Years ago during a lesson, one of my former teachers, Michel Debost, said in his French accent, “If you make a mistake, you make a mistake. The heavens are full of mistakes up there.”
What does that mean to you? I take that to mean a couple of things. First, don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Sometimes I’ve had students stop playing in the middle of a phrase. When asked why they stopped, they said, “Because I was afraid I was going to mess up the next part.” How many people have not done something because they were afraid of making a mistake?
Second, give everything your best shot and full effort. Don’t back off if something doesn’t go quite right. If you are going to make a mistake, make it with a good sound, and keep on going. It’s not the end of the world. We all make mistakes and you can keep trying, keep playing, keep improving, keep learning and keep sharing your talents.
In fact, Debost had a good musician friend who, as he got older, wouldn’t have flawless performances like he did at the height of his professional music career, yet he continued to play and perform because he still loved it. Mistakes and all.
Lynette Lewis Flute Studio 