Setting Goals

I often have to spend time during the day away from my horn (I think I would get pretty sick of hearing my mistakes if I DIDN'T take time off from my horn).  But I find that I am always THINKING about playing even when I'm not with my horn, or am in a situation where I can't get up and go practice.  So I use Google to my advantage.  There are MANY great blogs out there on Euphonium playing specifically and music making in general.  So much so that I am using a couple of them to set some goals.  I understand that goal setting is important and have indeed set goals of my own, but decided to get serious with them today.
I point to Andrew Hitz's blog post about setting goals:
http://andrewhitz.com/2011/02/10/a-great-example-of-a-professional-setting-goals/

In the post, he stresses the importance of goal setting if you would like to accomplish ANYTHING in the music world (paraphrased of course).  He points to two examples.  One is Lance LaDuke's S.M.A.R.T. goal setting system.
"S.M.A.R.T. stands for SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE goals, with ACTIONS, RESOURCES and TIMELINES for making them possible."  I like this a lot.  It helps you be more specific.  While I have set goals in my playing, I was never THAT specific.  So it will be nice to be able to refine my goals and maybe be able to add some new ones.

Also in Andrew's post, he mentions Lauren Veronie's blog.  Lauren is one of the Euphonium players in the Army Field Band.  He mentions how she makes goals despite her already HAVING a job. 
Here is the link to Lauren's Goal Setting Page:
http://www.laureneuph.com/my_blog/2011/02/goals.html

So with all of this talk of goals, here's how it goes.  Stephen Covey says to begin with the end in mind.  So here is my end: To win a job with "The President's Own" Marine Band on August 8th/9th of 2011.
What does that entail?  Playing 16 excerpts as well as I possibly can, One Solo prepared and memorized, and Sightreading (lots...and lots...of sightreading). 

That is my LONG term goal.  In order to accomplish this, I must figure out how to get there.  This will involve several medium and MANY short term goals.

So first, I will list my resources:
Dr. Beat Metronome
Tuner
Recordable Cassette player
Recordable Mini-Disc player
Arban's Technique
Clarke Studies
Bai Lin Lip Flexibilities
Rubank studies
Rochut/Bordogni
Many other technique books (I will list them separately once I make them part of my goals)
Lessons with Lynn Colwell (my private lesson teacher from high school)
Lessons with Jay Gephart (one of the directors of bands at Purdue University and student of Harvey Phillips).
Lessons with Dan Perantoni (Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Indiana University, Bloomington)
Excerpts from the Band Department at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer (The band director agreed to have his music librarian photocopy many euphonium parts from their music library--both bass clef and treble clef)
Excerpts from the music library at South Newton High School (and while the excerpts will not be that difficult due to the level of music, it will be a great starting place for sightreading).

Medium length goals: Be able to play through all of my excerpts without stopping and with no missed notes but under tempo by the end of May and have my solo (Beautiful Colorado) proficient with the double tonguing worked out, as well as be able to sight read through any grade three euphonium literature flawlessly.  In order to accomplish this goal, I must continue to work on articulation exercises (Arban's, Rubank) and lip flexibility (Arban's, Clarke, Bai Lin), as well as loud and soft extended playing with a continuous good sound and intonation (Rochut/Bordogni).   For the sight reading, I will need to work on scales and chord patterns (Arban's Scale Studies and Arpeggios), as well as varying rhythmic patterns to get them "under the fingers." (Arban's Characteristic Studies will help with many of these things as well as well as W.M. Smith's "30 Top Tones for Trumpet." And Schlossberg's Daily Drills and Technical Studies for Trumpet).

Shorter term goals:
This week, play 8th and 16th exercises in Arban's with Flawless articulation while keeping a centered sound with good intonation.
Play the first two Clarke Studies as written at the minimum metronome marking on the page keeping the notes smooth and connected with each note speaking clearly
Play the first two groups of Bai Lin Studies eliminating the "bump" from note to note and being able to play the 8th note passages "as smooth as butta"
Arban's and Rubank's Scale Studies.  Playing the Bb major Scale studies as both Bb major and B major.  Flawless technique and intonation with a minimum of 120 bpm on all exercises.
Arban's Interval Exercises number 1: Smooth interval jumps while keeping a centered and smooth sound.
Arban's Characteristic Study Number 1.  All right notes and articulations keeping a solid centered sound throughout my whole register...keeping in mind dynamics and musicality.
Work out fingerings and rhythms on ALL excerpts EVERY day NO MATTER WHAT (I say this because I know that there are some excerpts which I like and some which I don't like.  So I MUST turn the ones I don't like into ones that I DO like so that I will end up liking ALL of the excerpts.
Solo: Master the Theme. Good sound, right notes, right intonation, correct dynamics, good phrasing, and playing musically.
Sight read through all the "A" and "B" files at South Newton.
Record myself doing ALL of these things.

Short term goals will be posted tomorrow, because it is bed time.