Motivation follows action

Happy New Year! Back at it...

Every year a lot of people adopt the New Year's resolution of spending less time on social media. Ironically, they often announce this resolution on social media. We've all heard plenty about the negative elements of social media and, to be sure, there are real concerns. But, for all of the gossiping, celebrity worshipping, and time wasting that happens, it can also be really great. 

Admittedly, I don't do many of the socials. I don't TikTok or Snapchat and I just today learned that Twitch is a thing. So I wouldn't exactly call myself an "influencer." (A ridiculous title if ever there was one.) I do have a Twitter account that I mostly use to read about sports or to yell at the Utah Transit Authority when the TRAX trains are delayed. But, like any good middle-aged person, I love me some Facebook. 

Besides being able to stay in touch with friends I don't get to see regularly, the main reason I like it is to read the articles, essays, and memes that my friends share. I have some really smart Facebook friends, so I could easily fill a day reading all of the clever and worthwhile content they post. 

One of those smart friends shared this post by author Brad Stulberg. 

I wasn't familiar with Stulberg before seeing this post but a lot of his writing seems pretty applicable to the work that we performing artists do. 

As the pandemic raged through the fall semester of 2020, I found that a lot of students (and teachers) were struggling with motivation. People were finding it difficult to work toward goals, to practice regularly, and to just keep up with everyday work and obligations. When a survey from the University of Utah confirmed that more than half of our students and faculty were struggling with personal motivation, I decided to dedicate all of my spring semester blogs to exploring ways we can motivate ourselves, especially in the practice room. Given that the pandemic is still (or again) impacting our lives, Stulberg's commentary on motivation may be important to keep in mind as we head into another semester. 

In your syllabus, I recommend that you divide your daily vocal practice into two or three different sessions. There are lots of reasons for that but the most pertinent one relates directly to Stulberg's post. If you know that your practice session is only set to be 15 minutes, you're more likely to go practice than if you have blocked off a full hour, which can feel overwhelming. The sneaky part is that once you get practicing, you start to find your groove. Suddenly, 15 minutes doesn't feel that long and you may decide to add on another 15 minutes and another 15 after that. 

For this semester, you may experiment with the idea that you don't actually have to motivate yourself to practice every day. You just have to start practicing and see where it leads. Maybe the motivation will follow. 

For this first blog, share two goals you have for the semester: one goal for what you want to have accomplished after the first month of school and one goal for where you want to be by the end of the semester. 

Now go practice. Or just start practicing! 

Sunrise on a new semester.