Music should be FUN!
We all take up music for different reasons, but I’m confident that at the heart of them all is NOT the idea that music is work. How much more could we accomplish if we just allowed ourselves to have some fun?!?
I ran across a video a few days ago that demonstrated beautifully the impact that fun has on us as human beings. We’ve discussed this on several occasions (see Five Secrets to Rapid Improvement in Your Playing for a favorite example) but a picture is worth a thousand words…and moving pictures significantly more. 8-) Check it out!
The best thing about this video from the perspective of a Part-Time Musician (PTM) may be that it holds the key to getting the most from our shared obsession. No one would argue that taking the stairs involves less effort than riding the escalator up to the surface, yet people chose to take the stairs. Why? Because it was fun. Even with more work involved, it was fun!
Studying an instrument takes effort, and there are days we all consider quitting. It takes time, it takes work. Yet it can be an incredible amount of fun if we allow ourselves to make it so. Practice, yes…drill, yes…strive, yes! But don’t forget to have fun with it, too. You may be surprised at the improvements you see.
Keep playing,
Mark



