How do I know if I’m Doing it Right?

How do I know if I’m doing it right?

This week as I was teaching, it struck me that almost all of my students – regardless of age or time studying their instrument – have something in common.  All of them often – like several times a lesson – check in with me to see if they are “doing it right.”  Sometimes it is an understood uncertainty visible with an eyebrow raise or facial expression and other times it is a direct question.  It comes up all the time, but this week something was nagging me to come up with some ways to help students try and answer this question for themselves.

I think it is normal to question if you are doing something right.  Especially if it is a brand-new skill you are trying to learn or something you are really trying to master.

Here are some things you can do that might help you answer for yourself the question “Am I doing it right.”

Compare your actions to the instructions you have been given.

 As you practice and develop your new skills, make sure to follow the instructions your teacher provided. While this may seem like an obvious tip, it’s surprisingly easy to go through the motions of practice without actually applying the new techniques. Remember, your goal is to improve—and that means actively incorporating what you’ve learned.

So, why is it hard to implement new things when you practice?

It’s hard because you are not intentional or focused when you practice.  In other words, you are just going through the motions or checking off your to-do list.  Intentional, quality practice is more important than quantity when it comes to making sure you are doing it right.  Practice quantity (i.e. repetition) is helpful when you are confident you are doing it right and you need to sharpen the skill.

It’s also hard to implement new things we’ve learned because you may mis-remember the instructions.  An excellent way to avoid this pitfall is to record your lesson and listen back.  This will guarantee you heard the instructions correctly.  If you heard them, but there was something unclear – recording and listening back may help clarify something.  At the very least it will prompt you to write down questions to clarify it at your next lesson.  That can help get you back on track faster.

Evaluate your progress towards your goal.

Periodically check in with what your goal was and where you are on the path to reaching that goal.  Go over this with your teacher and/or on your own.  If you can see progress – awesome!  Make some observations about what the turning point was for you to really make strides and lean into that.  If you don’t see progress, have a conversation with your instructor about what changes need to be made to keep working toward the goal, but maybe in a different way.  You also might need to adjust the goal – breaking it into smaller parts, for example.  If you accomplished your goal – awesome!  Celebrate that!  And after your celebration, use this accomplishment as a spring board to identify a new goal – and get to work!

Seeing results and progress should help you confirm that you are “doing it right.”  If you weren’t doing things right, you wouldn’t be making strides toward your goal or seeing progress.

Seek input from others.

Maybe it is hard for you to clearly identify progress using recordings and self-reflection.  It’s okay to seek a second opinion.  Ask someone you trust who knew you at the beginning of your journey to give you their evaluation of your progress.  Chances are they will see more progress than you can.  We are always our own worst critic.  Take their observations to your teacher and discuss a plan to tweak or build on what that feedback.

Another valuable opinion could come from someone who didn’t know you at the beginning of your journey.  Get their feedback on how you sound on your instrument.  Fresh perspective and new ears can be really valuable to knowing what you are “doing right.”  It usually reveals that you are “doing it more right” than you thought.  And other times it can reveal an area to work on you maybe hadn’t thought about yet, which will help get you closer to your goal.

Trust your gut.

You do not always need confirmation from others to affirm that you are “doing it right.”

• Does your technique feel good?
• Do you like the music you are making?
• Are things easier or getting easier that used to be hard or weren’t even on your radar before?
• Are you more willing to participate in performance opportunities?
• Do you feel more confidence when you are performing?
• Do you have an increased level of understanding about technical aspects of your instrument?
• Can you speak the “language” of both music and your specific instrument more fluently than you could before?
• Do you have sharper critical listening and observation skills in your instrumental area than you used to?
• Can you diagnose what you need to improve on as you are practicing?  Even more, can you “fix” it after you identify the problem?

If you can answer yes to most of these questions, then you are doing it right!  Trust your gut!

It’s okay to ask if you are doing it right.  It means that you care.  You don’t have to just rely on your teacher for the answer to that though.  You can gain independence and confidence in this area if you work on it and use a variety of resources. Check out my blog from last March, What Makes a Good Musician, if you want some more thoughts on what it means to get it right as a musician.  If you are intentional in your practice, regularly evaluate your progress, ask for input from others, and trust your gut – then you will know when you are “doing it right.”