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Writer's pictureRyan Reed

Make the Main Thing, the Main Thing

Hey everyone, it's been a while since I last wrote on here. There has been a ton that has been going on behind the scenes that has taken up a lot of my time. With more things piling up on my plate it has tested my ability to focus on the task in front of me. I have found that I get laser focused on the things I have to get done, so I get more done faster on those things. Sometimes that means something gets put to the side for a minute, but I have found that I am much better when I can focus on one task instead of having to do a bunch of things at one time.


Which is kinda the topic of today's post - Make the main thing, the main thing. We all have a lot going on at one time. Some people are great at multitasking, and some are not. Like I said earlier, I am one of the nots. When I do try to multitask, I usually float in a bunch of things way longer than it would take me if I cracked down on just one of those things. Even something like having the TV on in the background...I usually end up saying "I will just listen to this episode while I do this thing." That ultimately turns into me doing the thing, and then episodes go by without me having listened to any of it. Then I just go back and watch those episodes again when I have nothing to do. I can't even lie and tell you I haven't had the same episode on 3 or 4 times to just catch most of the details in there.


Even most multitaskers I know have one main project and a number of side projects (that could later become the main project). They know the thing they have to have done to soonest, but they may have other projects/interests they dabble in when they get tired of working on the main project.


So how "make the main thing, the main thing" apply to music and teaching. While it comes down to knowing yourself and your program. I know a lot of teachers that want to get straight to the "good stuff" (aka the music). This is great and it is why most people went into music in the first place. However, the main thing the students might need is a stronger sense of fundamental training. Now, I am NOT saying don't work on the music if you have to focus on training but the music could be used as a carrot for that. I say a lot "alright, now let's put it in context." In the case of fundamentals, let's take a topic, or skill, you could be training...let's say playing great rhythms. You do whatever exercise(s) that is you do that focuses on playing great rhythms, and then you turn around and do a section of music that reinforces what you just worked on. So you got your fundamentals, and your "good stuff," and hopefully both are better.


Now, a problem I see with this is when the main thing isn't the main thing. If you are working on playing with great rhythm, then you are probably focusing on that more than anything. It also means you are probably blaring a metronome in the background to check the ensemble/yourself against. In this instance, if playing with great rhythm truly is the focus than you/your ensemble might slide somewhere else. Maybe they play a few wrong notes, or the tone quality is slightly subpar, or any number of other things. If the main thing of that rehearsal is great rhythm, and they achieve that, I would call that a successful rehearsal. I think too many times we go into a practice session, or a rehearsal, and think that we have to fix everything. The saying "if everything is important, than nothing is really important" comes to mind on this. If you are trying to fix everything, are really "fixing" anything. Something might get better, but is it "fixed?"


Now, there are times where the main thing can be do everything as well as possible. The week of the concert that is always my goal. I don't want to be "fixing" anything the week of the concert if we don't have to be. Warm-up, do a little technique, play well and enjoy it. In fact, that might be the main thing the week of the concert (and for other things in life)...just enjoy it.

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