Personal Development

Helping others, whilst trying to help myself

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This is the first time that I’ve ever undertaken anything like this, however, as I’m currently struggling with mild long #covid issues (i.e. fatigue, muscle weakness etc.) I’m trying to get back to my “normal” self and thought this would be the incentive that would help not only me, but others at the same time. Please support if you can. Diolch. Thanks. https://www.facebook.com/donate/258218412931367/

Any suggestions for new music to listen to whilst I’m trying to do this challenge would be greatly appreciated, so please drop me a line. Current playlist includes Snarky Puppy , the Berlin Phil https://www.youtube.com/c/berlinerphilharmoniker and Voces8 https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCesDD6l7ZQ8NiHN3d4Lz_6w

#charityfundraiser #charityfundraising #help

https://www.facebook.com/donate/258218412931367/

A creative’s Covid curiosity, that could have killed this cat!

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I’ve been desperately trying to stay positive during lockdown and have kept myself occupied with a myriad of activities, such as webinars, workshops, research and reading, especially in the area of personal development, which has interested me for some time now. One such course that I signed up for was Darren Hardy’s “Jumpstart” course, specifically aimed at changing one element of a person’s life that was unsatisfactory and with a view to permanently turning things around for the better. My Jumpstart Goal was to get physically and mentally fit, and it was fab.

At the end of the 6-week course, I had managed to stick to my plan, I was focussed, had joined an accountability group that met online every Friday morning to discuss our respective progress, was running three times a week, eating a better diet, going to bed earlier, drinking loads more water, reading new books, watching lots of motivational videos and feeding my brain with informative and interesting stuff. Not only that, but I managed to maintain this regime and slowly but surely, the weight was not only coming off, but staying off!

It was all going so famously well ……… until the second lockdown kicked in and the gyms were closed down -again!

Now the pragmatic types will say, “what’s wrong with exercising outdoors?” Well, in actual fact my Jumpstart journey started during the early Summer months, therefore I was running outdoors. Even though I hate running outdoors!!! Despite this, I was doing quite well and with the help of a Couch to 5KM app on my phone, I was getting through the sessions far better than I could have imagined and thanks to some very nice weather, my early morning run was quite pleasant – did I just say that?? – and I felt a sense of achievement having completed each session.

Ironically, my gym membership had been suspended during lockdown (hence starting the running regime outdoors), but as things started to relax and places were reopening, my membership was reactivated at the start of October, coinciding with the weather taking a nasty turn for the worst and with the clocks changing. Dark, wet, cold and windy mornings suddenly reminded me why I didn’t like outdoor running. “No problem” I thought, “I’ll see how safe the gym is and give it a go”. First visit back and it was like the Marie Celeste. Excellent and my running improved as I found out how much easier (and cosier!) running indoors was, especially when you have the added distraction of assorted TV programmes to help you through your session!

The gym closure once again in December however, managed to to successfully knock all the enthusiasm and drive out of me and this was yet another kick in the teeth that was enough to derail all my hard work up to that point. The weight is starting to creep up, thanks to all the excesses of Christmas and the previous exercise disciplines seem but distant memories now, although it’s actually only around 4-5 weeks since I last went for a run!

The final hammer blow though, wasn’t anything to do with fitness or exercise, but was work-related and my senseless curiosity following a rather depressing conversation with a fellow musician regarding the restrictions not allowing musicians (especially brass and wind players) to gather and perform or even rehearse together. This morbid thirst for facts about my inactivity revealed what freelance work I’ve been able to do (legally and within the Covid regulations) since the restrictions were imposed last March (2020). Fatal mistake! From end of March 2020 – end of of January 2021, I’ve done 14 days paid work as a freelancer! Still more than many I fear!

My point in writing this blog however, is to share the other important lessons that I’ve learned during this tempestuous Covid journey. Not just from Darren Hardy, but also the likes of Jim Rohn and many others, including my fab Friday morning accountability group, who continue to inspire and motivate me, despite feeling like I can’t be bothered some days. These lessons are many, but that it’s ok to fall off the wagon and deviate off the straight and narrow, don’t beat yourself up with a big stick over it, dust yourself off and get back on the horse and finally, be grateful for what you have.

Gratitude is something I believe we all take for granted, but when you see what’s going on in the world on a daily basis, you have to take stock and be thankful. I have to be thankful! I have a roof over my head, a loving Wife, food in the cupboards and thanks to my other non-freelance work, the ability to pay my monthly bills (just!) and long may it continue!

So when you start compiling a list of moans and groans – like I often do – just stop and think about how much worse it could be and then everything seems a lot better!

I will get back to running. I will be fit and healthier. I will do it! In the meantime though, here’s to my 15th day of freelance work, whenever that may be?

Stay safe, stay well and try to stay positive!

Are the Arts and Culture a waste of time and money – a luxury for the rich and the elite?

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For those of you who are interested in continuous professional development (and looking to treat yourself for Christmas I can’t recommend this book highly enough. As a musician and business owner I try to push myself and my thinking beyond the boundaries of “normal” and this book certainly opens your mind to that.


Interestingly, the author refers to a study conducted by Michigan State University that “… compared Nobel prize-winning scientists with other scientists from the same era. The Nobel Laureates were twice as likely to play a musical instrument, seven times more likely to draw, paint or sculpt, twelve times more likely to write poetry, plays or popular books and twenty two times as likely to perform at amateur acting, dancing or magic. Similar results were found for entrepreneurs and inventors”.

And to think that the arts and culture are not classed by many politicians in the UK as viable and are a luxury? 

Thank you to all of you who have read my blog in 2020. It’s been an horrendous year for so many freelancers and people involved in the arts, including Music for You, but many have suffered far worse so I count my blessings that I’m still here – alive and well! Let us now hope and pray that the new vaccine will be the catalyst that brings an end to this Covid nightmare and sees us return to some semblance of normality very soon.

I wish you all a safe and peaceful Christmas and hope that you will be able to share some time with your loved ones. Now bugger off 2020 and let’s see what 2021 has in store for us!

Merry Christmas/Nadolig Llawen!

A new challenge. My story could be your story!

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As I write this latest Blog, we are in some form of lock-down, due to the Corona virus. Our daily routines and activities have certainly changed beyond all recognition and many people have used this enforced spare time, to invest in projects and activities that they’ve often thought about doing, but never really got round to, due to lack of time or inclination. Attics, gardens and garages everywhere have never been so tidy!!! It’s also been an opportunity for people to re-evaluate what is really important to them in their lives e.g. friends and family, good health, the ability and freedom to come and go as you please, job satisfaction and career choices, as well as hobbies and pastimes. Having something that is precious taken away from you only highlights how much we value it.

Lock-down has also given people time to think and assess what they want from life post Covid-19, when we can return to some semblance of normality and this period of reflection will perhaps ignite a desire for change and the pursuit of a new challenge?

I had one of these “Saul on the road to Damascus” moments some 14 years ago, at the grand age of 39, I decided that I needed something new, something different and something that would kick-start my enthusiasm for life in general. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t doing too badly for myself. I had a nice house, a job that I really loved doing and was managing to pay the bills each and every month. So what was the problem? The answer was, that I simply needed to be doing something that I’d never experienced before, that took me away from the “same old, same old” and perhaps out of my comfort zone, to where I couldn’t put my feet on the bottom of the pool and had to swim a little harder to stay afloat.

From a somewhat pessimistic and negative viewpoint, I felt I had ticked as many boxes as was possible in terms of my music-making experiences (particularly on a professional level) and that there were no more “Everests” remaining that I was capable of climbing and that I should be happy with what I’d already achieved. “So what changed?” I hear you ask.

Following a chance encounter with a friend I was encouraged to consider joining the Army Reserve as a Musician. I’d always been interested in all things Military ever since I was young, but the concept of playing in a Military Band – no change that to a Military brass band (as at the time it was the ONLY brass band in the British Army! – and getting paid for it fried my brain somewhat. Over the years, I’d been used to the concept of attending band twice a week (increasing in the run up to a major competition) and getting zilch for doing it, other than the huge amount of pleasure of performing at a high level and at some of the top venues around Europe.

The Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Having done my research and then attending a few rehearsals at the Barracks (to get a feel of what I was potentially letting myself in for) and asking hundreds of questions such as “what if…?”, “how many…?”, “will I have to do this….. will I have to do that?”, I was reassured that this was a good move and would be a decision that I wouldn’t regret.

Fast-forward 14 years and I now can say that this was one of the best decisions that I ever made. I discovered not only a new “Everest” to climb, but my “K2”, “Kilimanjaro” and many more peaks, with new ones still emerging even now. This new challenge brought a new dimension to not only my musical world, but to my personal and life experiences too and at the same time, I got paid for doing it and it brought me new career pathways too, as all these years later, not only am I a Sergeant and a musician, I am now the Recruiter for that Band – the Regimental Band of The Royal Welsh.

Corps of Army Music Short Term Training Team – Uganda 2015

Words cannot begin to describe the new horizons that I’ve encountered over these 14 years, but suffice to say that if you’re currently bored, feeling unfulfilled, craving something new or just plain curious to know “what if…..?” then go for it! Ask the question and see whether it is for you.

Whether it’s learning a new language, deciding to do a triathlon or joining a Regimental Band in the Army Reserve, then follow your dream and see where it takes you!

WW1 Commemorations, Thiepval Memorial – France 2016

For more information about the Regimental Band and Corps of Drums of The Royal Welsh, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/royalwelshband/

Last Post – Belgium 2019

Thanks for reading the Music for You blog.

Mind games. Musicians and mental health.

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In my last blog “What’s the point?” I discussed the dilemmas and motivational issues I was negotiating with, regarding maintaining a regular and meaningful practise regime throughout this Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the last few days, I’ve seen other musicians posting on social media that they were putting the instrument back in the case and waiting for things to show signs of returning to normality, before they started thinking about getting “back on the horse” and doing some serious practise once again.

For me that isn’t an option, for a number of reasons. Firstly, my sanity – I need something worthwhile to do! Secondly, I actually enjoy playing, albeit that playing at home is not the same as being alongside other musicians in that team environment. Finally, I need to maintain my core skills and technique. I’m not one of those “natural” players who can let it go for a few weeks and then pick it up as if it was yesterday.

So imagine my frustration, nay panic. Yes, PANIC, when things aren’t going at all well. I’m not talking about clipping a top C a couple of times, or not being able to play that tricky passage in the Allen Vizzutti Etude in that God-awful key that involves the third valve more times in one bar than you’ve played all year! I’m not on about an “off day”, where the chops are a bit bruised and battered from an over-enthusiastic session the previous day on the D/Eb Trumpet and carelessly omitting a proper warm-down afterwards.

No, this is when day after day for the last week or so, I feel my “chops” aren’t responsive at all, the tone is thin and airy, the range is non-existent and pieces that you enjoy playing sound like a proverbial zoo on fire! Yes, I warmed up properly each day. Yes, I played lots of long notes quietly. Yes, I accept it can’t sound perfect every day, but no I can’t accept that it can be consistently this dreadful for so many days on the bounce.

This serious confidence “wobble” all coincides with the recent push within the brass band movement by Tabby Kerwin regarding mental health awareness and at the same time, a friend – a string player – mentioning on social media, that he was dealing with nerves whilst performing.

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The Three P’s – Tabby Kerwin

Ask any musician and they will tell you that the demands of any performance are 50% physical i.e. the core skills and mechanics of performing the music and 50% mental, namely dealing with the stress, nerves, anxiety which then however causes physical problems affecting the mechanics, such as breath control, tremors or shakes, sweating etc. Some will disagree on the percentages, but all will agree that the mind has a very strong bearing on the successful (or unsuccessful) outcome of any performance.

To keep things simple, I’ll generalise and call the affliction “nerves”. Whilst nerves (in moderate doses) are a perfectly natural condition prior to and during a performance, in excess these can ruin perfectly good musicians and can reduce the most competent performer to a gibbering wreck in a very short space of time, if not dealt with immediately and correctly. It only takes one “off” performance or a few unguarded comments from another person to sow the seed of doubt in an individual, before those gremlins start their evil voices of self-doubt in your head and you enter a downward spiral of catastrophic proportions.

So for me, when the gremlins do rear their ugly heads every now and again, I revert to Howard Snell’s fabulous book “The Trumpet”, which has a Chapter dedicated to “Anxiety Control”. He prefaces the section as follows “For many players, the control of anxiety seems virtually impossible. As they see it anxiety represents an impenetrable barrier to achieving full realisation of their talent. In most cases the use of straightforward routines will comfortably control anxiety.” He goes on to advocate a number of methods and techniques which can tackle nerves/anxiety head on and shows that with a controlled approach, you can overcome this and you will prevail. The quote below certainly caught my attention!

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The Trumpet – Howard Snell

“When anxiety is an habitual problem for a player, it is futile to say that more effort, discipline and hard work are needed. While these attitudes are essential to building quality playing, anxiety needs to be dissolved rather than confronted. Habitual anxiety points to imbalances within the player’s overall approach. Realism, mental balance, patience, persistence and awareness are the key attitudes.” Howard Snell

Mental health issues are far more at the forefront of peoples’ minds nowadays, including musicians. There are many ways to address any problems that we might have, including Alexander Technique, yoga, hypnosis, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and a whole raft of publications, however talking to other musicians sometimes is just as effective and helps highlight that it’s not just “me” struggling to overcome issues. My friend the string player drew a number of friends and colleagues into the conversation and it was surprising to see how many people were admitting to having their own personal battle with anxiety, in ts many guises.

For me, this period of chaos is a blip. A brief hiatus where things aren’t going well. At least I very much hope so! Thankfully, I don’t suffer from stage anxiety (touches wood!) and my current issues are home-based, however it wouldn’t take long for it to morph into a bigger problem. It’s happened before and perhaps a couple of days off and a few binge-sessions of CSI New York or The Yorkshire Vet will give me some rest and space to clear my head and bounce back, as if nothing was wrong? That usually works. As Mr.Snell says “Realism, mental balance, patience, persistence and awareness are the key attitudes.”

If you have an “issue”, remember #itsgoodtotalk – get things off your chest, you’ll be amazed how much support and resources are available out there to help you with this!

Here are just a few links that may be of some help to you:

Tabby Kerwin: Mode for Publishing

Charlotte Tomlinson Performance Coach 

Howard Snell The Trumpet

Excerpts from “The Trumpet” (It’s Practice and Performance, A Guide for Students) by Howard Snell (published Rakeway Music) kindly authorised by the Author.

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The Trumpet. My greatest pleasure …. and my greatest enemy!

Thanks for reading the Music for You blog. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and if so, please feel free to share. Stay safe and stay healthy!

Looking ahead to a new decade

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Happy New Year

Let me start the new year (and decade) by wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2020 and hope that your dreams and aspirations become a reality.

For years on end, like many others at the start of January I had always had the very best of intentions to make the new year a better one than the previous. The list of desired improvements would include the mandatory list of; lose weight, earn more money, spend more time with family etc. etc., but as always, I would falter and my plans would be in ruins within a matter of weeks (if not days!).

“The goal of this human adventure is to see what all we can become with all we have been given” – Jim Rohn

My “eureka” moment however came to me some 8 years ago, when I was introduced to the concept of personal development. I started listening to recordings and read books by leaders in this field such as Jim Rohn, Darren Hardy Robert Kelsey and Brian Tracy. Since then, I can honestly say that I am a different person and have been striving (with reasonable success, even if I say so myself) to improve, both professionally and personally and set myself targets and goals for each new year.

Sure I still fail to do things that I said I’d do, forget to ring my Mum, work in my office way beyond a sensible hour and neglect to go the gym as often as I should, BUT, the positives that I have benefited from by investing some time, effort and a little money in developing my existing skills, learning new ones, changing bad habits for good and allowing myself to dream a little and set some goals for the future – these range from tidying out the cupboard under the stairs, to paying off my mortgage early – cannot be under-estimated. I certainly wouldn’t be the person I am today, without this help!

If you are someone who feels they are underachieving, or could get more out of life, but need some structure and guidance, give it a go and see where it takes you. You’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Music for You only exists, because I engaged in personal development and the ideas and inspiration for pushing the business ahead came from many sources, including the ones shown below. I must stress however, that the improvements and changes I have implemented are not just business related and cover my personal and lifestyle aspirations too, which have also benefited greatly as a result.

I would seriously advocate the following authors and publications:

Lee Duncan – Double Your Business pub. Pearson/FT Publishing

Darren Hardy – Living Your Best Year Ever. This is a journal which is my absolute must-have book each year now. I review my previous year’s achievements and then plan my goals and targets for the new year, with daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews of my progress along the way. I can’t recommend it enough – it also comes with 3 CD’s so you can learn as you go in the car, gym or even in bed! – but don’t be put off by the price. If you can implement the methods in this book, you would pay double and not give it a second thought! And no, before you ask, I’m not on commission for this recommendation.

The Brilliant series of books – can be found in all good bookshops such as Waterstones and WH Smith

Robert Kelsey – Get Things Done pub. Capstone

I hope that these suggestions have inspired you to be more proactive in making things happen for you this year and for those of you that do bite the bullet, that it makes as positive and significant a difference in your lives, as it did mine.

As a parting thought, I’ll finish with the wise words of former US President, Thomas Jefferson:

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude”.

If you’d like some more advice on resources that I’ve found helpful, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line at andrew@andrewjonesmusic.com