LEARNING TO PLAY THE FLUTE
Think back over your life to a time when you really wanted
to learn or do something.
I was thinking about this earlier today. I’m trying to learn Spanish (again) and this
time I’m determined to do it! I know it’s
harder to learn a language after the age of 12 but that is just an excuse. People learn new languages all the time. Why is it so difficult to learn something
new?
I remembered back to the 7th grade. I was in the band learning to play
flute. My flute was as old as an
antique. The pads were always coming
off. My band director, Mr. Bullock, spent
a lot of time keeping that darn thing just playable. Every note required different positions with
every finger. Then you had to have your
lips just right. You had to change the
position of your lips depending where on the scale the note was.
You had to learn to breathe properly to even play the
note. You had to blow across the hole
and down into it. Don’t forget the
position of your arms! Trying holding your arms in the position in the picture for
long periods of time. Just learning that
took time and practice! And then there
was the vibrato you had to learn at some point down the road. Vibrato happened by controlling your
breathing AND controlling your diaphragm.
And you had to do these things all at the same time. How Mr. Bullock taught 100 kids playing lots
of different instruments how to play them well enough for a concert at the end
of the year still amazes me.
August before 8th grade we added a new
challenge. We had to memorize all of our
music for football season. We had to
learn a new half time routine every two weeks.
And let me tell you they were intricate and amazing even for junior
high! We had to do the routine and play
at the same time. Yep, it was hard. But we did it. The entire month of August we spent 3-4
hours, 5 days a week in the East Texas sun learning. Then we trudged indoors to learn the music. Two nights a week we were marching. We were committed!
By the summer after 8th grade I was practicing my
flute hours and hours a day. Probably
4-5 hours. The more I committed, the
more I practiced. The more I practiced
the better I got. By high school I
became an accomplished flute player.
I look at things I want to do now. The 5k I completed. The 10K I am training for. Pushing to run. Learning Spanish. I am thinking about those 2 years in 7th
and 8th grade. What can I
learn from that child who was 12 and 13?
Here it is in a nutshell.
First you have to want it. I mean
really want it. Then you have to commit
to it. That means every day. Committing. Practicing.
Learning. You can’t just do it once a week. It’s a total immersion and consistency. How many times have I heard that from runners: Be consistent!
What makes that kid so much more committed than we as
adults are? Well, we all found our reason
that kept us motivated and going. It can
be a big thing or it can be a small thing.
In Skinny Fiber we call it “finding our why”. I can tell you what my Why was for being in
the band. Oh sure, I loved music. I mean really loved music. But that wasn’t it. I was committed to learning it because if I
didn’t, I had to take Physical Education.
That meant taking my clothes off and showering in a room with a bunch of
other girls. I couldn’t do that. I was fat.
It wasn’t about the exercising.
Band kids probably did more physical activity than anyone in gym. It was the fear and humiliation of that
shower room. So I was committed. Those first two years were so very hard. But I never quit. I just kept working at it every day.
That’s one reason I set goals for myself. A 5K.
A 10K. A 30 day squat
challenge. My goal in a month with
Spanish is to have at least a short conversation with my friend Marisela,
totally in Spanish. Yes, it scares
me. Makes me anxious. But I know I can do it if I commit to it. Work it every day. Set daily goals. Have weekly goals. Practice and never give up. I’ll look back in 30 days and realize how far
I have come! And I will keep going.
Go back to a time when you really committed to learning
something or doing something. Remember
all the steps you took to get to your goal.
You will be amazed, especially if it was when you were a child, just how
hard you worked. That child that learned
to play flute taught me a lot and still is almost 50 years later.
copyrighted 2014
caryn cannatella
Skinny Fiber Sales: www.caryncann.com
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