The Summit I Haven't Reached

Happy New Year! Every new year, I feel a sense of excitement and energy, inspiring me to set big resolutions. I'm an organized person, and I usually succeed.

But at the start of 2024, year ago, I decided to tackle the Mt. Everest of the cello: to learn the Kodaly Unaccompanied Sonata. The Kodaly Sonata is one of the most famous (and feared) pieces in all of the cello repertoire. I had avoided it long enough, and it was time to tackle the scary climb.

Did I reach my summit?

No, I did not.

I failed for several reasons. The desire was strong, but I didn’t consider the sheer amount of time and daily practice it would take to learn the piece. I also didn’t take into account the hours I spend just doing my job, learning new music almost weekly, and teaching all of my students.

Lesson learned.

I did climb a tall mountain—Osvaldo Golijov's Amoramor. It was more like SoCal's Mt. Wilson than like Everest, but it was a challenge I could handle alongside the practice requirements of my job and teaching. (If you don’t know Golijov’s Amoramor, it’s worth checking out!)

Chastened by my foolhardy goal of 2024, I’m going to be a bit more realistic about 2025.

First, I’m going to track my progress monthly, instead of tackling a whole year. Breaking down big goals into realistic chunks gives you a clearer path and helps you track the gains you make. A little bit of progress is better than being overwhelmed and making no progress. And small rewards are still rewards.

The new year is all about resetting priorities and habits. Is there a goal that you would like to achieve this year? Instead of staring up at something like Mt. Everest, can you break it down into monthly chunks?

Let me know so we can go through 2025 together. With the right mix of diligence and pragmatism, no mountain is too tall, no piece too challenging.

Hit reply and tell me your 2025 goals! I look forward to hearing about them!

Happy practicing, and happy 2025!