When I started working with the Associate Principal Oboist of the Pittsburgh Symphony, I was so excited and since working with him for a little over three years now, there are some lessons that I have picked up along the way. Today we are diving into three things that I learned from working with a symphony player, one that graduated from Juilliard and is now in the Pittsburgh Symphony, and that person is Max Blair.
Click here for the interview with Max Blair
1. To expect more of yourself
There are two ways of going about this. The first is how I tried before I started working with this teacher. It’s a little vulnerable to talk about, but I tried negative thoughts, disliking everything I did, and not being satisfied with anything.
Spoiler alert, that got me nowhere.
When I started working with Max, I started expecting the best that I can do, but from a different approach: from an inspired one that didn’t beat myself up in a negative way. I just knew that I could keep going and do better because I believed in myself, and that’s the difference. That is a whole different way to look at it, and it made it so that I was excited to learn and get better. With that I did definitely improve.
A quick way to get into the habit of inspiring yourself is celebrating yourself.
Not sure how? Start here – with the Standing Ovation Series.
For 3 days, you will get an email everyday celebrating your hard work and encouraging you for the next day. Just like a standing ovation!
2. Finding something to learn from every situation
Last summer I didn’t have as much practice time as I had hoped for. Because of this, I worked on making my practice more efficient. More importantly, I changed my mindset from, “oh no, I don’t have as much practice time” to “here is a great opportunity to learn how to be more efficient in the practice time that I have.”
I was able to share this with Max in an inspired way that created an opportunity to grow.
Every failure, every success, and every challenge is going to teach you something. I challenge you to look for that.
3. Letting go of being defensive
I’ll be honest, this is a little personal, but I think it is important to note.
You know when you are working on something, and you are practicing, and you think that is has gotten so much better? Then when you have your lesson, you teacher points it out and says you need to keep working on it?
There is a part of you that wants to get defensive because you worked SO HARD on it. But what I have learned is that being defensive is a quick way to stunting your growth. I learned quickly to lean into constructive criticism not as a negative thing on your hard work, but a way to grow even more.
I know this one might be a bit vulnerable, but it’s important to share.
Working with this symphony player has been so beneficial. I am so grateful for the experience, and I hope you found these takeaways insightful!
All my best,
Eleanor
Leave a Reply