Creativity

Ask people for terms to describe effective practicing and you'll probably come across such terms as: "patient," "methodical," "intensive," and perhaps even "boring." Unless you're speaking to a jazz musician, you aren't likely to come across the term, "creative."
I believe that creativity is a vitally important component in successful practicing. First of all, it is important simply as a mindset. I do not want my students to, in effect, put their heads down and slug it out with the music. If you are having difficulty with a passage, little can be gained from pounding out over and over. You need to apply some creative thinking.

Starting to Think Creatively

The following sample quotes help to demonstrate the concept of creative practicing:

• "Well, let's see. Before I can ever expect to get the notes, I have to be clear on my slide positions. So why don't I try giving my lips a rest and just working the pattern of slide positions while blowing silently through the horn."
• "I think I may be missing that high passage because it isn't clear in my ear. Why don't I try playing it down an octave. Perhaps I can play it on the piano, sing it or buzz it on my mouthpiece."
• "I always get stuck on this rhythm. Maybe if I mark in the beats or momentarily take out the ties it will make more sense."
• "I always miss that lip slur to the high G. Let's see, I usually miss above the note, so why don't I try missing above the note ON PURPOSE. Perhaps if I can control it this way, the correct interval will become clearer"
• "I wonder if I can invent an exercise that will help me with that lick. Maybe I should design something that starts out easier and gradually gets more difficult."
• "I can never get this phrase to make sense. Maybe I could try putting words to it to get the right inflection."
• "Perhaps I should spend a moment deciding how I want to group these notes so I can mark in breaths that make sense."

Notice how often these quotes contains such phrases as "Why don't I try .." and "Let's see..." What if I tried ..." Thinking with phrases such as these helps to foster a mindset of creative problem solving.
Thinking this way will make your practice time more productive and enjoyable than if you allow yourself to fall into such expressions as: "I'm going to get this stupid #&%!* lick if I have to stay here all night and pound it into submission!" "What is wrong with me? Why can't I play this stupid thing?"