Martha Archives

“But I Don’t Want To!”: How to Get Yourself (or Your Kid) to Practice… — by Martha Baldwin

One of the most frequent problems my students ask me about is how to get inspired to practice. Old, young, serious and casual cellists alike come to me in frustration: “But I just can’t find the inspiration to practice right now/ever/this month/today etc. etc.” Parents ask even more often how to get their child to practice without a battle. Here’s the thing—there’s a hard truth about being a cellist, about the practicing it takes. It’s not always fun. It’s hard to get started. You don’t feel inspired to practice all the time. Don’t feel bad—you know that student next to you in the practice room who’s there every day without fail? He’s not more inspired than you, you’re not missing the I-Love-To-Practice gene. Parents—you know that mom who says “I [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2017-10-24T04:04:38-04:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: In the Practice Room, Self Discovery, Teaching|Tags: Martha, daily routine, practicing, feel like practicing, how to get yourself to practice, Habits, inspiration to practice, cellist, rehearsal, inspiration, problems, schedule, cello, routine, truth, cellobello, Baldwin, structure, Practice Room, discipline, appointment|

Orchestra: A Love Story — by Martha Baldwin

Solo playing, chamber music, orchestra, teaching—I loved them all in college but at some point, we all must start to narrow our focus and work to establish a career that is dominated by one or two of these. I think the most often over-looked aspect of choosing what direction to take your musical talents (insert LeBron goes to Miami joke here), is thoughtful consideration of the daily life. Happiness in life and career is so often not determined by money or status but by how closely our lives conform to our personal ideals and individual quirks. Young cellists often ask me “Why did you choose to play in an orchestra?” This is my answer. I’m a planner. I am happiest with a stable structured day with a decent amount of routine [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2017-10-03T02:47:39-04:00January 27th, 2013|Categories: Orchestra, Self Discovery|Tags: Touring, direction, cellobello, soloist, concerts, establish a career, stability, colleagues, family time, orchestra, status, chamber music, lifestyle, Travel, working full time, personal ideas, mom-friendly schedule, routine, money, challenges, Baldwin, musical talents, focus, happiness, inspiration, orchestral jobs, Martha, choices, Teaching, predictability, rehearsals, Cleveland Institute of Music, variety, short attention span, concert halls, Cleveland Orchestra, cello, social outlets|

It’s Time to Start [NOT] Practicing — by Martha Baldwin

It’s September, the school year has begun, and the concert season is looming large. This time of year is the New Year’s Eve of the academic and music world—a time for resolutions and new beginnings. For cellists everywhere these resolutions often focus around practicing—namely doing more of it. For myself, I somehow already feel behind and the temptation to try to cram as much work in as possible, especially on my “day off” from the orchestra is strong (well, to be honest there are other days when the temptation to sit on the couch is stronger). But this year my resolution is two-fold. Yes, I want to prepare upcoming repertoire earlier than ever this year but before I come up with a plan for that, I’m going to be planning [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2017-09-15T02:54:54-04:00September 29th, 2011|Categories: Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: cellobello, school, orchestra, routine, Preparation, self-improvement, Baldwin, energy, Injuries, Martha, relaxing, practicing, taking time off, repertoire, improvement, Rest, cello|

The Injured Cellist — by Martha Baldwin

Like most of us cellists out there I can barely remember my life before my cello was a daily part of it. Sometimes it is the happiest, most ultimately satisfying part of my day, sometimes the most frustrating. Being a cellist is my life’s work, one that defines me utterly. While other aspects of life are undoubtedly more important (friends, family, health, happiness), what we do is a big part of making up who we are. Not doing it anymore is an exercise in redefining who you are. For nearly 18 months during the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 seasons I couldn’t play the cello. A pretty common rotator cuff injury resulted in surgery, rehab, and a long period of complications and set backs. I won’t go into all the medical details, [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2017-10-30T05:23:30-04:00June 6th, 2011|Categories: Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: Rest, maintenance, cello, Baldwin, cellobello, happiness, Travel, Injuries, pain, musicians, relaxing, Martha, taking time off, performances, health|

Thirds, Thirds, Thirds… — by Lev Mamuya

Practice your thirds. As well as improving your technique, it can be…sigh…well, even a little bit fun. Many people give thirds an unfair label: they’re boring, they’re tedious, and they’re hard… Thirds are hard at first, and require daily repetition to maintain to the fullest, but never fear! A good daily method can change you from someone who hates thirds, to someone who can look forward to practicing thirds every day. Scales are always good. Thirds scales are even better. Practicing thirds scales slowly and repetitively is an important way to improve technique such as left hand finger rounding and intonation. Plus, a slow tempo can give you more time to focus on right hand/arm technique. This may not be the most fun part of practicing thirds, but JUST DO [...]

By Lev Mamuya|2017-06-24T03:42:45-04:00December 14th, 2010|Categories: High School Blogs, In the Practice Room|Tags: challenges, scales, consistency, Technique, focus, thumb position, Lev, Mamuya, control, Martha, Awareness, motivation, practice habits, intonation, practicing, success, repertoire|