Keep doing your music.
Becoming an educator can veer you away.
Checking papers.
Lesson plans.
Meetings.
Administrative procedures.
Worrying about students.
Worrying that you aren't doing a good job.
Worrying that you will keep your job.
Bills.
Thyroid issues.
Addiction.
Cancer.
Divorce.
Caregiving.
Parenting.
World news.
You're dealing with a lot. How do you keep up with the music?
Don't try to keep up with how you were before. You aren't that person. You're a musician and educator and whatever else you do. Give yourself time for your life space to expand enough to accommodate the new you.
Set yourself up for success. I closed on my house in September 2020, and it is only this weekend, January 2024, that my office got finished.
What a disaster.
With help and elbow grease and feline talent, I now can walk in, sit down, hit record, and let the music flow.
What a difference!
At my previous residence, I did my recordings in a literal closet, and I made it work.
This is better.
Taking the time to create this space has changed me, inside. I now have a place in my house specifically designed for creativity, and I felt the shift in my heart as soon as I put away the paint.
Is there a room or some such in your residence where you can do the same?
Start small. Sit down and knock out a verse or an intro or the basic theme, and be done. Let that be your intention for a while.
You might not stop. You may end up finishing the piece at the speed you used to.
But if you go into it with the intention of just doing a little, two things happen: a. Exponential growth happens, where little tiny steps every day yield incredible results, and b. You will not put so much pressure on yourself, which will result in you having fun, which almost always increases the quality of the output.
Keep doing your music. See how your music changes as you become more seasoned as an educator. Relish in those changes and note them so that you can eventually share that wisdom with new musician teachers who come up behind you.
You're doing great!
