Like many of you (I would imagine), I always look forward to summer. I love sunshine and hot weather. I love to be outside. I love baseball—and my team (the Chicago Cubs!) has actually been worth watching the last couple of years. Plus, my birthday is in July. So in summer I get to do a lot of my favorite things.
I also look forward to summer because it allows me the time to do the things that get put off during the school year when I'm too busy. Over the last 3+ months I did a lot of reading, I took a voice science class, I did plenty of writing, and I attended three out-of-state voice conferences. These have all given me more tools to bring into another full year of teaching.
One of the things I learned came from a workshop led by Matthew Edwards, who is a voice pedagogy professor, author, and blogger. He advised us to help our students set goals but, in doing so, to make a distinction between goals and dreams.
For instance, for most of you "I want to be on Broadway" would be considered a dream and not a goal, at least for now. If you have never performed in a national tour, if you have no off-Broadway experience, or if you have no major credits at regional houses, then performing on Broadway is not the "next step," like a goal should be. That doesn't mean you shouldn't aspire to perform on Broadway. It just means that there are lots of steps between here and there that will likely occur first. Those steps can serve as a series of goals that can help lead you to your dream.
Let me be clear, this does not mean to aim low. You should definitely have both goals AND dreams. But goals are for short-term progress and can be constantly adjusted. If you set a small goal and then achieve it in two weeks, that's great! Then set a new goal and keep moving forward. That will often lead to more specific, tangible progress than if you are working toward a far-off dream with no achievable benchmarks along the way.
In addition, there is also a mental and emotional payoff for setting small goals. If you are constantly achieving your goals (however small) and then challenging yourself with new goals, you will feel more successful, which feeds your ambition and keeps you working hard. If all you have is dreams, then everyday is just another day that you did not achieve your dream. This can be frustrating and make you feel like you are making no progress at all.
For this first blog, let's discuss what your dreams are and what goals can help you reach those dreams. Consider dividing your goals into short-term (two weeks), mid-term (by fall break), and longer-term (by the end of the semester).
I'm really excited to be back in the studio and classroom working with you all again. As much as I love my free time in the summer, I love working with all of you even more. Let's have a great year!
Now go practice.
EDIT: One day after I posted this blog, Matt Edwards discussed many of these same ideas in his own blog. I encourage you to check them out here.
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| Goals are the benchmarks that set you on the path to achieving your dreams. |
