This week I had the pleasure of advising a student on how to prepare for post-secondary studies in music. 
 
He asked me about practicing at the Olympic level, so to speak. I practiced, age 43 for 4 years and logged about 5000 hours. I completed my Grade 10 and ARCT, the highest levels of classical piano, at the time, offered by the Royal Conservatory of Music. I currently spend one to two hours a day on the drums. The big ambition of my aging years. So, I know something about practicing.
 
We start with warnings: Injury from over practice and neglecting physical fitness. If you are an aging professional musician, you’ve likely had some firsthand experience with pain or worse.
 
Two stories: 

The real reason musicians are dropping out of music schools | CBC Music
 
Still Battling an Illness, Jarrett Ends His Silence - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 
 
Steps before practice:

• Physical fitness: Stay fit, take care of yourself. Avoid contact sports, musicians are athletes. Most just don’t know it. 
• Listen to music all the time. Mostly to music of our time. My best guess: 70% new, 30% last century.

 
Steps on the bench 

• Increase time 10% a week to a max of 4 hours. There will be added time practicing away from the instrument. This is the recommendation of Gerald Klickstein author of “The musician’s way”.
• Practice time is broken up in multiple units to avoid repetitive strain injuries.
• Stretching is sooooooo important before and after. Be sure the muscles are warm before stretching. Get some professional qualified advice. 
• What to practice?
  • Technique: scales, chords, arpeggios Playing with intention, playing to sound beautiful. 
  • Classical piano programs: Keep the hands alive
  • Repertoire development: The musician with the deepest repertoire, or those who know the most tunes wins!
  • Sight reading, a cornerstone skill of the professional.
    • Musicnotes.com “Singer/Pro” exploring the music of our time
  • Repertoire review
  • Learning the “tunes of the day” Top 60 Tracks For Wedding Dinner Music 2020 | Wedding Forward. You need to know the music of “ordinary people” to keep your feet grounded.

 
Away from the bench

• Listening is practicing. Deep listening, “what’s going on here?”
• Composing, “develop a book of tunes”. This is your intellectual capital; It is your ticket in the marketplace. This is what will make you a living wage.
• Transcribing styles you are unfamiliar with. This gives you musical range!
• Reading books on entrepreneurship, business practices, marketing, and most importantly, Sales. It’s called the music business!
• Working in a digital environment: DAW

 
End of 1st lecture. To be continued next week.
 
David

Some commitments are given to us. Being adults we deal with it. Other commitments are optional. Choosing whether to accept or decline optional commitments can be tricky. Some advice I live by, more or less successfully. 

1. If I don't immediately say "hell ya", I'm out.
2. Show me how I'm going to be wealthier, happier, or healthier or I'm out.
3. Whoa there, "that's your responsibility".
4. Or simply, I'm not interested. Tricky in some situations though. 

I turned down a band this week. Nice bunch of folks, but it just didn't feel right for me at this time. Perhaps in the future, but not right now. Which is too bad, it was a fine band, just awkward musically for me.

Best,

David