The Focus-House
Classical musicians need one common denominator to learn their parts: focus.
But the problem is that staying focused is super hard.
As soon as you wonder if you are focused or not, you leave the focus-house. You stop the work-in-progress to verify if you are still focused.
In that quarter of a second you got distracted and left the focus-house to enter a different dimension.
If you learn how to practice your instrument inside the focus-house ONLY, you’ll get more done in less time.
More means:
· A more accurate performance
· Faster assimilation of the notes
· Better control of the instrument (Dynamics, phrasing, tone)
· Good sense of intonation
· Better communication with your colleagues (chamber music)
· Better synchronization with other parts (orchestra)
How to Stay in the Focus-House
· Start with a couple of minutes a day — Don’t expect to be welcomed in the focus-house for more than a couple of minutes at a time. In the focus-house they like it quiet and your mind is not used to that yet.
As soon as you wonder what you are going to eat for dinner they kick you out.
Take 3 minutes, breathe and think about nothing. Yes, it’s like yoga. But if you want to stay focused, it’s the only way to secure a room in the focus-house. If you last three minutes thinking about black and nothing comes to mind, you are doing really well.
Your concentration will gradually last longer and your practice sessions will improve.
· Listen to a long symphony or attend a live classical music performance – When you listen to instrumental music you have to fill-in the gaps. You hear the sounds but have to imagine a picture with it, or a feeling.
You’ll get tired soon and space out. It’s natural.
Your attention span is short (for now) because it doesn’t have the training yet.
Keep practicing.
While in concerts, enjoy the music and try to listen as much as you can: chords, melodies, textures, colors, and then, when your mind can’t hold it any longer you release your thoughts and think about your new outfit.
When ready again, go back. Keep training your mind to remain focused for long periods of time.
· Disconnect Completely – the internet is responsible for a big chunk of your day, I’m sure. Forget about social networks and unplug from the digital world. It’s not easy but you must do it. At least a couple of hours day.
Use blocking programs if necessary. The less clutter you have in your life the more focused you’ll remain.
· Experiment with your instrument—take 10 minutes. Practice the first 15 notes of your concerto or sonata or whatever. Play them in slow motion and feel your fingers changing position. What does it take to play a clean performance in the first 2 notes? Feel it. Repeat it.
If you didn’t play any of the notes thinking about the football game, you are good to move on to the next couple of notes. If you thought about what you are going to wear tonight, you have to try again.
· Divide your work in tasks—Notes, articulation, phrasing, dynamics, etc. Work them separately. Build the music and take your time. It’s not about who gets there first, it’s about who gets there at all and what can you do while there.
· Practice Yoga – Yoga will give you the tools to focus at any given time. If you think Yoga is boring check out www.calm.com. They give you a really nice introduction. I’m all into it lately.
You are more likely to stay focused if
you live a calm life.
Try the following to ease up your everyday life.
· Don’t stress over the things you can’t control – Work hard on your instrument, write that paper due next week and vacuum your car. Water your flowers but don’t worry if some don’t grow the way you wanted them to. You did everything in your power. Sometimes you just have to let nature, God, Buddha or you preferred inspiration do their jobs.
· Take a break or a nap – Use them to help you work at a higher level. 15 minutes with your eyes close WILL make a difference in your performance.
· Drink tea – I keep reading about the benefits of drinking tea. I’m still with coffee but will give it a chance soon. It’s on my list.
· Go for a walk – You need to feel different environments (other than your office or work place). For us artists is impossible to find inspiration in the walls of a practice room. Get out and see the nature, then return with a fresh mind and play your scales. 
· Get a massage – While there, enjoy the music and decompress. Your muscles are a vital part of great music making—take care of them.
· Practice outside – I don’t dare to go out with my violin but I know many of you brass players feel completely comfortable with practicing outside. Do it. A change in scenery can only be good.
· Spend time with friends and family – Never take for granted your people. Studies say that around 90% of your happiness comes from sharing moments with the people you love. That’s not a small percent.
· Read The Power of Now – A good book that will change the way you see time.
· Join a club – During my masters, I worked my ass off but also looked forward to my astronomy meetings. I belonged to the Albuquerque Astronomy Society and found that it helped me live a better balanced life. After astronomy I looked very much forward to my practice sessions.
About Resting
A good night sleep is the best strategy you could use to have a focused-mind during the day.
Some tricks:
· Make sure you stick to a schedule.
· Have a routine – do the same thing before you go to sleep (read, listen to music, think about Mars)
· Cut the electronics 2 hours before bed time – It just simply works!
· Careful with the movies you see before bed time. – All that stuff gets recorded in your mind. One time I watched almost a whole season of The Walking Dead in a day. I know, I should’ve been practicing. But that night I paid for my sins.
Multi-tasking is for
aliens and procrastinators.
Aliens have a bigger head and many arms. They can multi-task. Their brains are way faster and bigger than ours —for our human-sized brain try to tackle only one task at a time.
· You’ll be more effective starting something and finishing it (if possible).
· Plan your day ahead – That way you won’t waste time figuring what to do next. You’ll stay focused longer when the decisions are made in advance.
· Reward yourself – 10 minutes of Facebook after 50 minutes of practice. Why not? I can stay concentrated for about 45 minutes when I practice. (50 minutes without thinking what your girlfriend/boyfriend is doing is not so easy—don’t give up! You can do it)
· Practice intonation only – string players! Spend an hour tuning a whole page of your concerto, then use the metronome and play each repetition 10 times before increasing speed 5 notches. You’ll play that page super in tune if you do it for a week. Work like that for a couple of months and your concerto will sound amazingly in tune.
· When you practice scales don’t improvise or play a different work – Stay with scales. Don’t move on until you practice the amount of time you scheduled for scales in the first place. Discipline is focus.
Leo Batuta
One of my favorite bloggers is Leo Batuta. His blog will help you find calmness and improve your quality of life.
Leo wrote a book called FOCUS. There is a free version in pdf.
One of my favorite and recent posts is: Why Fear of Discomfort Might be Ruining Your Life.
Wrap it up!
I invite you to live a calmer life today, not tomorrow but right now. Begin developing calmness and living a smarter life by achieving more during your day using the strategies above. They are not so complicated but demand discipline in order to get the benefits.
Once you try them for a while, you will begin to see the results in your practice sessions. You’ll learn the music faster and more efficient. If you want more information, I’m giving away a free sample of my Survival Kit for Classical Musicians for those of you who don’t have the kit yet.
Hopefully you’ll get a better understanding on how living a calmer life and working strategically can help you maintain focus during working hours.