Category: Organization

If you are a busy person, working a day job in addition to playing music, you need to stay organized. The way many people stay organized is with a planner. A common planner system is the paper planner.

With the advancement of technology, there has also been an increase in the number of digital planners. From Google Calendar to iCal, you can keep track of appointments on all of your devices.

In this post, I am going to compare and contrast these two methods of organization to help you decide which is right for you. After all, the new year is a great time to switch things up.

Digital: Pros

The biggest pro to digital planners is that they are always with you. You can sync your calendar to your phone, computer, and tablet. All you need is internet access.

Another great thing about digital planners is that you pay for them once. Or not at all. Many great calendar and list apps are free, and you can use them year after year.

Digital planners are also easier to edit. You don’t have to worry about using whiteout to erase events. You can simply hit delete and have a clean looking calendar.

The fourth benefit to digital planners and calendars is that you save on paper. There is so much waste in our landfill, and a digital planner can help cut down on that waste. Paper planners aren’t easily recycled, and they just take up space.

Digital: Cons

One problem you run into with a digital planner is that it’s digital. You need internet and a working device to use it. If you don’t have an internet connection, or your phone dies, you can’t check your calendar.

Another con to digital planners is that they can be limiting. You have to stick to how the planner or calendar is laid out. Paper planners offer more customization than digital.

A huge con, for some, is also the fact that you might need multiple apps and programs to do your planning. You will need a calendar and probably a to do list. Most digital calendars don’t have a to do list as part of the program.

The last big con is that all these calendars and apps take up space on your devices. If you backup your information to your device, all of those appointments and to do lists can really eat up space.

Paper: Pros

The best thing about a paper planner is that you don’t have to rely on wifi or a charged device to access it. You can check your planner even in a power outage.

Another awesome thing about paper planners is that they have become customizable. You can request certain layouts, depending on the planner. You can also use whatever colors and pens you want. It’s up to you.

Using a paper planner also allows you to use your phone and computer for other things. You can store more photos and apps on your phone. That space won’t be taken up by a calendar.

If you are a shopper like me, you will also really like the tradition of buying a new planner each year. The cost can add up, but it’s fun to go and pick the color scheme and layout of your next planner.

Paper: Cons

Possibly the biggest con to a paper planner is that it takes up physical space. In your bag. On your desk. It takes up space. Depending on your planner, it may not even fit in some bags or places.

Next is the cost. You have to buy a new planner each year. That cost can add up over time. If you buy a twenty dollar planner each year, that’s $100 after five years. It may seem small, but those purchases can affect your finances after awhile.

Paper planners can also be difficult to edit. If an event gets canceled or you realize you don’t need to do something on your to do list, you have to erase it. That’s no problem when you use pencil, but pen is hard to get rid of.

Another downfall of paper planners is that they create extra waste. Depending on the binding, paper planners can be hard to dispose of. You may not be able to recycle them. If you keep them, they will just take up even more space than when you were using them.

So…

Do you use a digital or paper planner? Are you still deciding? Let me know in the comments! And be sure to subscribe so you can access an infographic comparing digital and paper planners!

After coming down with a cold recently, I thought it would be the perfect time to write about practicing flute without your flute. There are multiple reasons why you might need to do this.

If you’re sick, if your flute is in the shop, or even if a roommate or family member needs quiet, you may need to find other ways to “practice” than simply picking up your instrument.

These ideas are not the same as playing your instrument, but they can help you improve your skills. At the very least, you can learn a little bit more about your instrument.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Click here for my full disclosure policy.

Listen to recordings

I have mentioned this before, but you can learn a lot about music from listening to some recordings. If you are learning a new piece of music, recordings will give you a sense of the tempo and the feel of the piece.

You can also listen to recordings after you have learned a piece. This will help you figure out how others interpret the music. You can then create your own unique version of the piece.

If you are playing an arrangement (i.e. a piece not written originally for your instrument), you can listen to recordings on the original instrument. This will give you a good idea as to how the composer wanted the piece to sound. Each instrument does have its own quirks after all.

Related: The Importance of Listening

Watch videos/read blogs

If you can’t practice your instrument, you can learn about it. Get on YouTube or social media and watch videos or read blogs. The internet is a great place to learn about music.

A lot of videos and blogs are free to use, and there are some premium sites where you can spend a bit of money for more specialized content. I am working on premium content, and I hope to release some of it early next year.

However, there are tons of great websites where you can learn about music and the flute. This blog is, of course, one of those resources. I also have a ton of other favorites that I wrote about awhile back.

Related: Online Resources & Websites for Music

Study the scores

Whether you are working on a solo piece or an ensemble work, you can study the score. I wrote a whole post on how to get started with score study, so use those tips to help.

Studying a music score allows you to know what other players are doing. You can compare the different parts to your own. This means you can change how you play a certain phrase based on what else is happening.

I don’t study scores as much as I should, but when I do, I am able to make more educated decisions for tempo, articulation, and dynamics. Score study also tells me where I am in a chord. Am I the root? The third? The fifth?

Related: The What & Why of Score Study

Brush up on theory

If you are fairly new to your instrument, or even if you have been playing for years, you can always study up on music theory. Music theory (and ear training) is at the core of music.

You need to have a working knowledge of music theory to know how music works. Solid ear training also helps you “hear” a phrase or piece before playing.

You can check out music theory books or download an ear training app to your phone. With a book or app, you can practice in the comfort of your own bed, even when you’re super sick.

Recommended: Guide to Music Theory

Rest. A lot…

This tip doesn’t exactly relate to flute playing or to practicing without your flute. It does, however, help you get back to flute playing sooner rather than later.

Winter is approaching, and that means so is cold and flu season. If at all possible, don’t be afraid to take a few days off from the flute. If you’re really sick, you want to recover. Playing while sick isn’t productive.

Heck, sometimes music study isn’t even productive when you’re sick. So listen to your body and know when you should take a break. Sometimes it is more important to sleep than to prepare for you next performance.

I have had to perform while sick…twice. And it wasn’t fun. I got through it, but I didn’t push myself. As soon as the performance was over, I left. I went to sleep. I rested. Your health is important. Don’t let a performance or practice session impede your recovery.

So…

Have you played flute while sick? Were you able to take time off to get better? Let me know in the comments!

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Whether you are an amateur, student, or professional musician, you probably have other responsibilities outside of music. So, it is important to know how to balance music and life.

Like anything else, you need to make time for practicing and performing, but you can’t neglect your other commitments. I have recently accepted a full time job outside of the music and blogging fields, and so I have had to figure out how to keep up with everything.

It takes time to figure out how you what you need to do to balance your time. But if music is something you love, you will make time for it, no matter your professional or personal life.

Here are a few tips and tricks to help you balance music and life.

1. Know your priorities.

While it would be great to play music all of the time, that’s just not feasible. Even professional musicians need a break to focus on other tasks, like scheduling and emailing.

If you have a job or classes outside of music, those things should take priority over music. It may be hard to focus on other things, especially for music majors, but it’s necessary. You can’t ignore your general education classes.

The same goes for anyone working outside of music. You have to show up to work on time and do your job. That’s not something you can get out of. So keep up with your instrument when you can.

2. Make a schedule.

If you can’t seem to practice as much as you would like, set a practice schedule. Work it into your routine. While it may be tempting to go watch TV after dinner, practicing first can help keep your love of music alive.

If your schedule will be changing soon, try and create a practice routine to fit that new schedule. You don’t have to practice for hours (even you pros out there…). Just practice as much as you need to accomplish what you need.

Time based goals can be great, but two hours of mindless practice don’t do you any good. It’s better to practice with and end goal for thirty minutes. Then you can actually evaluate what you did.

3. Find your stride.

When do you practice best? Are you an early bird? Do you work best in the evening? Can you practice during a lunch break? Figure out what time of day works best for you.

Doing this will allow you to get more done in less time. Even with a goal, if you are not fully awake, your practice session won’t be worth it. If you are a professional, you may need to practice more, but you don’t need to spend hours playing.

Practicing too much can cause you to develop a repetitive stress injury. You can ruin your vocal cords, develop tendonitis, or worse. You could hurt yourself to the point of having to stop playing. So don’t over do it.

4. Find music that you can play but will still challenge you.

If music is not your profession, you probably don’t have a ton of time to dedicate to it. If that is the case, find music that is only slightly difficult. You should still challenge yourself, but you don’t need to take on the most difficult work for your instrument.

Choose pieces that give you a small challenge, and be realistic about how fast you can learn them. If you are playing for fun, do just that. Don’t stress yourself out over learning a Hindemith sonata or a Mozart concerto.

A small challenge will allow you to improve quickly so you can take on more advanced music later on. You don’t want to rush into anything too hard before you are ready.

5. Join a community group.

Seek out community music groups and other playing opportunities to keep you motivated. If you are not in school and don’t have any professional groups to join, community groups are a great way to play with others.

You can meet all different types of people, and you can come together to do something you love. Groups can also be a nice change from solo repertoire. You can expose yourself to more music. It also gives you an excuse to perform in front of people.

There are tons of different groups, from choirs to bands to orchestras. You can also find instrument specific groups, such as a flute choir. The camaraderie you get from playing in a group can’t be matched by just playing solos.

6. Don’t stress about it.

Having an off day and don’t feel like playing? That’s okay. While you might not want to make a habit out of it, everyone has those days where they just want to get under a blanket and watch Netflix.

If you have a day where music just can’t fit, don’t stress too much. Music is supposed to be fun. If it doesn’t feel fun one day, then take a break. A small break from playing could help revive your passion the following day or week.

So…

How do you juggle music and life? Leave your tips and tricks down in the comments!

And don’t forget to subscribe for exclusive music tips sent to your inbox!

Music is fun. And it should be. But it can be hard to find the motivation to pick up your instrument when you could also watch Netflix or take a nap. I struggle with personal motivation for many things, but it’s important to know how to motivate yourself.

I am still learning what works best for me, and that might always change. Knowing how to motivate yourself is key to getting work done in all facets of life.

I have figured out a few different things you can do to find motivation when you really don’t want to do anything. Here are my tips for motivating yourself.

1. Get started early.

I know I have said this before, but it is much easier to get things done earlier rather than later. If you wait too long to start practicing, it will be more difficult to actually do it than if you started earlier.

I know that I can easily get distracted by work, errands, or even the internet. Those distractions make it much harder for me to find the desire to practice.

Picking up your instrument either first thing or right after breakfast allows you to practice before you tackle the rest of your day. That way, you won’t have to worry about it later.

2. Find some fun music.

It is much easier to do something that you enjoy, so find some fun new music to learn. Even if you don’t have any performances coming up, it is a good idea to have something to work on that you enjoy.

Enjoying what you are working on is a great way to motivate you to get to work. The same is true for music. You can find music of almost any genre and of any difficulty, so you should be able to find something you like.

Just because you play a specific instrument, you shouldn’t feel limited to a few genres. There are many resources out there that arrange music for all different types of instruments. You can find some great online resources here.

3. Turn practicing into a game.

If you have a really hard time beginning to practice, make a game out of it. You can use tools like recording devices to record yourself to see how you improve. Compete with yourself to get better each time you play something.

Play against the clock.

Another game you can play with yourself is time based. There are many different time tracking methods for productivity, but I like the Pomodoro technique.

With Pomodoro, you set a timer for 25 minutes and then you get a five minute break. Knowing that a break is not far away can be a great motivator for getting out your instrument and for getting stuff done.

4. Don’t force it.

There are going to be some days where you simply don’t have the energy or the time to get in a good practice session. That’s okay. I think it is perfectly fine to have a day like that every so often.

If your body is telling you that you need a break, listen to it. Our bodies have a pretty good idea of what we need and are good about telling us. So don’t force it if you can’t find the motivation.

Remember that music should be fun, and you shouldn’t have to force it to much. If you do, you could lose some of that interest and enjoyment.

5. Reward yourself.

If you are the type that works well when rewards are at stake, this could be a good method. Set up a reward system where after X minutes of practice, you can watch one short YouTube video. Or after X repetitions of an exercise, you can have a few minutes of a break.

Create a reward system that works for you, otherwise you won’t follow it. Your rewards can be anything, but make them reasonable. Don’t say after fifteen minutes of practice you deserve an ice cream. That sort of reward won’t do much to motivate you.

6a. Just start.

Sometimes, the hardest part is getting started. Once you have your instrument out and your music on your stand, it becomes much easier to practice. You just have to start.

It is definitely hard to do, but starting is the first battle you face when practicing, or doing anything. You just have to start.

6b. Let the act of practicing motivate you.

After you start practicing, you will see how you enjoy it and how fun it is to play music. Let that be a motivator. Once you start and you hear yourself make great music, you may not want to stop.

You can start a timer for fifteen or twenty minutes. Tell yourself you only need to practice for that long. Then you can do something else. There will be times when you then stop, but maybe not. You just might find that you don’t want to stop practicing.

7. Practicing burns calories.

While it won’t burn as many calories as an intense run, it can be a fun way to get a “work out” in. Especially if you choose to stand while practicing, you can keep active.

The acts of breathing, moving your fingers, bowing, etc. all contribute to your body’s energy output, thus burning calories.

If you are not a fan of the gym, you will probably find it much easier to practice your instrument than to go work out. The added bonus of burning calories during your practice just might be enough to make it worth it, if nothing else does.

So…

What do you do to motivate yourself to practice? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

If you are a musician, odds are you have thought about playing different instruments. Maybe you have thought of playing multiple instruments, or you already do.

Playing multiple instruments is super common in music, especially for professionals and advanced amateurs. Whether you play multiple instruments in the same family, or you play all sorts of instruments, it can be tough to handle.

You have to be able to give each instrument its own time and attention, and you have to be able to keep track of them all. So, here are a few tips for managing multiple instruments.

1. Prioritize.

I know I say this a lot, but prioritizing is the key to success when you have a lot going on. Odds are, you cannot treat all of your instruments with the same priority. You have to choose which is the most important.

Pick a primary instrument.

If you haven’t already, you need to pick one instrument that is your main instrument. That is the instrument that will always get attention before the others. It is what you play in ensembles. It is also, usually, the instrument you have played the longest.

By picking a primary instrument, you know just what to practice if you are severely limited on time.

2. Determine the instruments’ relationships and purposes.

How are the instruments you play related? Do you mainly stick to string instruments? Are you a flutist who plays piccolo and alto flute? Or do you play instruments from different families.

Once you determine how all your instruments are related, and what purposes they serve, you can better organize your collection of instruments.

You may be a trumpet player who dabbles in piano, because your music degree requires piano proficiency. Or, you may be an oboist who still plays clarinet sometimes so that you can join marching bands or play in musical theatre shows.

Your instruments’ relationships and purposes will help you further prioritize and manage all of your practice. If you have a piano exam next week, you should probably focus on piano. If you only want to play guitar for fun, let it be a stress reliever.

You get it, right?

3. Get organized.

The more instruments you play, the more equipment and sheet music you will have. When you have more stuff, it is hard to keep it from becoming a huge mess in your room or your locker.

Organize your sheet music into different folders based on instrument and even the type of music. Get different bags or folders to organize your music equipment.

Keeping organized means you won’t be searching for a clarinet reed when you need it. Your reeds will be with your clarinet, and your rosin can stay with your violin. You will be less stressed.

4. Make a schedule.

If you have a certain amount of time to practice any instrument, you should make a schedule to stay on track. If you only have an hour, you should probably focus on your main instrument.

Have more time? Warm up and practice your main instrument, and then move to your other ones. Use your upcoming events to figure out what needs the most attention.

If the marching season is over, odds are you won’t need to spend time on the mellophone. Are methods exams coming up? Get out those beginner books and practice for your test.

5. Get the right gear.

If you have a ton of instruments to deal with, you want to get some gear that will help. There are cases which can hold multiple instruments, if you play combinations often. You can also find instrument stands for just about any instrument.

As a flutist who frequently plays piccolo, I love having a flute bag that will fit both. I can grab my flute bag knowing that both instruments I need will fit, and I can cut down on bags to carry.

If you play a larger instrument, you can even find a case that has a pocket for your music. Instead of carrying your instrument and also a music folder, you can keep everything together.

For the pianists, you can get a binder, a multi pocket folder, or a good tote bag to keep your music and metronome in.

Related: Supplies for Every Musician

6. Be flexible.

If you play more than a couple of instruments, you probably won’t play all of them every day. That is completely okay. Things happen, and we might not have as much free time as planned.

This is where it is important to be flexible. If a guitar string breaks and you’re out of replacements, move to another instrument. If all your reeds have gone bad, take a break and practice piano or something.

Flexibility is hard, but it is necessary when you have a lot going on.

You need to remember that you chose all of these instruments, and you should be able to go with the flow that they all bring.

7. Music should be fun.

Whether you are an amateur or you want music to be your career, keep at it for the music. Music should be fun. Adding multiple instruments to your arsenal is awesome, because it adds to the amount of music you can play.

If you want a career in music, it will help you to play multiple instruments, but play music because you love it. If you only add in another instrument because you think it will get you more money or fame, you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

So…

How many instruments do you play? I play flute, piccolo, piano, and I have also dabbled in many other instruments. So, let me know if you would like to hear or see me play!

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