Happy New Year!
What a year! 2020 was a wild ride and I think it is safe to say that most of us are looking forward to a (hopefully) more normal 2021.
If you’re like me, you’re feeling motivated as we ring in the new year. Each year, I try to take some time to reflect on the past 12 months and set long-term goals and envision the coming year that I’d like to have. We all know that we can’t predict everything and life can certainly get crazy, but if we head in to each year with a long-term plan, we’ll be better focused and motivated on a day-to-day basis.
Let’s first reflect on the past year. Even if it’s been a particularly tough year, try to remember the positive things that have happened. Also, you may want to make more than one list. For example, I like to have separate lists for my personal and professional lives.
Here are some of my professional highlights:
Finishing my DMA coursework. Not “Dr.” yet, but a big milestone. More on this below.
Success with Colere. My saxophone quartet, Colere Quartet, had a particularly successful year filled with growth as an ensemble, virtual competitions, traveling (pre-COVID), and new projects.
New studio space! When we moved back in July, one of my goals was to create a dedicated space for teaching, rehearsing, and practicing. We had our basement finished this December and the studio space turned out better than expected!
New basement studio!
We still have some decorating to do…but it’s coming along!
If you know me, you know I’m a stickler about enharmonic equivalents! These two notes sound the same but are NOT the same.
Colere Quartet rehearsing for an upcoming project.
Now let’s move to this year’s goals. Think big! A lot can happen in a year. I like to set large goals for the year so that they can then inform my smaller month-to-month and day-to-day goals.
Here are a few of my music related goals:
Finish my degree! I’m in the final few stages of my DMA program and although things didn’t go exactly as planned in 2020, I’d like to finish up my last few requirements this year!
Continue to grow my studio. Since moving, I’ve been teaching a mixture of in-person and online saxophone lessons. Over the course of this next year, I’d like to increase the enrollment in my private studio. Like I said, think big--I’m aiming to double my current enrollment! I’m also expanding my offered services to include music theory tutoring, audition preparation sessions, and more.
Make a larger impact. Teaching and performing are both meaningful, valuable, and rewarding parts of my career. As I continue to set longer-term and larger goals for myself, I’ve been wanting to make a wider impact with my work --to reach more people. This year, I’m launching a new YouTube channel with the goal of reaching band directors and other teachers to provide them with helpful resources for teaching their saxophone students. First uploads coming very soon. Be the first to subscribe at https://bit.ly/3pFZt6F.
What are your goals for 2021? Feel free to share using the form below. I’d love to hear from you!
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