Summer vacations are a time to have some fun. It’s a good thing that playing a musical instrument is such a blast!
Vacation Season Begins
Memorial Day is next Monday. In addition to being a US holiday that honors those fallen in war, it also signals the beginning of summer and the travel season.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day; school’s out and families vacation. As a musician, you might be thinking about things like, “Will I be able to take my cello with me when my family spends a week in Cannon Beach?” or “How will I keep my embouchure in shape when my spouse and I go camping at Yellowstone this summer?”
Good questions! I’m glad you are thinking along those lines. Today, I’ll talk about how to keep making music while traveling.
First: Why practice at all?
Some of you may be wondering: Why practice or play your instrument on vacation?
- Stay in shape.
Any wind instrumentalist knows that keeping your embouchure in shape helps you create great tone. When you skip a few days or a week of practice, you can feel it in a sore mouth when you return to your instrument. So staying in shape is #1. String players, whether violin or guitar, may feel the loss in finger strength and fingertip softening. - Keep the habit in place.
When you have developed a habit, a healthy, positive habit like daily music practice, it’s one you want to keep. Continuous practice feeds on itself and makes you want to play and practice more. (As a matter of fact, if you are establishing a new habit, give it a chance to become a habit by doing it for 30 consecutive days. It works. It really does.) - Love of music.
I lied when I said staying in shape is the number 1 reason to practice on vacation. Truly, the #1 reason is because I love to play! You probably feel that too or you wouldn’t have started on your musical journey.
Think back to when you first asked mom or dad if you could learn the french horn – you were curious and excited.
Or perhaps you were already an independent adult and you felt the call of the bassoon.
Remember how great if felt when you first got to hold your guitar? Recall the excitement you felt when you first played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on your tenor sax. It’s important to keep these memories and feeling close to the surface this summer as you make your travel plans and keep music part of your vacation.
Now that we’ve got the why of it figured out, let’s turn to the How of it.
Are you traveling by car or plane?
When traveling by plane, it’s all about the carry-on. Small instruments like flute, piccolo, oboe and even clarinet can be carried on in a shoulder bag or a backpack or even packed snugly among your clothes in your carry-on suitcase.
Players of larger instruments have to get a little creative. When I can’t carry-on my alto or tenor sax, I make sure and pack my mouthpiece, ligature, reeds, and neckstrap.
Then, upon arrival at my destination, I make time to go to a music store and ask to try out some saxes. Sometimes I contact music stores before my trip and describe the situation and arrange to play on some good horns while I’m there. They usually have a practice room that I can use. Calling ahead has always resulted in being loaned better quality instruments to play, compared to when I just walk in off the street.
Brass players will want to bring their own mouthpiece. At the very least, you can buzz on your mouthpiece. While it does help keep your chops in shape, it’s not as much fun as playing on the whole horn!
Travel by Car
When you travel by car, your options expand a bit. If there is room for your guitar, sax, or tuba; bring it. Each night at the motel, entertain the other guests by playing out of a book of pop tunes or broadway showpieces. People generally love to hear live music.
Percussionists can easily pack a pair of drumsticks and a practice pad. Add a pair of brushes for the quieter venues. Pianists may be able to play on the piano in the hotel lobby. Get creative and keep music part of your summer travels.
Support of Your Peeps
All your planning would be for naught without the support of your travel companions. While I was growing up, I was fortunate to have the support of my parents. They encouraged me and my sister, Mary Beth, to bring our instruments (sax and flute respectively) to family reunions that occurred each summer.
Today, my spouse loves to hear me make music. When we visit her family throughout Oregon, live music is most always a part of our gatherings.
Today’s Motivator take-away: Get creative in finding ways to keep playing music on summer vacations. Tell me how you plan on keep the music real this summer. Use the comment link below.
Thanks for reading! The next edition of Musician’s Motivator will be out on Wednesday, June 9, 2010.
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