A Day in the Life of a Music Student: Part 3
PART 3: THE MAESTRO
In true student form, I have found my practice time to be a little sporadic over the past couple of weeks. At one point, I began to feel a little defeated with my cello progress as life kept 'getting in the way'. I have been to this place of defeat before, but the difference is that I now know that it does get better and easier (in some ways)! And boy, when it reaches that point of being an innate part of your soul, it really is a beautiful thing!
PART 3: THE MAESTRO
I obviously haven't reached this level of comfort with the cello yet (no surprises there!). The piano, however, is a totally different story for me. With close to 20 years experience playing the piano, I can definitely say that it has become a huge part of my life. It is no longer a 'chore' for me. In fact, its the exact opposite. Playing the piano is now 'me time'. Every day, I make myself a cup of tea, and close myself away in my music room for an hour or so. From there, I begin to play whatever my heart desires!
I can't even begin to describe the satisfaction I feel when I put a new piece of music in front of me and I can play it with minimal effort or thinking. The origin of the music begins to shift as you enter this 'maestro' phase of being a musician. Instead of coming from the head, it begins to come from the heart. Playing becomes an open channel for emotional outlet. Its a beautiful thing when you can truly use music as a vessel to tell your story.
All of this causes you to change your whole view of 'practice'. To be honest, I don't even see it as practice anymore. Its more of an 'exploration'. I no longer play for a teacher, I play for myself. I have found myself in a place of true intrinsic motivation that continues to propel me forward. The true, raw passion has finally ignited and its results are quite powerful!
When I reflect on my piano journey as a whole, It becomes blatantly obvious that some days (even years) were better than others, but I still managed to find myself in this place of peace and inspiration. Reflecting on this helped me stumble out of my 'cello defeat', and it crystallised the fact that, its ok for life to sometimes 'get in the way'. Everyone's journey is different, and the most important thing to remember is that this is your journey and you are going to do it your way.
