Inner Game of Music

Inner Game of Music

Step 1

 

Step 2

  • Respond to the following questions for the first video

1.  What happens in the mind of a musician while performing? There is a lot of self doubt going through the mind of the musician while playing. Most of the talk in his head is negative, saying what he should have done to prepare, how he is out of tune, how he is not good enough. He heard the voices of his parents and teachers, taking away any concentration.   

2.  What positive outcomes are achieved by practicing the Inner Game concepts? By practicing concepts from the inner game, the musician will be able to have more concentration and focus on the piece at hand. You can silence the outer game voices 

3.  Describe the difference between an Inner Game and an Outer Game. The outer game of music includes all of the outside chitter chatter that goes on, filled with self doubt and negativity. The outer game prevents the performer from being the best he/she can be, whereas practicing the inner game maintains a sense of focus for the performer. 

4.  Give an example of how a musician can improve their awareness. The musician can use the senses to become more focused on what is going on in the music. As the music may relax, you will find yourself relaxing with it. You eventually find that you are no longer an individual, rather a being that is a medium for sound to be created. 

Step 3

 

Step 4

  • Respond to the following questions for the second video

5.  Give an example of how a musician can improve their commitment. To be committed to the performance, you must first be aware of what the tune is, so you can recognize what is wrong when something is off. We must also be confident on our fingering, bowing, and technique, so we can be committed to the piece at hand. The biggest two aspects of commitment is knowing how the tune goes, and then how to execute producing the sound. 

6.  Give an example of how a musician can improve their trust. Trust does not believe everything will be fine. We must trust the feeling or sound quality of the music. Trusting the character of the music will give us the confidence we need to perform. This character includes the beauty, mood, and energy of the piece. A musician can trust a recording of the piece, or trust the energy you get when playing with friends instead of strangers. It is all about the energy that the music possess. 

7.  How do the ensemble conductors use trust in their rehearsals as a technique to improve the musicians? 

The conductor explains that the brass players needed to have more trust in their playing. Because they were worrying about their accuracy, they lost any energy or feeling that the piece possess. Making music isn't simply playing the notes on the page and thinking solely about the accuracy of each pitch. By having trust in the accuracy and focusing on the energy of the piece, and what the piece means to you, the accuracy will flow right through and the piece will come alive. 

8.  What is the ultimate goal of mastering the Inner Game of Music? It has to do with replacing the evil thoughts of doubts and fears and replacing it with the actual music being played. If you stick with the techniques of commitment, awareness and trust that is all about the music, you are on the path to success. To master the inner game, you must learn when to turn away from those doubtful self talks and turn it into commitment to the piece. 

 

Inspirational Quotes & Pre-Recital Preparation

Step 1

  • Provide a list of 8 inspirational quotes that resonate with you regarding music and cite their source/origin

  • “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato
  • “Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.” ― Keith Richards
  • “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” ― Victor Hugo
  • “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.”  ― Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • “Music is a proud, temperamental mistress. Give her the time and attention she deserves, and she is yours. Slight her and there will come a day when you call and she will not answer. So I began sleeping less to give her the time she needed.” ― Patrick Rothfuss
  • “If Music is a Place — then Jazz is the City, Folk is the Wilderness, Rock is the Road, Classical is a Temple.” ― Vera Nazarian
  • “Music is what tell us that the human race is greater than we realize.” ― Napoléon Bonaparte
  • “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” ― Leonard Bernstein
  • “I’m just a musical prostitute, my dear.” ― Freddie Mercury