It’s officially music season at my house. I’ve raised a houseful of music lovers and Number 4 has just started her turn at high school band. I was reflecting with my husband today and we calculated that, by the time this one finishes high school, we will have been band parents for nearly 20 years.
Twenty years of music classes, music lessons, music teachers, enough sheet music and books to fill two trunks (literally), and enough instruments to populate a small orchestra. At last count we’ve been through piano, flute, piccolo, fife, ocarina, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone, marimba, glockenspiel, recorder, harp and violin–and a few more you probably aren’t so familiar with like the dulcimer, autoharp and the violin-uke (we’re just starting to learn this one).
And we have loved nearly every minute of it.
But practicing is sometimes a chore. While our kids have all loved to play, loved being in the band, and even loved music lessons, they have not so much loved practicing. Watching this video yesterday, it was not unfamiliar. Not only have we been down this road with some of our junior musicians, I have to admit that I once fell into the procrastination trap with my music as well.
As I watched the video, though, I was thinking of more than just music. I started thinking about the other things I procrastinate in life, the things that are far more important than practicing the piano or the flute. I have a tendency to put off those things I know I should do that require me to go out of my way a bit and take time out of the daily routine of life. I would say I’m not sure why, but if I really gave it some thought, I’m sure my motivation–or lack of it–would quickly become clear to me.
Rather than spend more time analyzing the whys and why nots, though, I think I will focus more on changing my behavior and developing new habits to practice the skills of gospel living. After all, I would hate to get to that great recital at the end of life only to discover I wasn’t prepared.
How about you? Are you procrastinating? What will you change to be ready for your recital?
Procastination is very much a weakness of mine–both with music and with life. Thanks for giving me some things to think about.
You are welcome, Tiffany. It’s a struggle for me, too, though I am not a procrastinator–I’m just deadline-oriented. At least, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!