Music summer camps are great because they give you time and space to practice your instrument in a concentrated manner. You are going to be surrounded by people who are all trying to get better at their respective instruments, which creates an environment that will help you put more of your focus on practicing and improving than you would be able to in the regular world. However, the result of this intense practice can be burnout. You might feel too drained to properly practice, resulting in you getting frustrated and a practice session not being helpful. Your embouchure might fail and cause your tone to go bad during a group practice, which could be embarrassing. Here are some tips for making sure that you maintain your energy, embouchure, and focus during a music summer camp.
1. Take Breaks
Do not practice all the time. You need to take frequent breaks to make sure that you are able to recharge your brain and let your lips rest so that they can function at full capacity for the next practice. Commit to taking a break in the middle of each of your practices to read a chapter of a book or watch a funny cat video on the Internet. This will help you make sure that the second half of your practice is as productive as the first. Commit to taking breaks during the day that have nothing to do with music so that, if you have multiple sessions in a day, that your brain is sufficiently relaxed to focus on the music and getting better, rather than on how tired you are.
2. Strength Train Your Lips Ahead of Time
A clarinet player doesn't immediately play an eight hour opera without having his or her lips fail. He or she works up to it. In the weeks before your summer camp, practice buzzing into your mouthpiece or playing for longer and longer periods each day. This will help you make sure that your embouchure doesn't fail at noon, leaving the rest of the day's practices less helpful than they could have been otherwise. As a bonus, this will also help you keep your focus for longer because your brain will be trained at the same time.
3. Set Goals
Finally, try to set goals that are achievable by the end of the summer camp and divide these goals into smaller goals. This will help you get a flash of satisfaction every time you hit one of the smaller goals and will allow you to stay motivated throughout the camp.
For more information, talk to the music summer camp you are considering.
Share4 August 2016
Are you planning a party, gathering or celebration in which you will be inviting a mixed group of people? If so, one of the most difficult elements of the planning process is choosing the music that you will play during the event. Since people have such varying tastes in music, it can be hard to find a playlist for a mixed group without offending someone in the crowd. So, how do you do it? This blog will give you several ideas that can help you plan the music playlist using music that won't offend your guests but that will keep everyone entertained.