Imagine you’re learning a new song. While you’re practising, lots of thoughts might pop into your head. “I’m too slow.” “This is easy.” “I’ll never remember this.” “My friend is better than me.” Here’s something interesting… Those thoughts aren’t the music. They’re just thoughts. The only thing that’s really happening is that you’re learning. The more you can notice your thoughts without believing every one of them, the easier it becomes to enjoy making music. Musicians improve fastest when they listen more to the music than to the voice in their head.

Here’s something I’ve been reflecting on this morning. Imagine two musicians receive exactly the same feedback. “Let’s play that section one more time.” One feels encouraged. The other feels crushed. The feedback was identical. So what changed? The meaning. It’s easy to think our suffering comes from teachers, audiences, comments or mistakes. But perhaps much of it comes from the stories we quietly tell ourselves afterwards. Music has taught me that feedback isn’t failure. It’s simply information. 🌿 Reflection Questions 🎵 Can you remember a time when you realised you had misunderstood someone’s feedback? 🎵 Has a teacher ever said something that felt painful at first but later became one of the most valuable lessons you received? 🎵 What story do you most often tell yourself after making a mistake? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

Here’s something I’ve been reflecting on. When you play a wrong note… what actually happened? If we’re completely honest… a finger landed on the wrong key. That’s it. Everything else happens afterwards. “I’m hopeless.” “I’ll never be good enough.” “I’m embarrassing myself.” Those thoughts weren’t contained in the note. We added them. I’m curious… Discussion 🎵 Can you remember a time when you gave a mistake much more meaning than it deserved? 🎵 Has there been a moment where one piece of encouragement completely changed the meaning of your musical journey? 🎵 What story do you most often tell yourself when something doesn’t go to plan? I’d love to hear your experiences. I have a feeling we’ll all recognise ourselves in each other’s answers.

I’m excited to share a new lesson that I believe is one of the most important in the entire course. Preparing the Mind Before You Practise is now available inside the Mat Creedon Music Method folder in the Classroom. We spend so much time learning scales, chords and songs, but very little time learning how to prepare the mind before we begin. Yet the quality of our attention shapes the quality of our music. In this lesson, we’ll explore how a few simple moments before you pick up your instrument can transform not only the way you practise, but also the person you’re becoming through music. Because music isn’t just about training your fingers… It’s about training your awareness. I hope you enjoy this lesson, and I’d love to hear your thoughts after you’ve worked through it. 🎵 Lesson: Preparing the Mind Before You Practise https://www.skool.com/mat-creedon-school-of-music-4248/classroom/03018c87?md=8380b3cfb141462cb21879547e68c176

HI Mat, is there ar download for the Mini Easy Key? I can't find it for some reason🙁 Thank you!