LISTEN ON –
Who Do You Think You Are?
Micah spoke in this episode about his struggles dealing with imposter syndrome while putting his book of solos together. Wrestling with questions such as, “Will anyone care about this?” and “Who am I to put my stamp on these solos?”, Micah had to overcome a lot of fears and doubts.
Ultimately, he realized that he does have something to offer, and that it might be helpful to others. While that may sound simplistic, I think it doesn’t have to be much more complicated than that. We all have unique gifts and life experiences that we can share. It also goes to show that anyone at any stage in life can struggle with feelings of imposter syndrome.
It seems that cultivating a healthy relationship with ourselves and understanding our gifts is significantly more effective at combating doubts and fears than hoping that a “bigger” career position will fix all our problems.
Seeking Rightness
Micah uses this terminology of “seeking rightness” in his playing and in his life. As an orchestral trumpet player, balance in Micah’s playing is critical to longevity in his career. Making sure he begins each day by finding balance, ease, and health in his trumpet playing (and his life) seems to be a top priority.
Performing To Enhance Teaching
I loved Micah’s perspective on how his life as a performer allows him to be a more effective teacher. He describes one aspect his job in the Pittsburgh Symphony provides is the ability to demonstrate many of the concepts he teaches in real time. Students of his can see how he takes his approach to the trumpet and applies it in the concert hall. This helps give them a sense of the bigger picture he aims to help them achieve through his teaching.
Micah has a new book of trumpet solos, check it out! – https://www.micahwilkinson.com/bookofsolos
He also has a fundamentals workshop that you should check out as well! Registration closes July 27th! – https://www.micahwilkinson.com/register
I hope you enjoyed this episode with Micah! If you wouldn’t mind leaving a rating and a review on iTunes, I’d really appreciate it. Don’t forget to share on social media!
Thanks for listening. Stay strong, be kind to yourself, and never stop growing!
Until next time,
Ryan