We all have more room to be hungrier in improving our skills. We need to constantly find and stoke inspiration within ourselves to be the best players that we can be. Vince Cichowicz says, "You're only competing against yourself. If you play the best you can, that's all you can do." Finding that balance between always offering the best we can in each moment, and trusting that the hard work we do each day is enough is the challenge. We will always be at least somewhat unsatisfied with our playing, and that can be a good thing. However, we need to be aware that there will always be better players than us, and worse players than us. YES, we have to work incredibly hard if we want a lucrative career in music; no one will hand it to us. However, we need to have the awareness that we can only offer the best we can each day and each moment.
Bring the best ingredients we have available at all times to play the music at the highest level. Keep trumpet playing simple; focus on the breath and the song. Stay hungry by feeding a steady stream of inspiration. Stoke the fire, and work on fundamentals. Vince Cichowicz is also know to say, let's go "back to basics" to many students. I feel that tension right now. I have so much that I want to do, I am so hungry. I need to go back to basics, and remind myself the core fundamentals of how to make easy tone production. It's easy to get discouraged, but I am reminding myself that I am working very hard, and offering the best I can today. That is enough.
