make a habit of practicing oboe 5+ times a week

I got my oboe back from the (somewhat crazy) repair person, so I’m hopefully back into my practicing schedule. I’ve been really frustrated playing on a borrowed instrument, and I think I’ll need the few days to get back into things before a concert on Monday. I also haven’t been able to do a lesson for a couple weeks, it’s kinda crappy. I feel like such a slacker even though, hey, summer vacation.
Friday: I have to practice before I go see a local theater group’s performance in the evening.
Saturday/Sunday: I have to practice before 10 so I’ll have time to get into the city by noon to go to a music festival. (I am very excited for this, as I get to see one of my favorite bands and hang with a friend I don’t get to spend time with as often as I’d like.)
Monday: Light practicing as early as possible, so I don’t wear myself out before a lesson from 2-3 and a concert with a call time of 5:15.
Finally, I have to make sure I have AT LEAST one good reed to play on for the concert and find some very cool, yet formal clothes to wear. We’re playing in a room that has a full wall of windows, and it got very very hot during the dress rehearsal…every once in a while I’ll get dizzy/headaches/trouble seeing while I’m playing, and from experience I know playing in a hellishly hot room will not help with this, never mind intonation.

Fell off the bandwagon for a few days, bet never fear friends, I am back on! I’m choosing to think of my oboe-less weekend as “vacation” as opposed to “failure”. (It makes me feel better.)

I’ve done 18 straight days, and today will be the 19th. Unfortunately, my oboe seems to be gearing up to to throw a tantrum, because I had two little problems with it in rehearsal yesterday. As I can only fix the basic stuff (water in keys, springs or screws that are obviously out of place) I left a message with my repair guy about a tune-up. I wasn’t really expecting to need this until October, as my horn last “broke” in November…and of course I need it for rehearsals all the time and a performance on July 4th. I’m hoping 3 business days’ll be fine, because at least then I’ll have it for the performance. Last time I brought it in it took 3-4 days, but then again, there was a huge problem, and now it’s less drastic.
Of course, I don’t want to undo all the work I’ve done towards this habit, either. While my instrument is in the shop I’m going to practice guitar during the time I set aside for oboe. I’ve been neglecting guitar to work on this anyway, so it’ll be good.

I have practiced every day for 14 days! (Mini cheer!) I’m going to have to be a bit more disciplined about it from now on though, because I don’t have class anymore, and I was practicing right before I left. Practicing right before something works so well that I think how I’m going to keep the habit is to go out running at 7:30 every day, and practice before I do. Besides, all this work establishing a habit doesn’t do me any good if it doesn’t carry over into the school year.
I have noticed that it’s becoming something that I feel like I have to do every day, if that makes sense. I wasn’t able to this morning because I slept over at a friend’s house, and didn’t get home until 4, and around 9 AM I just started thinking about when I’d be able to find time to practice. (I elected on after rehearsal tonight, even though I’ll be tired.)
Pretty much the only thing I’ve learned about forming habits is that it is crucial that you’re consistent. During a particularly bad bout of acne I started washing my face almost religiously. (Every morning, and every night.) I don’t think I’ve missed a day since then, because I was so steady with it that by the time my face calmed down it was already something that I did without thinking. It only ever gets easier.

I’ve officially done 7 days in a row, which I realize is a baby step, but it’s something I haven’t done in a while. Today was hard, too, I just did not want to work. I mean, I got up, went to go give blood, and then pretty much slept the rest of the day just because I could. I finally dragged myself to practice, and I’m glad I did, because the stuff I worked on was really nice. There’s a piece for my chamber group which I had started before and had trouble with, and something just clicked in my brain today so that I know what to work on in it when I sit down tomorrow. I was so close to skipping though, and I guess I just realized it’s up to me, nobody’s really going to care if I practice or not. In the past, I’ve tried to be “perfect” with music to avoid embarrassment, when what I need to remind myself is that this is something I enjoy, and I’m doing it for myself, not my teachers. Otherwise, what’s the point? Why spend 5 years learning an instrument if not for yourself?

I seem to have come full circle since last year, as I’m again trying to go 30 days in a row practicing. I feel like it’s going well…It’s easy to do it right when I get up because my class doesn’t start until 8, so it’s early enough that I don’t sleep in but late enough that I’ve got 30 spare minutes. I can never bring myself to wake up early enough to fit a full 45-60 in, so my warmup gets cut short (Baaaaad me, I know) but if I start the day knowing “I got x work done and I have y work left” then sitting down in the afternoon is inexplicably easier. With a Chamber Music rehearsal, Community Band rehearsal, or lesson every 2-3 days, staying motivated is simple: just prepare for the next rehearsal.

I’m a sophomore in high school, which apparently means I’ve been in the public school system way too long, because my method of motivating myself to practice for the past few weeks is a little mindless. I made myself worksheets, a week at a time, with a little box for every day of the week and a spot for me to write out other musical commitments/goals I have.
This has been moderately effective…I’m really organized, and my progress in reed-making and guitar has shot through the roof. But oboe? Nahhhhh. Three weeks in, it’s a very painful reminder that I don’t practice nearly enough. At least the obsessive part of my brain is being punished by seeing an empty box, and I don’t seem to lack work. A couple months ago, I wrote about being in a musically busy season…that season transitioned to another busy season seamlessly. It was horrific.

Did my concerto competition on the oboe, but unfortunately I didn’t win the solo spot in the concert. Now, I’ve got almost 3 weeks to finish preparing another solo on the English Horn, and I’m kindof overwhelmed. Starting next week are the rehearsals for the school musicals, which I am in the pit orchestra of. (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)We’re doing about 3 songs a week, so for the next two-ish months, I get to learn 3 songs a week.
Which guarantees some practicing. I just realized it’s a lot. :p

Practiced twice a few weeks ago, thrice the next week. This week I’m going for four times, I’ve done two days already so…I’m not sure how I’m going to get this as a habit, but I’m increasing the amount I practice all the time. (And I feel pretty good about this.)

I’m a couple days into this busy season, and I think it’s under better control now…my playing exams went alright, my duet is good to go. I have all of my accompanists hired…even if one of them is a friend and the other one is a teacher. (You have no idea the lengths I will go to avoid hiring an accompanist over the phone.)
Plus I did like, 2 hours of practicing in the last 2 days. That’s legit.