You Want More Practice Time, But…

Today I spent a good amount of time in two airports, as my wife, four your old daughter and I made our way back from a very stimulating set of meetings in Tampa, Florida.

In the airports we were bombarded with CNN’s coverage of the latest Middle East blowup. I mean, it’s like some sort of grizzly reality TV show or something.

We turned the tele off a couple years ago in our house, and we haven’t once regretted it. If I were in a position to really effect change in the Middle East, or anywhere else, I would be only too happy to lend a hand. But I’m not, and I suspect all of you reading this aren’t either.

I’m sure you all see where I’m going here but let me go one step further and really get a few of you steamed at me. What we are seeing on CNN, CBS, and all the rest is often not even the real news in the world.

Just to prove it to you let me ask you a question. Can you name the country in Africa in which four million have perished in recent years due to armed conflict?

If you don’t know it might just be because the major networks have devoted something like 12 minutes reporting on it this year. And, no, I won’t tell you, either.

Now back to my real point. If you made a gift to your violin practice of all the time you currently spend reading and watching ‘news’ which has no present and immediate bearing on your life – and I’m talking about Hollywood gossip, serial murderers, corporate criminals, gas price hysteria, sudokas (I know they are not news, but they are a big time waster, nonetheless), and all the rest – how much time would it be.

Your violin practice, whether you are a professional or not, is an opportunity to cultivate and reverence that which is sublime.

I think your life, and those close to you would be greatly enhanced by some additional time spent in such pursuit, don’t you?

I know Mozart would.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

P.S. Nike at least has this much right when they say, ’just do it’.