Writing for ANAM

In March, the Australian National Academy of Music asked me to write some thoughts about surviving this current season. This was for the current students, from the perspective of an ANAM alumna, to encourage the current cohort, offer advice about how to use their time well, and how to maintain some semblance of continued learning. ANAM's training programme has recommenced online, and you can read about their activities on their website. 

So it's been several weeks of our everyday lives being upended and forced into virtual lockdown. You might have started out feeling excited about that many hours to yourself, anxious about not knowing how long this would last, disappointed that you had finally found the thing you were meant to do and now it's cut short and you can't even do it, or worried that you'd go crazy without normal interaction with other people. All those emotions (and all the others I haven't mentioned) are legitimate, and it's definitely helpful to recognise that nothing about this situation is normal. 

 

Maybe you've already found your new routine. Maybe you've been struggling to find your mojo and rhythm. Or maybe it's somewhere in the middle. 

It's okay to have good days and bad days, so long as you can accept it's sometimes how it is.

Be kind to yourself. But know that kindness to yourself doesn't mean not being accountable to yourself either. 

 

At the end of two, or six, or however long months, what do you want to say you did?

Set some goals. Achievable, measurable, interesting ones that will help you. 

Do you want to be audition-ready? Make a list of excerpts you need to learn, and learn the standard repertoire.

Do you want to have read through all of Bach's Preludes and Fugues? Work through one every few days.

Do you want to have listened to all of Mahler's symphonies? Plan them for different days of the week.

 

Cultivate things other than music for your life. 

This is important not only for now. I didn't always want to be a musician. But I am now, and I love it. I also love the friends I have in music.

But it's good to have other outlets. What happens if I had a serious accident and couldn't play my instrument anymore? Of course I'd be devastated, but hopefully my family and friends would value me more than my ability to play music, and there would be other things to talk about.

Are there things you always wanted to do but never find the time? Try it now. It doesn't have to be big or time-consuming. It could be that book you always wanted to read, the cupboard that never got organised, the friend to whom you always say, "let's catch up!" but never actually ring, the seeds that you bought that you never planted. And that's just a handful of the myriad of options. Ask others what they're doing, what they're reading, what they're discovering.

You also need friends outside of music. They help to give perspective in so many different ways. They might be your neighbours, your surf club, your church or faith community, your old friends from school, your circus skills class. Don't worry if they're not in the same life stage as you, the same age, the same background. They're people too, and chances are that everybody could do with extra friends, even for this time. 

 

Of course, there is the possibility that with all this time, you have a very long list of things you want to do. You're thinking, "Wow, so many hours! I will practise for ten of the sixteen that I'm awake for!". 

But could you do that in five hours instead, effectively and efficiently?

Then do that, and spend the other five hours doing other stuff. Listen, read, eat well (that means fruits and vegetables. Proper things. And if you must, a small treat also!), turn your room/living room into your home gym, or have a kitchen dance party.

In our enthusiasm to learn, beware over-doing it. I'm saying this for balance; by all means, use the time well to practise and hone your craft, but also know that you don't want to develop RSI in the process. Check in with your teacher. It doesn't take a lot to shoot a text message, or to have a quick video call to demonstrate something. 

 

I know so many others have written about good ways to maintain regularity and good mental health. I don't want to parrot them all, but want to highlight a few:

1. The human body loves regularity. Sleep is important. Do that thing of going to bed and getting up at regular times, and get a decent amount each night. The discipline to do this is good for your health even in normal times.

2. Stay in touch with people. If you're an extrovert, maybe you're going crazy already. Make use of video calls. Have Zoom dinners together, organise a group quiz night, tune in to an exercise video at the same time and do it together (but separately). If you're an introvert, text your friends. Schedule video calls (but not three on the same day!). 

Call your family. Write an email to an old friend. Send a message to your teacher. 

3. (Related to 1, and mentioned above) Take care of your physical being. Eat well, sleep well, do some physical exercise. As somebody who hates exercise, I've taken to doing squats while I brush my teeth (that's two minutes twice a day), having dance parties through the house (it's not pretty), and walking up and down the stairs. 

4. It's okay if your experiences are different to others. Find the things that work for you. Try things until you do.

 

My final thing is to say that even though none of this is ideal, there are always positives to be found. Attitude is a huge game-changer. Make sure you smile every day and try to laugh a little.

I've taken to writing down three things I'm thankful for every day. They might be small, like eating a tasty ice-cream, or that really nice text message conversation you had, or much bigger, like watching the whole Easter oratorio on YouTube, or learning a new piece (*actual examples from my past few weeks*).

I encourage you to do the same, because we could all do with some warm fuzzies that even though are brought about by this pandemic, don't have to be about the pandemic either. 

 

Use this time to focus on how to improve as a musician, but more importantly, how to develop character.