0Every student of music should read this!
A STORY ...
The curtain parts. We see a musician seated solemnly with a beautiful instrument. *silence spreads through the halls*. Then suddenly, she plays a powerful piece of music flawlessly and effortlessly. The music fills the air for a good while... and fades away *Silence takes its place*. The hall reverberates with loud applause… *The musician bows & walks away*. Curtain closes.
Everyone moves closer to the exit… Though there is one… He is stuck to his seat. Still reliving the music he experienced. He is finally nudged to walk away. He thinks… I could take her place someday. I want to play like her… I want to feel awed and applauded. I think it’s time. I will join a school…
Everyone goes through a version of this story at some point in time. We artists call this as inspiration.
What we experienced was professional in delivering music with excellent command and control. The mistake we do is underestimating this feat.
THE THREE ELEMENTS
So…
How DID she get so good?
Must she have learnt from someone and started playing after a few months right? NO…
A student of music becomes a seasoned musician after going through a series of cyclic intervals.
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Excitement
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Frustration
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Enlightenment.
All three elements of this cycle are equally necessary to see progress.
What varies is the scale of proficiency and the knowledge of what it takes to make it.
THE TEN QUALITIES
So what does it take?
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Listening endlessly
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Finding a reliable mentor & finding direction
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Learning from multiple well-directed sources
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Practice - progress and pitfalls
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Jamming with fellow students
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Constant self-reflection - Keeping your ego in check
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External examinations
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Identifying constructive criticism and handling destructive.
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Sharing with the world - Performances & Releases
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Going back to learning after milestones
A student of music is pursuing the right direction when he or she starts exercising “The Ten Qualities”. During this process, he or she experiences the onset of “The Three Elements” within these qualities. The tenure of musicianship and a variety of music depends on these and only these factors. The moment a student translates these practices into a routine, he or she starts to strive for progress rather than results.
And that’s what we call as COMMITMENT!
