If we are willing to listen, learn, and practice, everything that happens can be rehearsal for a better performance the next time. Musicians know this. We should all recognize it.
Being perfect isn’t the goal. Even being exactly the same each time isn’t it. Mechanically identical reproduction of an event or a feeling or an occasion is for machines; life is messier and more complicated and more artful than that and means we have to be ready to use all that we’ve learned in all of our rehearsals, combined in whatever way gets us the best result in the present moment. It means, too, that what is the best solution for that moment may not be reproducible or even desirable next time. A CD is a lovely evocation of memory but the live performance takes hold of us down to the soul in a very different way.
I want to become better at whatever I am. Some of the betterment may come fairly easily as I recognize more clearly what I am, as I grow older and have more experiences and find my way through more of my life’s journey, picking up clews as I go. More of it will happen, if at all, because I work hard to improve myself in one way and another.
There’s no guarantee that any given moment or event will find me at my best, or even that I will become the best version of myself that I am capable of being no matter how long I live. But I’ll certainly have a better shot at any of that if I commit to practicing.
Art-Colored Glasses 
This post resonates with me so much having been a musician all my life. It’s so true! One can be technically proficient but if the heart and soul isn’t there, to me it’s not moving. I want to be moved. I want to have my heart leap with joy inside or feel the angst. I don’t want to be a robot. Very beautiful post and I LOVE the photos!!
Singer? Player? Both? 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the photos—one of the things I get a kick out of doing when I’m at performances and rehearsals that include instrumentalists is gazing upon all of those beautiful works of art that produce all of those artful sounds. One of the reasons my husband came to teach/conduct at UNT is that in addition to having the choral part of the Early Music program here (half of what he was hired to conduct) long in place, the university owns a fairly substantial collection of decent period instruments, so any student wanting to study early instrumental music has access to good instruments, along with the training to use them. There are some I’d never even heard of or seen before we came here, and it’s so great to get to see and hear them in use and just marvel at the craftsmanship and the inventiveness behind them as much as the history. As for the latter, one of my fond memories from our honeymoon trip was when we visited with friends in Berlin and the conductor of the choir we were visiting there took us to the early music instruments museum and gave us a private tour with a curator. So many incredibly cool instruments! So much magical history!! He even played, and let our friend play, a couple of the delicate keyboard instruments. Ahhhhhhh………..!
Oh wow! That is so interesting about the music instrument museum! My mom is a Steinway Artist and signed some anniversary steinway that was in the Smithsonian in the hmm 80’s I think or early 90’s. Along with her signature were people like Elton John, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wynton Marsalis, etc. Kinda fun…she made the Seattle news as I think the piano was on tour there. Anyway, I learned at four how to play…so early that I really don’t remember learning. I had to stop playing several years ago because of some nerve issues in my hand due to a neck injury. That’s really how all this photography started actually. I needed another hobby! And voila! Or should I say “presto” since we are talking music. Seems we have a lot in common…except I can’t write my way out of a paper bag, lol.
Well, that’s nonsense! I read your posts entirely On Purpose! *And* I love your comments and look forward to reading them every time I see there’s a new one. I won’t sit still for just any old writing, and that includes some so-called Classics’ authors’ stuff. So there.
I just have to ask, even though it’s a big long shot: you’re *not* the Laura Macky I went to school with at Edgemont Jr High with, are you??? That would be wildly funny. But if not, I still love ya anyway. 😀
xo
Kath
No, actually my last name isn’t Macky. I came up with that as a play on my real last name. That would’ve been a hoot though! Stranger things have happened! Glad I’m still loved. Phew! 😀
Reblogged this on My Life as an Artist (2) and commented:
Practise….the key to just about everything:)
Yes to all of this. Absolutely. And yiur photos are stunning. 😊 Xx
journeyintopoety just said it all!
Well, both of you are awfully sweet to me!