Five Basic Habits of Successful Musicians
As I continue to improve my skills as a musician, I reflect back on my education and professional experience I have under my belt so far. I don’t think of myself as a bad student or a slacker in my professional life, but I know there are certain habits successful musicians have that I could be better about to improve as a teacher and performer. I wanted to share the five habits I plan to put more effort into maintaining in hopes to inspire other music students and professionals to join in!
#1. Sing everything.
I’m so uncomfortable with my voice, yet I know it is the birthplace of musical ideas. Every great teacher I’ve had the pleasure to watch or study with emphasizes the need to sing. With a clear musical idea resonating in your head, it is so much easier to be an expressive musician. To every technical problem, there is a musical answer, and singing is the key to unlocking that musical expressiveness.
#2. Deliberate practice.
I want to achieve slow, meticulous practice habits every time I pick up the horn.. With solos, etudes, excerpts, and ensemble music to learn, it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed in the practice room. It’s difficult to resist the temptation to speed-read everything and hack through what needs to be practiced, but slow, deliberate practice is the fastest strategy to make improvements in technique every time.
#3. Record.
Recording yourself while practicing and performing is a standard habit for professional teachers and performers, but many musicians, including myself, do not do it enough or at all. Recording for summer music festivals or orchestra auditions is a skill and it needs to be practiced often. Recording also gives you the chance to be your own teacher before getting your professor’s advice on your playing. I am typically pretty good about recording when preparing for an audition, but I cannot remember the last time I recorded an etude or solo while preparing the music. Having an Iphone an earbuds makes that an easy fix!
#4. Learn from every resource.
In school, we are surrounded by opportunities to learn. Voice, string, theory, and history teachers can offer some of the best advice for playing, but as a brass player, I have rarely taken advantage of great teachers in other areas of music. Getting a better understanding of the theoretical and historical context of the music you are preparing is an essential part of become a successful musician. If you are a music student now, take advantage of the resources you are surrounded by! It becomes much more difficult to tap into those resources when you are finished with your education.
#5. Be a Jack of all trades…
It’s no secret to those that know me that I absolutely love low horn playing. However, it is also no secret that all aspects of horn playing should be at a high level to be successful as a professional musician. As a music student, it is important to work on anything and everything to do with technique and fundamentals on your instrument. This includes high range, low range, stopped horn, lip trills, multiple articulations, flutter-tongue, etc.… All aspects of horn playing should be as mastered as possible before entering into the competitive gigging scene. Being diligent about grinding out all of your weak areas will make for a much more comfortable professional playing career. This is also important for all the future band directors who are reading! It is much easier to teach your band students to triple tongue if you have spent the time to work out the kinks yourself.
These are just a few things I resolve to put more effort into as I continue to improve as a musician. Let me know what your thoughts are and if you feel like any of these would be helpful for you to try out. The list of ways to improve as a musician is endless. Are there any weaknesses you have as a musician that desperately need to be added to the list? I would love to hear from you!