I’m guessing, by the fact that you are on Confident Musicianing, and you are reading to an article specifically about confident musicians, that you maybe, just maybe, want to become a more confident musician. Am I right, or am I right?
Well, you are in the right place, my friend, because there are a ton of things that confident musicians do, and we are about to dive right into them.
Multitasking? There is a podcast episode all about this!
Really quickly, before we start, I want to share a quick win with you. If you have been following me for a while, you know I love a good win — something that went well and something to celebrate, whether big or small.
This win has to do with reeds. I normally play orchestra rehearsals with my teacher’s reeds, but right before the rehearsal, I realised that all of his reeds were too worn out, and I didn’t have a good reed to play on. So I decided to make one. It was a lot of pressure, but I ended up making one with a really good sound, and I played it in rehearsal. This was the first time I had played my self-made reeds in public and I was so proud of myself!
If you have a win — big or small — please do let me know, and you could get mentioned on the podcast and blog! Just email me at eleanor@confidentmusicianing.com, or DM me on instagram at @eleanor.oboe. Let me know it’s a win, and tell me all about it! I’d love to hear from you.
Ok. Back to confident musicians:
1: When Confident Musicians Are In A Room With People Who Are Better Than Them, They See It As A Learning Opportunity
I absolutely love being around people who are better than me at my instrument, but that was not always the case. I used to get super duper, duper jealous and nervous. I used to feel insecure because of how much better they were. But then I started to realise that I can learn something from them. I could be inspired by them.
Now, of course I still struggle sometimes with feeling a little insecure. We all do — we’re human. But I challenge you to see people who are more advanced than you as inspirations and people you could learn something from.
For you it might be an older student or first chair in orchestra, and you are stunned at their amazingness… I challenge you to turn that into a learning opportunity.
2: Confident Musicians Are Not Afraid To Embarrass Themselves
This can be definitely tricky, because we are all human and it is in our nature to be sensitive to getting embarrassed, which makes us afraid of trying new things for fear of shame or embarrassment. But remember this: it’s only embarrassing if you make it embarrassing. Embarrassment is an opinion.
So let me ask you a question. If there were no chance of shame or rejection or embarrassment, what would you do musically? Think about it. Would it be an audition for a specific ensemble that you’ve always wanted? Would it be making more connections with other musicians? Or maybe it’s even just playing out in orchestra, being more confident in orchestra?
Because with all these things, shame and embarrassment are not a guarantee, but think about all of the amazing things that can come out of these things you want to do musically. Embarrassment holds us back — but will you let it?
3: They Celebrate Where They Are Now, And Strive To Grow
Let’s take a look at that first part. They celebrate where they are now. Do you celebrate where you are now?
One thing that I do is I get a notebook and at the end of every week, I write down all the good things from that week — all my wins. Even that tiny act is a way to celebrate what you have achieved — because you deserve it!
If you want to get a kick start in celebrating where you are, sign up for the Standing Ovation Series! You get an email everyday, for 3 days, celebrating all the hard work you put in that day. It’s a great way to learn how to celebrate your wins!
4: They Utilize Self Talk As A Way To Stay Confident
The way we talk to ourselves is so powerful. So why not be encouraging?
I go in depth about this in episode 8 of the Confident Musicianing Podcast. It’s called Sweaty Palms? Three Things You Need To Say To Yourself Before That Audition. It’s definitely worth the listen. And you can also read the blog post that goes along with this episode.
A key aspect of positive self-talk is showing yourself patience. For instance, if it takes you longer to accomplish something than you thought it would. Showing yourself patience and saying, “I am trying my best, and yeah, it’s taking longer, but I’m still working hard at it. And I deserve patience.” That is really helpful.
5. They Surround Themselves With Supportive People
When you are in a room with other musicians who support you, that is an amazing feeling.
I remember one time I was talking to another oboist that I had never met before. We had set up a like a video call and we were chatting about studying oboe. And then the conversation just flowed into us talking about all the different musical opportunities that we each had coming up and how excited we were. And there was just so much positivity in the conversation because we were so excited for each other. I came away feel extremely inspired. Positive and encouraging people is what we need… especially as musicians.
Because your time is too precious for unnecessary negativity.
I hope that you found these insightful, and I hope you have a lovely day!
All my best,
Eleanor
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