“Consistent practice is the only way to get measurably better. You’re not going to accidentally get better. You have to be intentional about it. Don’t get wrapped up in competition. So many people are worried about what chair they are, and ‘Am I going to make it into this orchestra?’ ‘Am I going to win this competition?’ I think that those things can be powerful. They can be great experiences, but they can be a major distraction that tie your worth and your growth into results. When you only tie how you feel about that activity to your results, you may give up before the results start turning your way, if that makes sense. I’m sure there’s people who would have been famous actors had they not given up, you know, but the competition was so fierce that they might have given up. So I say, try to ignore competition. If you’re determined, if you’re interested, if you’re passionate, you will make progress, and eventually it will show up.”
– Daniel Henderson, Orchestra Teacher