[Trombone-l] Motivational advice for a growing trombone player

[Cesar Gonzales]

Considering this is a forum of discussion for both amateur and professional
players; I decided that it would be appropriate to ask an amateur question.
I'm having trouble with maintaining a consistent drive towards self
improvement through daily practice, especially after a big push in my
practice schedule. Say for instance I manage 3 weeks of consistent 3-4 hours
daily practice. I always seem to break down and pull back to 1 or 2 hours
per day afterwords for a week or two at times. What I'm asking is if this is
normal for a young musician to experience. I'm ambitious and would like to
consider graduate studies in music, and possibly even a career of
professional performance. Because of this I find managing this "problem" a
very important issue. What I'd also like to ask is how the members of this
mailing list manage to stay motivated to keep a consistent practice
schedule. Are there any mind tricks I can use? Is it just pure willpower?

Thank you,

Cesar Gonzalez
Student at University of Texas at Brownsville