This past weekend our choir participated in a concert dedicated to St. Cecelia, the patron saint of musicians. The adult choir participated, as well and sang my very favorite piece Ave Verum Corpus by W.A. Mozart. As I sat and listened to this beautiful music, I was reminded of why I do what I do. It isn’t that I forgot ~ or even that I haven’t been enjoying teaching ~ rather I remembered how much I, myself, enjoy music for its own sake. I think we sometimes get so caught up in making sure our students are getting a solid music foundation along with the love of this incredible discipline, that we forget to nourish our own inner musician…we forget that we too need inspiration….SO, as a result, here are 5 ways to do just that!
1. Go to a concert of your favorite music…..now is the perfect time, as we are soon getting into holiday music!!
2. Leave your instrument and the music you are working on out all day while you are home. I read this in book about practicing…although the name escapes me now, but the author had a great point ~ if it is out and ready to play, you are more likely to do it, even for a few minutes here and there. It will not only encourage practicing, but a reminder of why we do what we do.
3. Leonard Bernstein’s video series at Harvard called “The Unanswered Questions”. He is not the most dynamic speaker, but what he says is truly fascinating and enlightening! There is a lot of “Oh, I remember that from college” thoughts, but it is also filled with a few “Wow!! Didn’t know that!” thoughts! Click HERE to view.
4. Start composing yourself….why not? No one else needs to hear it….the objective is to have fun!
5. …and of course play with your Note Knacks!! …you never know what you will create!
Here are just a few ideas, please let us know in the comments below what you do to stay inspired! We would love to hear it, as the best part of this is hearing from all of you!
Have a great week!