The past several months have been full of self-evaluation. In April, Megan and I will be welcoming our baby boy into our home. It's amazing how differently I've looked at myself since finding out I was going to be a father. I will also be finishing my masters program at the University of South Alabama in July, and with that comes decisions regarding career and/or further education. I, like many others, constantly make resolutions each year, and far too often I fail to meet them. But this year, my motivation is a little different. I'm not simply trying to do new things or things I've always wanted to do. This year, I'm trying to better myself and further hone my career skills in order to better care for my family and prepare myself to be a good example of a man for my son.
1. Less TV more reading and listening. This morning I deleted my Netflix and Hulu apps from my smartphone. I spent more time reading this break than I have in a long time, and I've been enjoying rediscovering the mental stimulation that it brings. I also use TV shows as background noise far too often. I would benefit much more from listening to pieces I'm learning and familiarizing myself with important works.
2. Become comfortable in the basics of German, French, and Italian diction. Vocal coaching is a large chunk of a collaborative pianist's career potential, but it requires a working knowledge of foreign language diction, an area in which I am under-prepared. It will also prove invaluable if I end up pursing a Doctor of Musical Arts.
3. Submits articles for publication in music educator journals, magazines, etc. Getting published in music educator publications is seen as important evidence of dedication to the field. This one worries me, because it will obviously take a lot of work. Coming up with a original topic and constructing a concise, organized, and well written article will take a lot of time, but doing what needs to be done is a part of being an adult.
4. Perform a solo piano recital. The past several years of my life have been so full of collaborative projects that I have not seriously studied any solo literature in a long time. If I do not have time to memorize the program, I will just perform it with music. Fortunately, that is becoming more accepted in the music community.
5. Begin the Music Teachers National Association certification process. The process is not extremely difficult, but it is time consuming and will require a lot of organization.
6. Write things down. I. am. disorganized. There...I admitted it. I've avoided really dealing with the issue, but it's time that I take steps to organize myself a little better. It's best to tackle things one step at a time, and my first step will be writing things down...I hope.
7. Write blog posts more regularly. I think this is a resolution for everyone who has a blog (except maybe those sickeningly organized people who actually keep up with their blogs regularly!).
1. Less TV more reading and listening. This morning I deleted my Netflix and Hulu apps from my smartphone. I spent more time reading this break than I have in a long time, and I've been enjoying rediscovering the mental stimulation that it brings. I also use TV shows as background noise far too often. I would benefit much more from listening to pieces I'm learning and familiarizing myself with important works.
2. Become comfortable in the basics of German, French, and Italian diction. Vocal coaching is a large chunk of a collaborative pianist's career potential, but it requires a working knowledge of foreign language diction, an area in which I am under-prepared. It will also prove invaluable if I end up pursing a Doctor of Musical Arts.
3. Submits articles for publication in music educator journals, magazines, etc. Getting published in music educator publications is seen as important evidence of dedication to the field. This one worries me, because it will obviously take a lot of work. Coming up with a original topic and constructing a concise, organized, and well written article will take a lot of time, but doing what needs to be done is a part of being an adult.
4. Perform a solo piano recital. The past several years of my life have been so full of collaborative projects that I have not seriously studied any solo literature in a long time. If I do not have time to memorize the program, I will just perform it with music. Fortunately, that is becoming more accepted in the music community.
5. Begin the Music Teachers National Association certification process. The process is not extremely difficult, but it is time consuming and will require a lot of organization.
6. Write things down. I. am. disorganized. There...I admitted it. I've avoided really dealing with the issue, but it's time that I take steps to organize myself a little better. It's best to tackle things one step at a time, and my first step will be writing things down...I hope.
7. Write blog posts more regularly. I think this is a resolution for everyone who has a blog (except maybe those sickeningly organized people who actually keep up with their blogs regularly!).