HomeLJS PodcastAbout My Bad Relationship With Music…

About My Bad Relationship With Music…

Hey, I’ve got a question for you. What’s your relationship with music like? Is it good? Is it bad? Is it perhaps a little bit of both? 

Well, on today’s episode, I’m going to get a little bit vulnerable with you, share a little bit my personal life experience with music, my journey with music, and how oftentimes in this journey of playing music and exploring it and getting better, it was quite an abusive and unhealthy relationship. 

And this past of mine with a bad relationship with music has greatly informed how I approach teaching jazz and the way I help my Inner Circle members and beyond so that they don’t have the same relationship with music for themselves. 

Welcome to episode 422


In this episode:

1. My personal experience with music and how it has shaped his approach to teaching jazz.
2. Developing a strong attachment to your identity as a musician and the self-worth tied to your musical abilities.
3. The comparison game and the constant feeling of dissatisfaction with your own playing.
4.  The extreme practicing and the focus on becoming the best musician, leads to a skewed mindset.
5. The importance of dissatisfaction as a driving force for improvement that emphasizes the negative consequences of constantly feeling unsatisfied.
6.  The impact of stress and anxiety on playing, particularly when comparing yourself to others. 
7.  Avoiding the same mindset and mistakes others made by promoting a healthier and more enjoyable approach to playing music.


Important Links:
Free Guide to learning standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way
LJS Inner Circle Membership
Listen to the Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Brent Vaartstra
Brent Vaartstrahttp://www.brentvaartstra.com
Brent Vaartstra is a professional jazz guitarist and educator living in New York City. He is the head blogger and podcast host for learnjazzstandards.com which he owns and operates. He actively performs around the New York metropolitan area and is the author of the Hal Leonard publication "Visual Improvisation for Jazz Guitar." He's also the host of the music entrepreneurship podcast "Passive Income Musician."

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