How to Stay Productive: Part 1-Set Goals

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Posted on 30th July 2009 by Andy Zweibel in Tips and Tricks

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Music Education students generally have a wide variety of commitments on their plate at a given time. Whether it be an upcoming project, performance, exam, or just a busy day, it is extremely important for us to stay organized and be productive with the time that we have. This series will chronicle different ways to stay productive, even when there are multiple commitments staring you in the face. Check out the other installments of this series: Part 2 – Keep a Calendar and Part 3 – Stay Focused

Set Goals

One of the best ways to be sure you are focusing on the right things is to set goals for what you wish to accomplish. This strategy helps you keep yourself in check and avoid distractions, so you complete the tasks you need to in the appropriate time frame. The two types of goals that can most help you in your productivity are short-term and long-term.

Short-Term Goals

Another word for a list of short-term goals is a “to-do list.” These goals should be created on a weekly (or even daily) basis, and should be based on the tasks that need to be immediately accomplished. This could include anything from studying for a Music History exam to spending 45 minutes practicing your lesson assignments. Whatever they are, these goals are best if they are able to be completed in one sitting. Items should not stay on this list for very long (generally no more than a week), and should be considered top priority when you have time to work.

Long-Term Goals

Long-term goals can have a much wider range, including year-long, semester-long, or monthly. I prefer to set semester-long goals for myself, and now is the perfect time to put together a list of semester-long goals. These goals should be based less in school work, and more based in your development. Examples of these goals are diverse and could include performance-based goals (be able to play excerpt X at 120 bpm by November 1 in preparation for my jury), professional development-based (update my resume by September 15 in preparation for a fall conference), or personal (lose X pounds by October 10th). Whatever they are, check up on them often! In fact, it’s a good idea to check up on the status of your long-term goals each week just before you create your short-term goals for the week.

It is also advisable to set short-term goals in advance for long-term projects. For example, if you read on your Music Theory syllabus on the first day of class that there is an analytic paper due on a Beethoven Symphony on the day of the final exam, outline at the beginning of the school year what goals you wish to have completed and when. You might want to make sure you have chosen which symphony you will write about by the second week of school, acquired a copy by the 4th, done an analysis of form on the first movement by the 5th, and so on. This way, you will never be caught writing the entire paper the night before it is due.

Suggestions For Setting Goals

Whether your goals are short-term or long-term, here are some tips for setting goals that will enable you to maximize your productivity:

  • Make Your Goals Attainable-Whatever time frame you are setting goals on, they need to be attainable. It is completely unrealistic to set a goal of playing the most difficult piece of repertoire for your instrument perfectly by the 3rd week of school. While ambitious, this is an unattainable goal. Your goals need to be realistic, yet challenging.
  • Be Specific-Create very specific goals, which will challenge you to maintain the high standards you have set for yourself. For example, instead of setting a goal of “play half of my jury piece well by midterms,” consider instead something like “play from the beginning to letter L in my jury piece with no technical mistakes by October 15.” This erases the ambiguities left by the first option in the words half,  well, and midterms. It will help you keep yourself on track. Also, always set specific dates by which you wish to have your goals completed. Instead of saying “by the end of the semester,” put an actual date to it. This will make the goal seem more real as it approaches, and ensure that you complete it in a timely manner.
  • Don’t Procrastinate-While this obviously applies to carrying out your goals, it also applies to setting them. Don’t put off setting your goals until tomorrow–do it today! In fact, go set your goals right now!
  • Write Them Down-And not just on a scrap of paper! Have a journal or notebook you jot things down in? Write your goals and dates you want them completed by in there! Use the computer a lot? Save your goals to your desktop. Writing them down isn’t the only step, though; your goals need to be visible, or you will forget about them. Put them on a post-it note on your desk, or if you used the computer, save them as an image, and make it your desktop! This way you are constantly reminded of your goals.
  • Prioritize-Once you have your goals written down, put them in order of their priority to you, and when you have time to work, work from the top down. This way, you will complete the most important items first, and if you should fall behind schedule on your goals list as a whole, you know the highest priority goals are already finished.

What Are You Waiting For?

There is no better time than the present to start setting goals! Have 10 minutes to kill? Start writing a set of goals for the coming school year right now! Be sure to keep them close by as the weeks and months pass by!

What goals have you set for yourself? Do you have other suggestions for setting great goals to maximize productivity? Leave a comment and share your experiences regarding this topic; let’s continue the conversation!

Image Credits: Goals List, Check Mark (Front Page)

It is also advisable to set short-term goals in advance for long-term projects. For example, if you read on your Music Theory syllabus on the first day of class that there is an analyltic paper due on a Beethoven Symphony on the day of the final exam, outline what goals you wish to have completed when at the beginning of the school year. You might want to make sure you have chosen which symphony you will write about by the second week of school, acquired a copy by the 4th, done an analylsis of form on the first movement by the 5th, and so on. This way, you will never be caught writing the entire paper the night before it is due.

Interview-Nicholas DeCarbo of UMiami’s Frost School of Music

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Posted on 28th July 2009 by Andy Zweibel in Interview | Tips and Tricks

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I had the opportunity to do an email interview with Dr. Nicholas DeCarbo, Associate Dean of Administration and Professor of Music Education at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. Dr. DeCarbo has been teaching for many years, both at the High School and the Collegiate level, and has one of the greatest musical minds of anybody I have ever met. Here are his thoughts:

What was your earliest musical memory?

I remember that we had a baby grand piano in our home, right as you came into the front door – sort of a parlor, and I would spend a lot of my “free” time sitting with my feet dangling over the piano bench playing on the white and black keys.  These recollections are from early childhood, certainly before I started Kindergarten.

When did you realize you wanted to pursue a future in Music Education?

I realized I wanted to pursue music education and be an instrumental music teacher when I was a sophomore in high school.  Like many secondary students who venture into the music profession, my high school choir and band and orchestra directors also impressed me.  They “convinced” me by their actions that I wanted to be like them.

However, through my undergraduate education, I discovered that perhaps it would be good to pursue a career as a professional conductor.  Because all undergraduate music majors were music education majors, it seemed that I was on the correct path to either teach or conduct professionally.

As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to conduct the combined choral and instrumental forces of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota fraternities.  Since the memberships of these organizations were large, we could mount serious large-scale works.  I had the opportunity to organize and conduct on concerts works by Purcell, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Barber, Copland, and Ives.  These opportunities fed my love for teaching and conducting.

What was a musical memory that stands out to you the most from your years in secondary school?

Rather than a single musical memory, I have wonderful memories of a Sousa Band that I conducted while I was in high school.

As a junior in high school I started a “Sousa Band,” that met on Saturdays from 9 – 11 am, January through May, on the auditorium stage.  All the first and second chair wind and percussion players from the high school symphonic band and orchestra played in the Sousa Band.  We played Sousa marches!

The high school’s instrumental music library had a considerable number of John Philip Sousa marches that were published by John Church, the original publisher of Sousa’s music.  I would sit for hours and study the scores and parts.

Can you believe it – two hours of playing Sousa marches every Saturday morning?  This was the start of my interest in teaching and conducting.

What advice would you give a prospective Music Education major, as they prepare to decide what to do and where to study?

I tell students two things: first, gather as much information as you can about what you are studying, whether it be a future direction of study or a place in which to study, and then, follow your heart.  Your heart will never steer you in the wrong direction!

What advice would you give a current Music Education major with regards to ways to get the most out of your undergraduate education?

Regardless of the music major, the most important part of studying music is listening to the great repertoire.  That means students must go to recitals – lots of them, play in ensembles, and listen to recordings.  All of this is done best after studying the scores of the music for which you are listening.  I know of no other way to get a solid musical education.  Listening to great music is everything.

What levels did you teach, and where? What was one lasting memory from your teaching years?

I taught elementary, junior high, and senior high instrumental music at West Middlesex Independent School District in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania.  First five years, I taught all levels, band and orchestra.  In my sixth year we were fortunate to hire a woodwind specialist that took over the elementary band and a string specialist that taught strings and orchestra on all three levels.  This allowed me to concentrate on teaching the middle school and senior high school bands and high school orchestra.

It is difficult to point out one lasting memory because I have so many wonderful memories of teaching at West Middlesex.  However, I believe a lasting memory occurred when the West Middlesex Symphonic Band played at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh with Frederick Fennell and Col. Arnald Gabriel as guest conductors.  Fennell conducted Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posey; Gabriel conducted Verdi’s La Forza del Destino Overture.

I also conducted the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra for 10 years.  This was a first-rate musical organization.  It was at this time that I studied conducting seriously with Franz Bibo, associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra.  He stood right beside me during rehearsals.  The pressure was always on to make the best musical decisions using succinct language.  Franz was one of my best teachers – an inspiration.  This 10-year stint led to my involvement as an assistant conductor of the Youngstown (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra and conductor of its Opera Chorus.

What advice would you give any band director in today’s world?

My advice was given in the previous question/answer.  One cannot teach music to others without knowing in your musical ear the sound that must be produced.  To teach a beginning flute player, the teacher must know a good flute sound.  One learns this by listening.  It follows for all the instruments.  One learns to know a good band sound by listening to good band.  It follows for choir and orchestra, strings, a woodwind quintet, a brass quartet, et cetera.  Considerable listening is the key to becoming a good music teacher.

How do you feel you have changed as a musician and educator as your career has progressed?

As I have matured, I have become more tolerant of young musicians who want to become teachers.  When I was a young music teacher, I thought my job was to teach my students everything I knew about music.  I now believe I want to excite in the young musician a boundless sense of curiosity about music, so that the growing musician will come to apprehend music with an excitement tempered by awe and wonder- curiosity that will never end.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions!

You are Welcome!

4 MORE Ways to Stay Active Over the Summer

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Posted on 16th July 2009 by Andy Zweibel in Professional Development | Tips and Tricks

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Last week, the post 5 Low-Stress Ways to Stay Musically Active Over the Summer listed ways to stay active in music over the summer without the stressors of the school year.  The post was received fairly well, and there has been some great conversation that has been taking place in the comments to that post, including a number of additional ideas for ways to extend this list. Thank you for everyone who shared their ideas–I encourage everyone to take a part in the conversations that take place in post comments. The posts are only half the conversation; let’s keep the conversation going past that!

Anyway, on to the list! I will continue my numbering from the previous post, so first up is number 6…

6. Perform Your Instrument!

Summer is a great time to be able to perform your instrument in a much lower-stress environment than your typical college-level performing ensembles. There are two great examples of this. Brian Liporto (find him on Twitter at @bliporto) points out that playing in a community band is a great way to stay active and keep your chops in shape. Also, playing in community bands is a fantastic opportunity to experience new repertoire. Another summertime option is playing for musicals. Many local theater guilds and companies perform musicals in the summer, and Music Education students make great additions to the pit orchestra for these shows. The theater company gets a solid player who has been actively playing for a while, and you get the chance to keep your chops up, learn a bit about what it’s like conducting for musicals (if that is something you are interested in), and just have fun!

7. Improve a Specific Skill Through Practice

If you, like many Music Education majors, don’t have as much time to practice during the school year as you wish you did, summer can be a great time to focus on your performance skills. Specifically, summer is a perfect opportunity to choose a specific skill to improve upon. For example, if you are a clarinet player, you may want to focus your summer practice on improving finger speed. As a trumpet player, I am trying to focus my efforts in the practice room this summer on a weak aspect of my playing: endurance. Whatever you choose to focus on, don’t short-change the rest of the aspects of your instrument! Without maintenance, you may come back and have the best range in the studio, but if your tone quality and lip flexibility have been neglected, you will not have done yourself a favor in the end.

8. Learn and Collaborate Online

With the advent of Web 2.0, there is a wealth of information available on the internet related to the field of Music Education. While tip #3 in this series referred to networking using Social Media, the internet also provides an opportunity for learning and collaboration through blogging. If you have ideas to share, start your own blog! If you’re more interested in reading other people’s ideas, check out Dr. J. Pisano’s list of 100 Music Education Bloggers for some great reading material. If you’re in the middle, consider trying to contribute to an already existing blog as a guest poster (shameless plug-MusicEdMajor.net is looking for contributors!). However you spin it, blogs are a great way to learn more and focus your ideas and thoughts regarding specific topics.

9. Get a Job in the Field

What better way to stay active in music over the summer than to make it your job? Summer jobs are a part of life for most college students, but instead of flipping burgers or selling shirts, why not sort music or teach camp sessions? There are usually plenty of jobs to do around your School of Music, and while it might not be extremely exciting (I’m filing music for the instrumental music librarian all summer), there may also be opportunities to teach at camps available. As Matt pointed out in the comments to the original post, working at a summer music camp can be a great way to get experience in a diverse set of tasks, from administration to individual, small, and large group instruction. You may even have a chance to work on becoming proficient at a secondary instrument! Whatever you end up doing, it can benefit you in multiple ways: not only are you getting experience in music, but chances are you’re getting paid too!

More Ideas?

Do you have other ideas for staying active over the summer? What do you do to keep your chops and mind in shape? Join our conversation by leaving a comment below! Also, if you haven’t already, check out the first part of this post, 5 Low-Stress Ways to Stay Musically Active Over the Summer!

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