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Post your WOOP – May 2023
A few folks observed that weekly WOOPs felt a little too frequent, so I thought we could try a monthly WOOP cycle instead. That way you can still set weekly WOOPs for yourself if you’d like, and post updates as well, but give you more space to experiment from week to week.
Plus, you won’t have to go searching through previous threads to find your previous weeks’ WOOPs quite so often.
Let me know if this new monthly WOOP cycle feels better!
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14 Replies
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Wish: I intend to send a video of Telemann Fantasia 9 to my teacher for review on Saturday, May 6th.
Outcome: I will have practiced effectively. I send the video off even if I feel that I would like a few more days of practice.
Process: I do a recording for self-evaluation of at least one movement every day until then. I review my lesson notes.
Obstacle: Have unrealistically high expectations that lead to frustration and to procrastination.
Plan: I partition my practice time into short time slices (4 to 7 minutes each) and do the Plan–Do–Evaluate cycle. I make one specific improvement happen in each time slice. I can achieve that if I break down the spot the I am looking at into tinier pieces and if I practice slowly.
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Here is my WOOP from Philippa
Wish: To learn four pieces for video submssion.
Two are due on 1 July another two are due on 1 October.
Outcome: A sense of accomplishment and putting knowledge into practice.
Exploring more music.
Obstacle: Setting reliable practice times and balance completing admin related to work.
Plan: Set specific times for practicing and doing admin. Set reasonable deadlines for admin to be completed.
If I plan my practice time and admin workload deadlines in advance then I will be able to complete my pieces in time for the video submissions.
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@Philippa Let me know how this goes! Sometimes it can be helpful to create a “not-to-do” list as well, if you find yourself doing certain tasks that are tempting, but take time away from the more important things on your todo list.
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Here’s my WOOP –
Wish – I want to memorize the melody of Wayne Shorter’s “Speak no Evil.”
Outcome – I’ll feel confident to move the melody to the drum kit.
Obstacle – I will be tempted to learn the chord structure too. That should be a WOOP for another “day.”
Plan – If I start to focus on the chords then I will jump up & down 4 times to clear my head and then work on the B section.
Deb
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@debra-quentel Ha, love the jumping up and down. =)
(oh, and I should clarify that this is Noa – Mickey Mouse is one of my test accounts, and I sometimes forget to log out of this and back into my admin account, which is what happened this time…????)
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This is Great! Very simple, but effective.
WISH: I want to produce a Promo Video that I can send out to Music Festivals and other venues that I wish to play.
OUTCOME: The Emotions that I anticipate as a result of my efforts are, Relief, Pride, Satisfaction, Sense of Achievement/Accomplishment, Happy, Excited, Confirmed.
OBSTACLE: LETHARGY!!!!!!! Do I need to say any more about this?
PLAN: I will Get Up Early! IF I get up early, THEN I will have more time to get things done. PERIOD!
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@Harold One quick tip – traditionally, the Outcome step is oriented around a feeling or a mental/emotional outcome. As in how you’ll feel when you’ve achieved your Wish. The Wish being more the nuts and bolts of what achieving the goal will look like. Does that make sense?
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Oops; sorry about that Harold. Was still logged in as Mickey…
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@mickey Thanks Noa. I looked at my WOOP Worksheet, and I had Relief, Pride, Satisfaction, Sense of Achievement/Accomplishment, Happy, Excited, Confirmed; but for some reason I forgot to copy from the sheet. lol. I’ll try to edit my post to include the right info.
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No worries, those outcomes sound great!
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I love the new monthly time frame for these goals. Thank you, Noa!
My last WOOP post was on April 15th, and even though I haven’t updated since then, my wish and desired outcome stayed with me stayed with me as I practiced, and I had a huge win: successful performances at my music club recital on April 25th and at an important performance with faculty colleagues on May 7th. The feedback I received on both occasions was extraordinarily positive, and I was able to accept it without mentally cancelling it with “yes, but….”
Looking at the whole process, these strategies were important in preparing for success. Thank you, Noa, PPE, and LL buddies!
Memorizing immediately, while learning the notes, so I had time to become secure and work on musical issues.
Interleaved practice to stay focussed and engaged and avoid repetitive stress.
Variable practice to develop multiple “correct” options that I could draw on. Practicing with a focus on interpretive choices, rather than on making no mistakes
Frequent cold recordings to gauge progress and to expose issues (musical, technical, memorization, focus) for further practice.
Having a lesson on a 1905 Erard with an early music specialist, for a different perspective on sound and style that would take me a little closer to Schubert.
Playing for the Performance Practice session, running into trouble, analyzing why that happened, and emailing Noa for a reality check.
At least six or eight mini-performances to get used to having an audience, get feedback that helped me shape the pieces, and gain a realistic sense of how the performances might go. By concert time, I was clear that I would most likely make some mistakes but they probably wouldn’t be too serious, and I was pretty confident that I would be able to keep the music flowing.
I feel that I truly integrated the mindset that communicating the music was what mattered most, rather than not making mistakes.
I have one more performance on June 3rd, of part of this set, for a scholarship performathon. Here’s my new WOOP.
WISH – to have another solid performance and engage my audience with the Schubert Ländler, even in an informal setting with people coming and going
OUTCOME – to feel that I can be consistent in doing my best and can adapt to a different performance situation
OBSTACLE – feeling complacent and wanting to slack off after doing well
PLAN – 1) remind myself how good I felt about doing well and how disappointed I felt when I hadn’t been a prepared; 2) record every couple of days; 3) play for family or friends at least twice before June 3rd; 4) mix in other music for variety, with an eye to what I’ll learn next; 5) plan my day so I’m physically and mentally ready to play.
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Sounds like a great month, Grace! Glad to hear things went well – and also that you were able to catch yourself and avoid mentally dismissing the positive feedback. Sounds like a great plan for the weeks ahead as well!
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Here is my WOOP for the week of May 29, 2023
Wish
I wish to memorize the De Falla piece, Arogonesa
Outcome
I will feel proud and confident and will even consider playing the piece in front of my colleagues at the next musicale.
Obstacle
Energy level and Fear of failure
Plan
If I stop practicing because I feel tired I will set a timer for 15 minutes and take of myself so that I can consider going back to the piano and continue my practice.
If I find myself missing a practice moment, I will schedule it into my schedule being careful to book it when my energy level is at its best. This means morning or after an afternoon nap or before lunch time. Not in the evening.
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@ellenjohansen Great plans, Ellen. I suspect these should probably be standard operating procedure for all of us, whether it’s practicing or anything else we do! 😁
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