THINGS I WISH I HAD LEARNED AS A YOUNG MUSICIAN
by Sean Reusch
I prepared the following list for a master class with music students at MiraCosta College. Over the years, I’ve learned an incredible amount about music and life from outstanding teachers, colleagues, and my own experiences. I often wish I had known these things as a young musician—it makes me wonder how they might have shaped the musician I’ve become.
Character Comes First
Who you are is more important than what you do. Focus on your character - be the best version of yourself!
You reap what you sow. You are responsible for yourself. Everything is earned—nothing is given.
First, you form your habits. Then, your habits form you.
Repetition shapes your reality. What you consistently think, feel, and do becomes the identity your brain accepts as true. Through neuroplasticity, the brain rewires itself with repetition. Each repetition strengthens neural pathways, making signals travel faster and more automatically. Automatic firing turns into consistent patterns, and consistent patterns produce predictable outcomes—what we call habits.
There are only two things you can control at any moment: your attitude and your effort.
You are what you think.
Belief and Mindset
Confidence is belief in yourself, and confidence is built the same way discipline is built—through daily hard work. You don’t fake confidence. You earn it.
It’s important for every musician to have goals. But your mindset matters even more than the goal itself. If you believe you can’t achieve something, reaching it will be incredibly difficult. Shift your beliefs, and you change what’s possible.
Believing you can is the first step to success.
Mental toughness is making a commitment to do your best with what you have, where you are, at all times. Mentally tough people don’t blame, complain, or make excuses.
Keep going. The instant you feel like giving up may be the very edge of your greatest growth.
Never quit. Be relentless.
Progress loves persistence more than perfection.
Growth begins where comfort ends.
Don’t underestimate the quiet power of consistent effort—it’s where real change begins.
Effort doesn’t guarantee success, but it guarantees growth.
Remember to celebrate small wins; they’re the foundation of great breakthroughs.
Your Value as a Musician
When you are a musician, playing a flawless performance or one with lots of mistakes doesn’t define you as a person. Remember that you are very special no matter what and have unique gifts to share.
Comparison is a trap. Learn from others and do your own thing.
If I waited to share my music until I could play it perfectly, I would never play for anyone. Share your music with people and watch the tremendous growth.
Your best performance comes when you trust the work you’ve already done.
When you get frustrated while performing, are your thoughts helping or hurting your performance?
Discipline and Responsibility
Being a musician takes discipline—not just the discipline to practice, but the discipline to practice the right way. Discipline is doing what you know needs to be done the right way, even when you don’t feel like it. It’s asking yourself, What am I willing to accept from myself?
“Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but doing it like you love it.” — Mike Tyson
Don’t wait to be spoon-fed. Take ownership of your growth.
Did you really not have time to practice today, or did you choose to spend your time doing something else? Choose wisely. Remember that getting better takes discipline, consistent practice, and hard work.
It’s better to be consistently reliable than occasionally extraordinary. Everything matters—even the little things. Top performers obsess over details others ignore.
Giving your best effort every time you practice is the quickest way to being successful. Remember your goal is to be better than yesterday.
Do one thing today that will bring you closer to your goal.
Every time you practice, make something better.
Failure and Growth
Failure is not the end—it’s the teacher.
Mistakes are often our greatest teachers. Don’t be afraid to make them.
Failure isn’t your enemy. Fear of it is.
Each failed attempt is one step closer to figuring it out.
To get better at anything, you must first be willing to fail at it. Learn from your failures and keep trying. Be patient—success will come.
Remember that when you practice, doing something badly is better than not doing it at all. Failure is the first step to progress and success.
Mistakes aren’t failures—they’re feedback.
There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.
“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” - Brené Brown
Be kind to yourself.
Focus and Attention
Silence is important. Calm your mind. Watch out for distractions. The world will constantly fight for your attention—protect it.
The clearer you are with your musical goals, the faster you will get there.
Hit your target by focusing on a specific goal, not the amount of time you practice. Quality over quantity.
Know what you are going to practice before you start practicing.
Make a plan. Know what you are going to practice before you start your practice session.
Joy in Music
Remember that you don’t HAVE to practice—you GET to practice. Big difference.
Remember: playing an instrument is exactly that—playing. If practice isn’t fun, it may be time to change how you’re practicing.
Find the joy in the learning and then practicing becomes fun.
Having fun when you practice turns mistakes into stepping stones instead of roadblocks.
Do your best to have fun when you practice. Fun brings freedom; freedom brings better music.
When you get frustrated practicing, always remember how blessed you are to make music.
Musical Thinking
Always be creative when you practice. Play with the music, don’t just play the music.
Curiosity leads to discovery. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
If you feel stuck on a piece and want to make it more expressive, try playing the same passage five different ways. Then decide which version sounds closest to how you really want it to sound.
Can you sing what you are about to play?
How to Practice
Practice makes permanent, not perfect.
If you can’t play something well slowly, how can you play it well quickly?
Practice a little every day. It’s better to practice a little every day rather than a lot one or two times a week.
Split your practice into smaller chunks. Practice small chunks rather than playing straight through your music at first.
Practice challenging licks. Focus on spots that are challenging rather than spots that are easy to perform.
Practice away from your instrument. Sing, do wind patterns, conduct, tap the rhythms, and listen.
Take breaks. Taking breaks is very helpful for your focus and endurance and helps prevent injuries.
Focus on the actual issue when you practice, not the symptom.
When you practiced today, did you practice the same as you would in front of your private teacher?
Record yourself, listen, and write down observations you hear. Listen to one thing at a time: tone, tuning, rhythms, articulations, dynamics, phrasing, and breaths.
Record and listen. It’s hard to fix what you can’t hear.
Listen to pieces performed by amazing artists—a lot.
Many students become either “talkers” or “collectors.” They talk about goals without taking action, or endlessly search for the perfect gear, apps, and recordings without truly using them. Growth comes from doing. Be a doer. Study great musicians, face the challenges in your playing head-on, and develop a focused plan for improvement. Practice with consistency and patience, and use tools like a metronome, tuner, drones, and self-recording to make every session meaningful.
Preparing a New Piece
Before learning a new piece, do the following:
Research the piece, the composer, and the period in which it was written
Listen to it performed by numerous artists
Study the score, not just your part
Look up the musical terms
Study the form
Identify the key
Identify patterns such as scales, arpeggios, or sequences
Identify challenging licks and make exercises for them
Do these things first and then begin to practice the solo.
Things to Remember While Practicing
There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.
Make one thing better.
Expect great things from yourself—you can do it.
Do one thing today that will bring you closer to your goal.
Focus on improving at least 1% every time you practice.
Be kind to yourself.
Be brutally honest with yourself about your playing. When you know there’s something you are not able to do well, do something about it.
A Final Thought
You might not perform as well as your favorite musicians, but do the things you can do as well as them: posture, full breaths, practice slowly, mark your music, and listen to amazing artists.
Every time you practice, make something better.
Have fun! The more fun you have practicing, the more you want to practice. The more you want to practice, the faster you improve. The faster you improve, the more fun you have. The more fun you have…