Wednesday, November 24, 2010
All Creatures of Our God and King
This is one of the harder hymns to play in the hymnbook, but I think it is all the more beautiful for it. The music to which this inspiring text is set is magnificent. So here is a video I found featuring this wonderful hymn for your Thanksgiving enjoyment.
Oh, praise Him! For He is our Creator, our Help, and our Salvation. Alleluia!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
More Slow Practice!
Earlier this semester my school hosted a short conference. We had two guest artists come. One of the artist's main bit of advice for us was "more slow practice!"
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Also told us to slow down in his recent conference address:
"Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road.
"Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the coarse, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions." (emphasis added)
Taking it slow is no easy task. It takes a lot of motivation to practice something that goes by in 5 seconds for an hour or more. I must consider how important music is to me and how important playing the bassoon is to me.
In the subsequent weeks since the Round-up, I have striven to implement more slow practice into my rehearsal time. I also resolved to concentrate more on my fundamentals, even though I have etudes and other music I could be working on. But I know that my playing is important to me so I need to take the time to work on my fundamentals and slow practice. By doing these things, I will progress much faster in my abilities, and I won't have to spend as much time on the etudes and such. Even now there is a difference in my playing.
Uchtdorf continues, "when stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be."
Instead we need to "focus on the things that matter most (Uchtdorf)."
"[D]o 'all these things...in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby...win the prize.' " (Mosiah 4:27)
Let's slow down and focus on the basics. it is not about how fast we can play a passage or the number of things on our to-do lists. It's about how diligent we are in the things we do. No matter how fast we climb the path to heaven, be diligent.
If you are worried about reducing your productivity by slowing down, don't! "Quality always leads it increased productivity." (Glasser, The Quality School. p. 8)
"Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light." (Uchtdorf)
So, how important to you are the things you do? . . . MORE SLOW PRACTICE!
Uchtdorf, Dieter F. Of Things That Matter Most.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Also told us to slow down in his recent conference address:
"Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road.
"Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the coarse, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions." (emphasis added)
Taking it slow is no easy task. It takes a lot of motivation to practice something that goes by in 5 seconds for an hour or more. I must consider how important music is to me and how important playing the bassoon is to me.
In the subsequent weeks since the Round-up, I have striven to implement more slow practice into my rehearsal time. I also resolved to concentrate more on my fundamentals, even though I have etudes and other music I could be working on. But I know that my playing is important to me so I need to take the time to work on my fundamentals and slow practice. By doing these things, I will progress much faster in my abilities, and I won't have to spend as much time on the etudes and such. Even now there is a difference in my playing.
Uchtdorf continues, "when stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be."
Instead we need to "focus on the things that matter most (Uchtdorf)."
"[D]o 'all these things...in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby...win the prize.' " (Mosiah 4:27)
Let's slow down and focus on the basics. it is not about how fast we can play a passage or the number of things on our to-do lists. It's about how diligent we are in the things we do. No matter how fast we climb the path to heaven, be diligent.
If you are worried about reducing your productivity by slowing down, don't! "Quality always leads it increased productivity." (Glasser, The Quality School. p. 8)
"Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light." (Uchtdorf)
So, how important to you are the things you do? . . . MORE SLOW PRACTICE!
Uchtdorf, Dieter F. Of Things That Matter Most.
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