Motivation

[shawnson19]

Hi
I would appreciate any comments on my dilemma. Are there any other teachers out there who teach but don't perform (anymore) and struggle with motivation when it comes to their own playing, and if so, what do they do about it? I am Mum to a 9 year old and a very nearly 2 year old, and whilst I am teaching still, there is next to no time left to practice myself. I find that when I do get the chance to sit and play I am frustrated by how far my technique has deteriorated and lament the fact I can no longer tackle the masterpieces I used to play with relative ease in my college days. Whilst I have no desire to go back to the recital stage I would love to find a way of getting myself going again.
At the moment I find myself avoiding the piano rather than face the issues it raises for me. Any suggestions?

[m19834]

Make piano practice a bigger priority in your life and dedicate more time to it.

[0range]

If you're looking for motivation, you could think about organizing student recitals (if you don't already) and playing a duet with each student.

Also, you may be interested in taking a look at this thread:

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,5767.msg56133.html#msg56133

In it you will find links to a variety of subjects dealing with practicing and motivation.

[franz_]

Find a good teacher and take lessons again.

[rc]

For practice time, everybody has a different situation. 

I have a job with fairly unpredictable hours, but I also have the freedom to drop what I'm doing and go home if I must (though, I have to consider the consequences ).  Though oddly I have an easier time practicing when I'm very busy, because that tends to force me to cut out time-wasters and make good use of what time I do get.

One thing that helps me is to develop the habit of waking up early enough that I can put in a good hour of practice on my digital before starting the day, then even if the day goes to crap, at least I got my hour in.  I gotta admit, I have a hard time maintaining good sleep habits, but when I can get that morning practice in my whole day goes better.

[gerry]

Why don't you find and cultivate a small local group of musicians, perhaps in similar circumstances, (advertise, put up postings) and form a mutual-admiration situation where you get together to do 4-hand or chamber/accompanying evenings. Not the intense preparation time that a "recital" would demand but smaller, more doable and satisfying goals that could be worked around your schedule.