Goals, Motivation, Focus… Check! What are Your Musical Goals in 2015?
Found in: Coaching, Miscellany & Merriment
As we put away the festive paraphernalia for another year, it’s a good time to consider what we’re up to for the new year.
Neil Moore often quotes his father saying “You should always have something to look forward to”. Simply Music has lots to look forward to in 2015!
Here’s a look at some of our goals for the new year!
Launch of the crowdfunding campaign for Simply Music Gateway.
Simply Music Gateway is a unique piano playing program designed specifically for children with special needs, including those on the Autism Spectrum and Sensory Processing Disorders. Our goal is to raise enough money to give the program away to families in need all over the world!
Exploring the opportunity to develop a truly global presence for the Simply Music Piano Teacher Training program.
Until now, we’ve only been able to train teachers in a few countries. The newly developed all-digital version of our groundbreaking program allows access for potential teachers in almost every country across the globe. We’re thrilled about the unprecedented accessibility and affordability of our programs for teachers and students worldwide.
Further improvements to The Playground.
We want our blog to be as valuable and relevant to you as possible. This year we plan to publish more articles (without adding to your inbox – we suggest you hook up to our Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates) with a focus on adding value to your experience as a student or teacher, and with contributions from experts across the musical universe.
Now… what are your musical goals?
One of the most clichéd new year’s resolutions is to learn a musical instrument. If you’re reading this, you must be interested in music, but if you haven’t started yet, let us suggest there’s never been a better time, with so many new tools and approaches, made easier, more accessible and more affordable than ever. A popular misapprehension we suggest you ignore is that music is about excellence – playing advanced pieces, achieving great sight-reading skills or performing in public. All of those things are wonderful, but you can experience the joy of music in the most humble way, maybe by picking up a ukelele, learning a few chords and getting together with friends for jams or singalongs.
Maybe your musical goal for the year could be to play and sing five songs on your new instrument?
If you already play, there are lots of goals you could choose. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Focus on a particular style. Maybe 2015 is your Year of the Blues?
- Develop your creative skills, such as writing three complete songs. Choose three family members or personal experiences you’d like to write about.
- Choose one somewhat more challenging piece to complete by the end of the year alongside your regular projects.
- Get a handle on a device or app for recording and arranging your music. You might even choose to create a complete arrangement of a song and make it available online.
We recommend you be as specific as you can – how many pieces? What are the steps? What is your “by-when” for each? Have benchmarks to assess your progress, and check in on yourself regularly.
We’d love to hear what goals you’ve chosen for yourself. Let us know in the comments below. Making them public helps keep you honest!
