Lucky Duck @violinistashley1 - Tumblr Blog

>17 Pounds in 12 Days!<

Stop using my pics for advertising!!!!! No this did not happen in 12 days. Or 21 days. This happened with consistent balanced eating, working out, and living a healthier lifestyle. Over months, years and many mental battles.

rookwithabook

my advice to young music majors

Next week, I’ll be graduating with my degree in music performance, and I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve learned, and some of the common issues I’ve witnessed or dealt with during my time here.

It’s okay not to know everything. If you knew everything, you wouldn’t need to be at school. You wouldn’t be at school. Don’t be embarrassed for not knowing everything, because you are at school to learn. (This might be my most important piece of advice.)

It’s okay to ask questions. See point two.

It is not okay to think you know everything. You don’t. See point two. You are not the hottest shit since sliced bread, at least not now.

Be open-minded as hell. Listen to weird music. Accept criticism openly. Accept compliments openly (this is just as important).

Drink coffee. All the time. It’ll help you play faster. Probably.

Have performance anxiety? Sure, eating bananas and taking deep breaths will help you, but the only way to overcome performance anxiety is to perform as much as you possibly can. Invite a friend or three into your practice room and perform your solo for them. Join ensembles. Take gigs. Treat your practice sessions like you would a performance. We practice playing music all the time, but we also have to practice performing.

Maria Schneider came to my school a while ago, and left me with this fantastic quote (which I paraphrase now): “When you’re stuck aiming for perfection, you sacrifice the freedom that comes with making mistakes and experimenting.” One of the best things that could have happened to me musically was when I messed up a passage in one of my vibraphone pieces in a lesson, and played really awkwardly and out of time. My teacher told me it was the hippest thing he’d heard, and to play the entire piece with that in mind. It was awesome.

Take frequent or as-needed breaks. Mental health, sleep, food, and socializing are all important. Don’t feel bad about taking a day or two off from practicing. Go to a party and dance/drink your ass off. Enjoy your time in school, because living it up is part of the college experience. Life is about balance.

On that note, burn out is real. I nearly dropped out last year for various reasons, but I chose to stick it out and this year, I have found a second wind even stronger than the first. I just needed a break - I took the summer off entirely from music. Sometimes people need a break, even if it’s from something they love. That’s perfectly fine. It does not make you a lesser human being or a lesser musician.

Also sort of on that note, if you’re having serious trouble with a certain piece or passage, take a break from it. Revisit it in a few days or so, and you may be surprised what your subconscious has done for you.

Analyze the music you play. Study the composer, look up program notes. Be an expert at what you do.

There is much much more to music than the Romantic era. Listen to medieval dances and Renaissance polyphony. Listen to Xenakis and Ligeti. Be a well-rounded musician.

Don’t be ashamed about listening to and enjoying music that isn’t “refined” or “cultured” according to your history textbook. There is much more to music than Mozart. Dance your ass off to Kesha. Enjoy what life has to offer, even if it isn’t the most intricate, sophisticated, or “classy” material. Life is too short to spend it avoiding the simple pleasures. (Also, you don’t want to be an elitist or a party-pooper.)

Along those lines, listen to and play music from those who are living. Music has to evolve with time, and if we want it to survive and thrive, we have to embrace music of the present just as much if not more than music of the past. While it is important to know the main themes from Beethoven’s symphonies and understand the importance of Schubert’s lieder, there is music being made today by people just as talented as the greats of the past, but they are greatly ignored because they are not Beethoven. Old music deserves appreciation, but it cannot be the focus of your musical studies.

Write new music. If you want. Or arrange music you like for your instrument or some cool ensemble. If you want.

Practice. Love what you do. Be unrelenting in your love for what you do.

Relax, you’re doing fine.

wordsnquotes

Kevin and I just spent the last half hour playing mancala because I found out he has it and I can't sleep. And he is so perfect. And he puts up with my craziness. And I love this man.

😍😍 went to get my favorite coffee, and they are having free coffee day. Whaaaat! 😍😍 (at Sunrise Coffee)

So excited to go to this today!!!!!!! They are gonna have a bunch of freaking delicious vegan food vendors. Yuuuummmm.

#vegan #vegetarian #good food #food festival #vegfest #yes please #fitblr

chrisdoeslife

I do NOT understand the concept of Bloody Mary’s. My cousin ordered it for brunch and I tried it. Just. Why? No.

I’ll stick with my grapefruit mimosa, thanks.

violinistashley1

Omg right?!?!?! They are blechhhhh. Gimme sangria ;)

Feeling good today. Feeling like I can conquer the challenges facing me. I have been struggling for a couple weeks, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have some major plans. 🌞🌞🌞

Can dystonia cause difficulty swallowing or breathing?

My night

#trouble breathing #kevin almost called an ambulance #i had to yell at him lol #but an hour later and its still pretty hard #damn

I'm taking a major step back from focusing this blog on weight loss. I do love all of you and still want to support all of you in your journeys. I just need to focus on other things right now.

I'm fucking up my life so bad. I'm so done with it.

tai-korczak

23 Emotions people feel, but can’t explain

Sonder: The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Opia: The ambiguous intensity of Looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable.

Monachopsis: The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.

Énouement: The bittersweetness of having arrived in the future, seeing how things turn out, but not being able to tell your past self.

Vellichor: The strange wistfulness of used bookshops.

Rubatosis: The unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat.

Kenopsia: The eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet.

Mauerbauertraurigkeit: The inexplicable urge to push people away, even close friends who you really like.

Jouska: A hypothetical conversation that you compulsively play out in your head.

Chrysalism: The amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm.

Vemödalen: The frustration of photographic something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist.

Anecdoche: A conversation in which everyone is talking, but nobody is listening

Ellipsism: A sadness that you’ll never be able to know how history will turn out.

Kuebiko: A state of exhaustion inspired by acts of senseless violence.

Lachesism: The desire to be struck by disaster – to survive a plane crash, or to lose everything in a fire.

Exulansis: The tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people are unable to relate to it.

Adronitis: Frustration with how long it takes to get to know someone.

Rückkehrunruhe: The feeling of returning home after an immersive trip only to find it fading rapidly from your awareness.

Nodus Tollens: The realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore.

Onism: The frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time.

Liberosis: The desire to care less about things.

Altschmerz: Weariness with the same old issues that you’ve always had – the same boring flaws and anxieties that you’ve been gnawing on for years.

Occhiolism: The awareness of the smallness of your perspective.

uglowbandnc-deactivated20240703

omg this is a goldmine <3

mydarlingwhatifyoufly-deact

ERMEHGERD, IT’S MY FIRST VLOG!

I can’t figure out how to add a custom thumbnail… I’ve watched a few tutorials but in my little video manager, I cannot find the “custom thumbnail” button anywhere! Sad face.

Either way, here it is! Not as high quality as I was hoping but I can’t afford a fancy camera so I’ll be filming on my phone.

Please be nice about this, I am seriously so shy when it comes to being in front of the camera so this took a lot of confidence for me to do.

Also I did make a shoutout to @crushfit in this :3

violinistashley1

Ermehgerddddd you are so cute. So excited about your vlog!!!!!

Life never goes as planned..

aubernutter-deactivated20170607

I WEIGH THE HEAVIEST IVE EVER WEIGHED BUT GUESS WHAT !!!!! I HAVE THE ENERGY TO GET THROUGH MY WORKOUTS. I HAVE NICE HAIR!!!! MY SKIN HAS COLOR TO IT AGAIN!!! IM NOT ANGRY ALL THE TIME!!!! I HAVE THE ENERGY TO SMILE AND TALK TO PEOPLE WITHOUT FEELING EXHAUSTED!!!!! SCREW!! THE!!! SCALE!!!! AND!! DIET!!! CULTURE!!!! YOU WERE NOT BORN TO SHRINK YOURSELF SMALL. YOU WERE BORN TO STAND OUT!!! OKAY???!!!! #health #fitness #bodybuilding #mentalhealth