inBachs / How do you find joy in your practice?

Hey musicians! I’m Lyndi Knox - I’m a clarinet studio owner (knoxclarinetstudio.com) educator, and a member of the Outside The Bachs team. Based in the Pacific Northwest, I bring extensive performance and teaching experience, offering personalized, creative instruction that empowers students to reach their musical goals.

I’m guest writing here for inBachs and I wanted to share some thoughts on finding joy in your own practice.

I’ve been there. The long grinding nights. The early technique warm ups. The sometimes wondering why you even keep doing this. What we started as something by for enjoyment, expression, beauty, can get lost in the work.

Some ways to sprinkle in some joy:

-Play a song / piece you love

-Listen to someone who inspires you - it doesn’t need to be on your instrument

-Ask yourself creative questions in practice - today I asked: how many different styles can I play my articulation exercise? It took something that can be mundane to a more interesting place

-Recognize how far you have come (this can be from yesterday, last week, last month, years)

- take pride in your growth. There is always more to be done but there is almost always more to be proud of than we give ourselves credit for.

-Be silly! Sing your music, create a dance for it, write a story about it. Let your inhibitions go and find your inner child.If you’re feeling like you’ve lost the joy in your music-making, I’ve been there.

I’m not saying these little ideas will solve everything, but maybe you can find a way to smile as you practice. To me, that’s a great first step.