What motivates a student to learn fascinates me. There is the initial motivation to take up an instrument. Eventually, more inspiration is needed to continue developing week after week, year after year. With something so difficult as a stringed/bowed instrument, the environment needs to be supportive, stimulating (musically) and encouraging or it will be next to impossible to keep striving.
Intrinsic motivation eventually happens if all the gods conspire to create the necessary factors. Some of the important factors are: parent and child sharing a love of music through listening to music together and especially attending concerts together; a calm and imaginative as well as a structured approach to learning. And a no criticism atmosphere. "Criticism eats up all the love of God" - Mother Theresa
Here are some of the ways to motivate yourself or your child:
Listening to other musicians is inspiring and motivating.
I was so inspired by Aalt van de Beek's performance, I arranged this Dutch Hymn for cello quartet. Here's the .pdf file:
Playing with others is great motivation to practice. I'm playing (with two of my students) an accompaniment I created to fill in the critical orchestra parts for this movement of a Vivaldi Concerto for two Cellos. Here's the sheet music for the cello accompaniment:
One of my favorite things to do in life is to play cello in a string quartet. To be able to play the great works written for string quartet is one of life's greatest joys! (actually, just to play a C major chord in tune in a string quartet can be a heavenly experience) Be constantly on the look out for people who you would like to play with. If you can form a trio or quartet with others who you respect and want to work with, this is great motivation for practicing.
"My music emerges from the life all around me and the world we all share together." - Yo yo Ma
What makes us want to rise above all the noise and turmoil which can drag us down? Something that is uplifting and inspiring. Devoting yourself to an Art, gives you something that makes your life rich. Music enriches my life because:
I treasure what the great composers, writers and artists gave to us.
I have loving friends and family to make music with
I have eager students who prepare their studies for me to hear
I am able to go to great concerts
I can bring people together to listen to musicians perform or to play together
If you can do one of the above or any artistic endeavor, then get going! If we don't push ourselves to branch out, we will all live in ever more isolated worlds. As Yo-yo Ma says, "the life around us and the world we all share together is where music emerges".
There are so many great stories of why children or adults choose an instrument to study. Here's my story:
I fell in love with the responsiveness of the strings the first time I held a violin. I developed a strong attachment to it and remember coming home after being away for a few days and rushing straight to my room because I longed to play my violin. After a couple of years of group violin lessons in school, most of the students had dropped out and the teacher simply gave up. By 6th grade it was not "cool" to play the violin so I asked for a cello because nobody really knew what that was. I had wanted to learn every instrument ever since the general music class in 5th grade when we were introduced to the instruments of the orchestra . I'm not sure why I ended up on the cello. I played the drums and a few brass instruments in high school band but it was probably because I was accepted into a youth orchestra on the cello at age 15. This opened up a whole world of orchestral music which was probably the motivation I needed for continuing.
Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
"Our life lasts only for a couple of hours."
- St. Teresa of Avila
Exams/Auditions/Recitals
Some students are motivated by exams. Others are scared of failure or find it too stressful. If you want to do an exam, a recital or an audition, start practicing for it many months in advance and be sure to tell your teacher what you plan to do. Too short a time to prepare will cause you much suffering and you probably won't do well. If you take plenty of time to prepare, you'll be confident and will learn some things really well.
William Pleeth , teacher of Jacqueline DuPre, wrote about the possible detrimental effects of the graded exam system in England. There is a good chapter titled, "Parents Beware" in his book called Cello. (he also believes children should be allowed a period of exploration when they begin to learn cello with a teacher.)
