Today I’d like to share some quick mindset changes you can make while practicing. It’s so easy to have a negative mindset in the practice room, but switching to a positive one can make your practicing much more healthy and enjoyable!

Prefer to hear me talk about this, rather than read it? Watch the video below!

This is the post I made on Instagram last week. The way we talk to ourselves, especially as musicians, is so important, but even in lots of aspects of our lives we’re really our own worst critics. We mean well by doing this, but it’s so much healthier if we talk to ourselves like we talk to our best friends or loved ones.

 

Get excited about what you do

The first switch I made, a few years ago, was to say “I get to practice today!” instead of, “I have to practice today.” This simple switch has made practicing feel a lot less like a chore, and more like something enjoyable. Thinking, “I get to practice today, I get to play the viola today, I get to play this piece” made me a lot more excited to open up my case and practice the viola!

Even if you don’t necessarily love the repertoire you’re playing, you can always spin it so you’re excited to just play your instrument or sing. 

Use more complex sentences

One phrase I really don’t like is “that wasn’t bad.” A lot of us say this to ourselves, and I hear a lot of teachers say it. Yeah, it wasn’t bad, but was it good? Was anything successful?

If you’re saying “that wasn’t bad” to yourself, try adding more to it. What was successful? What didn’t work? How can you recreate what went right, and avoid what went wrong? This is where the real practicing happens–we need to know how to play successfully each time, and avoid past mistakes. Being more deliberate and detailed with the way you analyze your playing will make your practicing a lot more productive and meaningful.

The phrase “that wasn’t bad” is also pretty negative. When we say things like “that wasn’t bad,” or “don’t get tense here,” our brains like to pick out the negative word and do it anyway. So our brains hear something more like “that was bad” or “get tense here.” Try spinning it another way, by saying “stay loose here,” or, like I said earlier, being more detailed and thinking about what was successful and what wasn’t.

Take a break if you’re feeling overwhelmed or overly negative

If you’re struggling and feeling like you just can’t get it right, put your instrument down, take a walk, stretch, drink some water. Focus your mind on something else (or nothing), and come back to what you were working on with a fresh mind, whether you take a break and come back to it, or take a break, work on something else, and then come back to it.

Taking a break and focusing your mind on something else will help clear up the mental block that might’ve been created while struggling on a certain piece/phrase/shift/note/etc. If your mind starts spiraling down the rabbit hole of negative thoughts, walk away and come back to it with a fresh mind.

Focus on your progress

You’ve likely heard the phrase “progress over perfection” if you’ve been on the internet in the last few years. It’s a much healthier way of thinking–you’ll never be perfect (sorry), so making progress is the most important thing you can do. Not focusing on being perfect can really free you up to make better music, because you’re not confining yourself to the perfection box.

If you’re feeling bad about yourself, thinking about your previous progress. Where were you years ago, months ago, a week ago? Would you be able to play this music years ago, months ago, even a week ago? What techniques have you gotten better at? Realizing that you’ve come a long way can help turn negative thoughts into more positive ones.

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What negative thoughts have you run into? Have you been able to turn them into positive mindsets? Please share them down in the comments if you’re comfortable! If you’re stuck in a negative rut, let me know either in the comments or in a DM on Instagram (@lifefromtheviolasection) and I’d be happy to help you come up with a more positive mindset!

Looking for ways to stay motivated during the pandemic? I have a post sharing exactly that! Check it out here.