This past week my husband took my car for 3 days. Mine gets WAY better gas mileage and he had to go on a road trip, so I was stuck with the minivan for the interim. I love my little car – it gets great gas mileage and I can fit my daughters AND a trip to Costco into it. Who needs the minivan? Plus, I made sure when I got it that it had a standard (manual, i.e. “stick”) transmission.
When I drive a car with an automatic transmission, I just go. I am less aware of my surroundings. I am MUCH less aware of my speed. I just get in the car and drive. Especially in the U.S., manual transmissions in cars tend to be the exception, rather than the rule.
It occurred to me this week that driving an automatic is how we can sometimes be in the studio – we get onto a path and stay there, unless something jars us out of it. We ARE on “automatic.” So, I’d like to pose these questions to you:
Do you make sure you make time in your schedule for exercise?
Do you still take lessons yourself?
Do you give yourself professional development time annually? Quarterly? Monthly? Do you regularly interact with other teachers?
What are your goals for your studio? What have you done lately to energize your student population?
Has your teaching evolved throughout the past year? Why or why not?
Do you take time for your family? Do *they* have time specifically in your schedule?
What are your goals for the summer? Personal? Professional? Familial?
Is there something that you’ve always wanted to do, but never done? Why not now?
Check your budget – what are some “automatic” expenses that could be trimmed or eliminated?
Check your diet – are there items that could be better for you? Especially as we get into the summer months, check out your local farmers’ market & try to eat more locally & less prepared.
Learn a new piece of music – even if it’s just a short one – that’s been on your “wish list” (you know you have one) for 5+ years. Maybe now’s the time to do it.
Whatever you choose to do, make this Spring-to-Summer transition a time to jar yourself OUT of automatic and into manual. Take charge of your every action. Be mindful of what you are doing. No huge changes must be made – just increase your awareness of your actions, their causes, their purposes, their results.
Let me know in your comments what YOU are planning to do (and then let me know how it goes!!).
Great post Rachel! This summer I’m taking July off for professional development… the NATS conference, then home for 5 days before we’re off to Virginia for the Somatic Voicework(tm) program at Shenandoah University until the end of the month. We’ll include some holidaying in Virginia and DC while we’re there. In August, it’s back to work preparing for the fall term at Capilano University as well as my private studio.
Three things on my musical to do list: become more adept at chord symbols and lead sheets; reacquaint myself with my flute and research/prepare for a faculty recital sometime in the fall.
Ongoing projects include working with a couple of former students who are home for the summer on vocal cross-training and voice science… lots of fun for me!