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Hey First name / friend! 
 
Tiffany here. And in case you didn’t know, I love school. Ha! 
 
Of course there were rough patches, but generally, I loved being a student. School has always felt like a place of possibility for me, and I think that’s one reason I love teaching. Even from a young age, before I knew what a clarinet was, I knew I wanted to teach. Fun story - I’d force my younger sister to come into my “school” during the summer so I could teach her long division and geography. She LOVED that, let me tell you. 
 
Anyway, good thing I loved school because I was in college for 10 years. That was a lot of years to think of myself as a student… and when I started applying to jobs, I had to shake myself out of this ever-present mindset that I was just, a student, full stop. And when I said I had to shake myself out of it, believe me, there was some looking in the mirror and saying “Tiffany, you ARE READY ENOUGH.” Key word: enough. 
 
Being a student gets you into a particular mindset, and if you stay there, it can be hard to proclaim your own philosophies, develop your own opinions, and stop seeking validation from outside sources. 
 
Here’s the good news - you don’t have to wait until you’re out of school to get into the “I am a professional” mindset! Let’s be clear - I’m not saying you should assume you know everything. That’s terrible and please never do that. This is about beginning to stand on your own two feet, have confidence in your ideas, and form your own opinions! 
 
Because we love lists around here, check out the blog post for 6 ways you should begin to drop the student mindset and embrace your non-student self! ↓
 
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And, a little clarinet advice related to this. 
 
Anthony McGill did a masterclass for us yesterday (so inspiring) and one of the things he talked about was being 100% committed to an idea so you can take people along with you as they listen. He emphasized that if you're in your head or thinking about the clarinet, it's going to be so much harder for people to buy into what you're doing. BUT - the miraculous thing? When you become committed to an idea, a feeling, something you want to express - guess what happens? The technical stuff starts sorting itself out. And THAT is amazing. But it all starts with confidence in an idea.
 
One last thing - and warning, spoiler alert - one of the 6 ways to bust the student mindset that we talk about in the blog today is to ask what YOU want, not what THEY or classical music wants. So, at the very least, think on this question today: What do I want?! What do I want MY life to look like? It's worth pondering… 
 
Here’s to a week of seeking out and standing confidently in your own ideas! We believe in you. 
 
Much love, 
Tiffany & Ixi  
 
 
 

 
EXPLORE MORE
 
A couple of posts from last week you may love.
Always sharp? Try this!
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Low pitched inhale. High pitched exhale.
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