Setting Goals for 2015

With 2015 upon us, that also means New Years resolutions are in the making. And for 2015, perhaps you've made some goals for yourself and your child in regards to cello and practice. I try to set a cello goal for myself every year and I'll keep you posted on what I decide to accomplish in 2015. Last year I took on 100 straight days of practice. I started in late January and made it by May! Then I was hooked and kept going even though I wasn't keeping track anymore.

Below are just a few suggestions to making your practice goals and resolutions stick.

1. Don't bite off more than you can chew. I'm all about being ambitious, but take a step back and evaluate if your goal is really attainable. Finishing two books in one year, probably not realistic. Finishing Suzuki Book 1, definitely more realistic. Practicing every day for 2015, also probably unrealistic. Practicing every day for one month, way more attainable.

2. Start now. The new year is a great time to start off with a 'clean slate'. Don't wait. If you missed the first of the year, start on a Monday.

3. Make a plan. Then write it down. And then post it on your refrigerator or someplace you will see it often. And commit to it. For real. Good intentions are great, but unless you plan for it and commit it to paper, procrastination is more likely to strike. Making a plan will help you stick to your goals. Set a date, too!

4. Reward yourself. Include a reward to give yourself and your child at the end! But determine what the reward is during your planning stage. I honestly can't remember what I did for myself when I made it to the end of my 100 days of practice - in the end, the feeling of accomplishing my goal was a way bigger reward than my actual physical reward - but I did have a motivator there for me at the end of the tunnel.

5. Share your goal. Share your goal with friends and family members and ask them to encourage you along the way. I had my students check up on me to make sure I practiced daily and that definitely kept me going. They encouraged me to keep it up even when I was feeling discouraged or unmotivated. Those moments of decline in motivation will definitely come, especially when the honeymoon period of achieving your goal has waned. Having others supporting you will help you push through those down times and help you make your way back up.

6. Break it up. Take your big goal, which say it is finishing Suzuki Book 2, and break it up into smaller pieces, learning one piece per month. There are twelve pieces in Book 2 so it works out perfectly. Breaking your goal into smaller goals is both easier and more gratifying. Instead of trying to accomplish this huge hurdle, you celebrate the small (monthly) successes while simultaneously achieving your big goal.

I have a number of professional/cello goals I have in mind for 2015 but I think my big one will be to finish my Suzuki teacher training. I am currently not registered for Suzuki Books 9 and 10 and would like to finish my training this summer in Chicago. The problem: I never learned Suzuki Book 10. In high school and in college, I always disliked this particular piece, the Concerto in B-flat by Boccherini, so I never learned it. In order to complete my training, I need to learn it. 2015 is the year and expect to hear about my plan and my progress!