Archived under: Performance & Playing, Practice, Stress | Relaxation, Stories
Time Out; Space is Good
When I taught school a common discipline strategy was time out. A misbehaving child could be culled from the flock and placed in a corner to contemplate the consequences of their naughty actions.
This is something that I find having to do to myself from time to time.
When it comes to web design for example, over the past month I have been slowly spacing things out in the Horn Matters web site.
A few years ago it was all the rage to make web sites busy-looking and fill in every space with stuff. Current practices and standards are much different, leaning more towards minimalist design. On this site I have been pruning and re-arranging things with this in mind.
‘Time out’ is important too for us as horn players. For starters, the benefits of intense practice sessions don’t really sink in until they are evaluated and reflected upon.
I would add that taking time off of the horn is also a good thing to do every now and then. As school semesters wind down and summer break begins, this is an ideal time to think about some time off and reflect on the semester that has passed.
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