s main priority in life is to find self-acceptance and that self-acceptance is often found through achievement (Covington & Beery, 1976). In turn, achievement is often found through competition with others. Jul 4 2019" Reference: positivepsychologyprogram.com/self-worth/

"The effort an individual puts in for the maximisation of academic competence to protect self-worth is often defined as a “double-edged sword”; while it is an essential factor of success, it can also result in feelings of worthlessness and incapability if one fails.[3][5] To avoid the conclusion of incapability and hence maintain self-worth, some students choose to use defensive strategies such as putting in less effort and setting low standards towards the event of evaluation.[1] These strategies, which support the maintenance of self-worth, are called self-handicapping and defensive pessimism respectively. " 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-worth_theory_of_motivation

Self handicapping, what an idea. As a music teacher I've often seen this phenomenon. Students who say they want X and then promptly charge of in the direction of Y.

The video above from Nic Voge outlines "self worth theory" that tries to explain the issue: underachievement as coping strategy to avoid stepping out of our comfort zone. After all, if we are going to reach our potential as musicians dealing with procrastination is paramount. 

Enjoy the video. 

David
​

Eventually this will come to an end. The body will give out, desire may die, or more pressing responsibilities will assert themselves.

What to do?

1. Be grateful to have the time we do have.
2. Don't waste your time on trivial matters.
3. Share your music with others throughout your career. The performance context will evolve but the folks who loved you at the beginning of your musical career, still love you, they just changed venues. 
4. Be grateful you had the chance and opportunity to do something so exciting with your life. 

Why do adults advise their children to find the safe path in life. Rarely have I ever met a parent who, to my knowledge, said, "Johnny or Sally, do something heroic with your life, be courageous, get your shit together and go for it" Not too many. 

One of my former students is finishing up a short tour in Europe with her Feminist non-binary punk band. I'm impressed. Really impressed. I've know her since she was 5 years old, she was determined very early.  Parents were behind her all the way.