Studio Blog (May, 2009)

All of us face deadlines.

That’s such a daunting word, isn’t it? In our studio, we see people dealing with deadlines throughout the year. With our students, we create our own version of deadlines with recitals and performance classes.

Do deadlines have to cause stress? They do for a lot of people. What’s the alternative? Our students have a recital coming up soon and some performers are feeling the pressure.

The solution for deadline stress is simple but not necessarily easy to apply. Most of us don’t have a reliable system for achieving goals without anxiety.

Almost all deadlines are not a complete surprise to us, so a combination of advance planning and habit forming give you the clam edge to face any deadline. Try the following techniques before you face your next deadline:

Plan. Visualize. Create a positive habit.

1. Write down a plan for achieving a goal that relates to the practice in question — the more specific, the greater your chances of succeeding

Naturally, doing all 8 steps will give you the best chance of success. Success with this process is not only the attainment of a goal, it’s also the feeling of calm confidence that results from planning, visualizing and creating a positive habit.

Create your own luck!

If you’re a Cleveland Cavalier basketball fan like me, you’re having a blast this year. The team is remarkable to watch. In addition to the action on the court, I’ve been listening to the player and coach interviews which have revealed some incredible performance philosophy. Sports interviews have never captured my imagination until this year, especially the postgame tidbits from LeBron.

I distinctly remember an interview with LeBron after an incredible game in Milwaukee in which he scored 16 points in about a three minute stretch of the third quarter (he had 55 points in the game). Watching that quarter was unbelievable because he looked possessed. He hit three pointer after three pointer and the distance from the arc increased as the quarter progressed. He made it look so easy as some of the long distance shots were of the “fade away” variety.

In the postgame interview, he was asked, “what’s with you suddenly hitting all these fade away three pointers?”

His response really came as a surprise lesson in performance philosophy. LeBron replied, “there’s nothing sudden about” (I don’t remember his exact words, but that’s pretty close).

King James went on to explain that he’d been practicing making these fade away three pointers for quite a while. Then, he started trying them out in game situations. After a while, they started to go in with regularity and when they did, he started to believe that they would go in even more. Because he kept practicing the shot and making the attempts in game situations, he developed confidence in the shot.

Again, I’m paraphrasing when I remember that he said, “once I have confidence that it’s going in, look out!”

This little two minute interview seems so utterly simple. But it reveals wisdom about performing at a level that high achievers understand and then apply.

So, here are the steps that you can use for improving your piano practice, your golf swing, your comfort with a foreign language or any skill that you wish to perform at a high level:

1. Picture what you want to do in detail
2. See yourself accomplishing the goal in your mind’s eye
3. Practice the technique correctly
4. Use your skills in a performance situation
5. Focus on the successful results to build belief in your ability
6. Repeat this process until you build confidence and ease

It’s no accident that the Cavs had the best record in basketball this year. As I write this, they are also 8-0 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It feels like the whole team embraces the philosophy outlined in this blog.

Go Cavs!

Last week, a student came into her piano lesson and started playing a piece she’s been crafting for several months, the Nocturne by Edvard Grieg. It was beautiful. Not only was she making a lovely sound, she was being really creative with phrasing and dynamics. I enjoyed listening to her play so loosely.

About three musical lines into the experience, I heard a note get a little extra emphasis. Shortly thereafter, her playing became more careful. Another little unintentional detail happened soon after that. With that next event, some note mistakes started to appear. Within a few lines, her focus came apart.

So, what happened?

Knowing that this event is pretty common, I asked a question:

“Do you look at playing this piece as an adventure?”

She looked at me a little bewildered as she considered her answer. I took it a step further. She is also a painter, so I posed another question:

“Do you expect to come into your lesson and play the piece exactly as you practiced it?”

Her answer was, “yes,” but it sounded like she wanted to say, “of course!”

Then I said, “when you look at one of your paintings and you see something that needs enhancement or adjustment, what do you do?” She very plainly remarked that she grabs her paint and adds a little color here or there, wherever it’s needed.

So, I told her to look at playing as real-time painting. Making music is about the experience of being in the present and allowing inspiration to flow through you. When you take this approach, you can easily express yourself through music, art, drama or any other adventure for the imagination. As we sat there and talked about it, I realized that this is how I view the process of creative expression.

However, as I observed her surprised look, I came to understand that most students come into lessons expecting to play some “static” version of their piece that they perfected at home. It’s kind of like turning in your homework.

Your can see why people get frustrated when they perform. People repeatedly beat the drum of, “I played this so much better at home,” because they’re not thinking about making each performance an adventure.

How do you do that, you ask?

Certainly, practicing in a detailed fashion prior to any performance is the best way to build confidence and to develop intimate knowledge of any creative work. Naturally, that’s highly recommended.

But, you already know that.

The issue occurs at the time of performance, when you expect some pre-meditated version of your creation to come out, as if pressing the “play” button on a CD player. But, performing is more dynamic than that.

Looking at performing as an adventure changes your mindset from being overly critical, rigid and nervous to being excited, inspired and in the flow.

If you play an instrument, experiment with the following concept in your next practice session, lesson or performance (that may seem risky if you haven’t tried it, so work up the courage in practice).

If a note suddenly jumps out of a phrase in a surprising manner, decide what to do with the next note. If you’re improvising jazz and some unusual sounds erupt, work with the freshness. Allow yourself to step outside of your self-imposed comfort zone. That’s how you expand your possibilities!

Rather than criticize yourself for what you didn’t do, you are now looking at how you can move forward with a sense of curiosity and adventure. You’re allowing inspiration to come to you rather than putting up roadblocks by beating yourself up inside.

This can totally change your experience as a musician. It will put you “in the zone.” You’ll be present as you set yourself up for ideas that are even better than what you practiced!

It goes without saying that this Adventure Approach can bring you great pleasure in your daily life. It works in many areas. Try it and see if it lightens your mood and brings you a sense of fun.

Two weeks ago, Candice and I took that approach when we decided to drive to Edgewater Park in Cleveland on a Sunday night. We got the inspiration to watch the sunset as opposed to the usual preparations for the upcoming week. We were rewarded with an incredible view, a nice dinner at a spot we rarely visit and good conversation.