Commitment I

There are costs and sacrifices necessary in order to achieve significant musical goals. Commitment is the psychological construct that enables musicians to persevere in their practise and performance routines. That’s the main about commitment. It isn’t a promise or a feeling; it comes down do doing. Everything we do in the practice room or on stage moves us closer to, or further from, our highest musical values and goals.

Commitment is seen when musicians consistently demonstrate the specific behaviours and activities that are likely to directly result in optimal performance. Ultimately, commitment comes down to a choice. But it shouldn’t be a hard one and you shouldn’t have to think about it too much anyway; you just do what you do. This is important because frustration and failure are not uncommon when starting out. The commitment I see in my best students is not particularly self-reflective. It just is. Their commitment involves deliberate and careful practise. The more focused and frequent the practise, the more the student’s skills develop.

Truly great musicians dedicate an enormous amount of time to deliberate practice over many years. They all behave in a highly committed way. It’s not that finding time is easier for them. They’re just willing to feel and sacrifice more than you or I. Where do you draw the line? The more you are willing to accept, the higher the commitment and the better the results.

Negative thoughts are often a problem. But we can make a choice to act on them in a particular way. The commitment, then, is to let them pass, refocus, and act on what moves us closer to our musical goals. This is all to do with acceptance; the subject of my previous blog.

By now you may be wondering if commitment is best served by easy, moderate or hard musical goals. The answer to that question begins my next blog called 'Commitment II.'