They did it!

The 100 Day Practice Challenge is over and we would like to congratulate Devin Bogolin, Trent Englum, Austin Iturralde, Evelyn Iturralde, Hannah Kirby, John Kloosterman, Megan McConnaughay, and Avery Neff on completing 100 consecutive days of practice! Altogether, those students practiced a minimum of 24,000 minutes or 400 hours! Wow! We're so proud of you!

I took a video of Evelyn a few weeks ago, before the Practice Challenge ended. Here's what she has to say about practicing...

Congratulations, Kaelynn!

We want to offer congratulations to Kaelynn Clark, 

a voice and piano student at 

Mattix Music Studio!

Kaelynn received First Place for singing "Memory" from Cats at the Clinton Rosette Talent Show recently and also got a perfect score at her Solo and Ensemble Contest.

Way to go! We're so proud of you!

Maybe you should dress up like this next time, Kaelynn!

Want to watch the original cast? Check out this video.

Spring Break Practice Ideas

Hi everyone!

How is your Practice Challenge going? Have you been able to practice 10 days in a row? Did you make it to 50 days? How many will make it to 100 days of practice? We'll find out soon, since we're over halfway there!

Many of you are thinking about the upcoming Spring Break and wondering how to fit practice into your vacation, especially if you are traveling. I'd like to share some general ideas with you today. Next week I'll share some advice for pianists who obviously can't take a baby grand with them to Florida!

1. Set specific goals.

Goal-setting is one of the most important ways to ensure you become a better musician. This is a good principle for everyday life, but it is especially important when schedules change (for example, going on a vacation). In your case, a current goal has already been established by the 10-, 50-, or 100-day practice challenge at Mattix Music Studio. Going into vacation with a specific goal gives you a huge head start towards success.

2. Establish a specific time.

Another important element is choosing a specific time of day to meet your goal. Some ideas:

--Reserve 30 minutes for practice right after lunch before heading to the pool. Swimming on a full stomach should be avoided anyway, so a post-meal practice session is always a good idea.
--Practice first thing in the morning. This can be a meaningful way to start out your day. Wake up your mind and body at the same time by enjoying some early-morning music.
--Practice when you have a lull in your schedule. For example, if you need some downtime after a long day in the sun, setting aside a block of time for music is a really effective way to unwind.

3. Choose "vacation music."

Why not choose some "vacation music?" For some personality types, selecting something different to work on while on vacation can be highly motivating. Our Practice Challenge is to accumulate as many consecutive practice days as possible, up to 100. As long as you are meeting your 30-, 45- or 60-minute goal, you may work on some "fun" music during vacation time. Brainstorm some new music ideas with your teacher if this idea appeals to you. This will make your practice seem different and can give a lot of energy to your practice during a break.

4. Try some "out-of-the-box" practice. 
You may already know about some ways to practice that are useful when learning notes or memorizing music. Here are some specific ideas:

a. Sing through the melody and harmony parts of your piece.
b. Clap rhythms in your music, focusing on especially challenging passages.
c. Review flashcards.
d. Work on memorizing away from your instrument. Think through the melody and tap each note with the correct fingers.

5. Remember why you're doing what you're doing. 

Anyone who studies a language quickly learns the axiom "use it or lose it." This means that if I'm not practicing the new words and grammar I'm learning regularly, I will never be able to truly master the language. Many people compare learning music to learning a language. The goal of our Practice Challenge is to provide motivation to practice the language of music each day. At the end of this Challenge, you will notice a greater fluency in how you "speak the language" of music. This increased fluency is largely because of the hours you have invested with your instrument.

***

Best wishes with your vacation practicing! Keep up the good work!

Do you have any other ideas about how to fit in practice while on vacation? If you do, share it in the comments section below!

I admit it, I'm a lazy violinist.

Yesterday I told my student Adam that what he really needs to play his piece well is to be lazy. His eyes bugged out and he definitely could not believe what I just said. Yep, he needs to be more lazy.
But here's a big secret that nobody knows: Musicians are jocks. We're all athletes who are working out very specific parts of our muscles everyday. The stigma of the nerdy musician who is as pale as a vampire because we never see the sun, wearing glasses while squinting at small music notes and whose backside is shaped like the chair on which we practice may have some legitimacy, but we're actually pretty amazing athletes. I dare you to challenge me to a thumb war!

When I was in college I practiced violin for 6-8 hours a day, which is pretty standard for strings and piano majors. By my junior year I developed severe tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome in both of my hands due to overuse and bad technique. I literally couldn't hold a fork for a while, or even turn a door handle. The doctors told me I couldn't play violin again and that I should just quit and do something else with my life. Well, tell that to someone who is in their junior year of college, only has one legitimate skill and 3/4 of their music credits done, and watch them dissolve into a puddle of despair. I stopped playing for about 9 months and slowly worked myself back up to practicing as much as I could. Not 8 hours a day, but several.

The way that I got my violin back was through being "lazy," believe it or not. In the past I had tried to muscle and power my way through playing violin for hours on end, but the real trick is to simply relax and not move any muscle you don't have to. Now I teach my students to maximize their body's natural shape and movements, and to let gravity do the work for them. String players can relax their shoulders and let the natural weight of their arms drop into the strings through a relaxed bow hand. Piano players can let gravity help them drop arm weight into the keys for a beautiful, strong tone without unnecessary effort. Singers and wind players can use their core muscles to relax and control their breath without tensing up.

I've got a big challenge coming up in February - I booked a gig playing violin for a furniture store, of all things, and I have to play solo music for four hours. I have breaks, but I still have to make it for four hours straight. I'm out of shape from the 8-hour college days, so the only way I can physically do that is if I am as lazy as I can possibly be. I'm going to try to be completely limp except for the few muscles that I have to move in order to play. And you know what, I should be playing like that every time I pick up my instrument! Not only do I protect my body, but it sounds a lot better, too. Wish me luck!

Check out how relaxed violinist Alexander Markov is playing the killer Paganini Caprice No. 5. You won't believe it!

Take a look at yourself and your kids and see if you are holding tension anywhere, and then talk to your teacher about how to relax and maximize your efforts for a beautiful sound. Be (the right kind of) lazy! :)