…using your character strengths
by Katy Carnaggio
Let’s break this down: the best way to drive results in your playing isn’t to work on your weaknesses. It’s to work toward what you want. Otherwise, all those hours of, “That was sharp. I gotta fix that trill before tomorrow’s concert. The start of that note wasn’t clear,” build into a painstakingly vivid self-image of all the ways you fall short.
Imagine the breakthroughs you could achieve when you relinquish the burden of everything you need to fix and, instead, saturate your mind with sounds you love: “I want that D rich and centered! Fluid trills are on the agenda! Ooh, let’s get a crystal-clear front!”
I know, it sounds so simple. But, in my work expanding performance education resources at the Jacobs School of Music, I’ve found that even the world’s best musicians can at times fear that a step towards love and enjoyment also means a step towards complacency.
If you’re thinking, “Sounds familiar,” I invite you to try a simple, evidence-based exercise:
- Identify Your Strengths: Take this free assessment by the VIA Institute on Character to discover your top five signature strengths. These are unique qualities that you enjoy, value, and embody.
- Choose and Apply a Strength: Select one that resonates with you and brainstorm seven ways to apply it to your musical practice. For example, indulging my “judgment” strength (examining things from all angles) allowed me to track different factors that impact my playing using the Bearable App and connect persistently swollen, painful lips to a simple food allergy.
- Experiment and Reflect: Implement a new idea each day for a week and see which ones enhance your practice.
Research shows that using your signature strengths can boost your growth, productivity, and resilience. Yet, this method is more than just a practical tool; it's a way to discover joy and build self-trust.
I get it. I’d sooner rely on familiar tools like my trusty metronome, too, where hard work feels straightforward and goal-oriented. But your richest and most effective work lies in learning to find enjoyment in the process. That means separating yourself from your fears and defenses—letting go of judgements of who you are, what sounds you can make, or what you can do—and instead choose simply to be present with the horn and, using all your strengths, step towards what you love.
And love, in any context, is immensely powerful and inherently unpredictable in both the best and worst ways. Hard work might never end but love stories do; love demands vulnerability.
But the beauty of this risk? It's in the music you'll create when your authenticity and love blend seamlessly with your skill and discipline. That's where you find not just improvement but transformation.
