Low Eh!

August – festival season is over for me, the teaching schedule slows down a bit, and I get a little bit of a mental reset before the flurry of the school year begins.

Even though, August is a bit of a “break” from the academic year, the practicing, and music keep developing. This “down time” gives me a chance to re-evaluate my professional goals, practice routine, and to dig into different material. Here are three things that I’ve learned from having a quieter August over several years.

1. Goals – 2023-2024 was busier than I have been in years! Between balancing work, finishing my degree, and family, I am constantly in “survival mode”. I’m always preparing music for an upcoming gig, or writing arrangements for bands or my students, or writing term papers, it’s great to be able to stop and think about what I want to accomplish over the next year. Re-evaluating my goals helps me set a strong path to what I want to accomplish when life gets busy. Writing down my goals, and thoughts of where I’d like my playing to go is important as well.
2. My practice routine changes. During the academic year, I squeeze an hour here, or a half-hour there, and my practice routine becomes disjointed as I try to fit it around my commitments. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been able to have longer, focused sessions where I can hone in on concepts, and develop those concepts to the where they come through in my playing. I also get to take my time learning the material for upcoming shows – this year I have some exciting big band shows, as well as a musical that I’m prepping for. I have also been working through the Ferling Studies (again! Haha!), and I am loving the way my technique is developing with the focused practice.
3. Digging into new material – I’ve been using this summer to transcribe some solos of players that I’ve admired from afar. I love digging into new material, but hesitate to commit to it during the school year, as I never quite feel like I can dedicate enough time to do it justice (between full-time school, and a full teaching studio). I’m trying to get past that block about it, and maybe this year is the year! In the meantime, I have been transcribing some solos that have been of players who are adjacent to my regular playlist. Transcribing these players always opens up new pathways for goals.

This time of year affords me the time to evaluate, and re-evaluate where my music path is venturing. It sets me up for consistent progress, and a good plan to maintain that progress through the busy times.