It is the first week in January. We are just far enough into the new year to either be grateful that the holidays are over or be a little down…because the holidays are over. The Christmas lights are winking out throughout the neighborhoods (though there are a few stalwarts that will let them glow for a while). A few of us who are business owners or just anxious to get back that refund have already started puttering around gathering tax info but there’s not a lot of motivation there. Spring is still quite a ways off and we have several months of gray bareness until the flowers start popping up and the deciduous trees start greening up. It’s cold and a bit damp – oh well.
I can hear you sarcastically asking or at least thinking, “Thanks for all the cheer Craig – whats the point?” The point is that for most of us January represents a little down time. Not a lot of activity. Not a lot of enthusiasm. But it is an absolutely perfect time to make music. We’re not heading for the beach (though some of you snow lovers may be heading for the mountains) and we’re not taking a lot of excursions or vacations. It is a great time to enjoy that violin, cello, etc.that has been sitting patiently in the corner waiting for you. I know a few of you have may have been involved in seasonal concerts last month but your practice has been geared towards performance and not improvement, creating or just having fun. My question is why not? What is holding you back from rolling up the metaphorical sleeves and digging in? For many of us there is no better time. If we are parents of young musicians it is a good time to encourage practice. As I look out my window right now there is no snow for sledding and it’s not the best weather for hiking, biking or skating. So get out the rosin, dust off that instrument and get going. I mean, why not?
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