Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today I’m asking: Are you killing the goose that lays the golden eggs in your practice? Boy, it’s horrible to think that this could be possible. What am I talking about here, anyway? Well, it’s important to cover the most vital subjects in your practice and to work out exercises and technique. Some things are fun to work on, and some things are drudgery. You must strike a balance, or you risk the possibility of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!
The goose that lays the golden eggs is your passion for the instrument.
If you force yourself to do things that you know you need to do in your practice, but you feel like it’s drudgery to sit down at the piano because the stuff you need to do is so distasteful, then what do you have left? If you don’t love the instrument, then you’re not going to want to practice it anyway. In your practice, of course, you must do certain vital things. And there are some things that maybe you’d rather not do. Maybe you don’t want to work on scales or memorization.
Find time for the important things and balance it out with things that bring you great joy on the instrument.
You have to have some enjoyment, so it’s not all work and no play. You should do some things just because you love to do them instead of falling into a routine that you think you have to do because it’s important. Find the balance between what is productive and what is enriching! That will take you much further than beating yourself up and driving something into the ground until you don’t even want to do it anymore. Make time for what’s important. And if you make the time for playing and enjoying your instrument, then you’ll be able to balance the time spent on important things that may be very challenging. The challenging aspects of your practice can give you a bit of a sickness in the pit of your stomach if you do them too much. Let me know in the comments how many of you have faced this issue! I know it’s a tough thing, particularly for younger students.
Most kids hate to practice.
If they’re forced to practice and they hate every minute of it, they might just want to quit altogether. So they have to have some fun. Maybe they want to make up some music or play some popular songs. Some teachers don’t let them do that. You must strike a balance in your piano practice between hard work and the things you find enriching. With anything in life that you have a passion for, make sure you take time to enjoy it! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.
3 thoughts on “Are You Killing the Goose That Lays the Golden Eggs in Your Practice?”
Excellent topic to talk about , especially now at the start of 2024.
Little children need to play to their family often.I think it must all happen naturally.If they become competetive about their playing , then they will also naturally practice more.
Teenagers are also dedicated towards performanc goals , but would not over practice their pieces.This is good , because they are in the discovery phase of their lives .
If children and teenagers are at home without siblings commenting or distracting them , then life would be a bliss, but I think this is not the case with many young musicians .
Any musician is resilient and passionate about their music.You do have to see progress in your years of teaching and playing, for that is an award in itself.
I agree….I usually reward my students when they finish learning foundational technique and classical with pieces I let them choose some pieces I know they would like. : )
That’s a good plan to keep kids engaged in the piano!