how to balance organization and artistry

i talk a lot about how to organize your practice.

i use carefully planned calendars to guide my practice sessions. i’m methodical. i’m constantly reprioritizing my work and adjusting my schedule.

but that’s all… so… nonmusical. 

where’s the artistry in organizing? where’s the emotion in systematizing?

in order to become a professional musician, you have to craft a delicate balance between the logistics of practicing and the artistry of music-making.

and oboe players are the perfect example of the balance between organization and artistry.

they have to prepare beautiful phrases that often lead the melodies in orchestra. but they also have REEDS. they have to spend half their practice session caning, and bambooing. they slice and shave and honk on their reeds and sometimes they run out of time to practice.

but the good ones find ways to balance everything.

this video is about how nathan hughes organizes his practice.

he’s the principal oboist in the metropolitan opera, and he’s a faculty member at juilliard. he’s a beautiful player, and has some great advice about how be an organized and artistic musician.

it’s our second interview in a new series about developing successful practice habits. here’s the first.

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