Your Greatest Asset

Today I'll discuss being your own greatest asset.
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Happy practicing!

An asset, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is an advantage or resource.
A liability is a debt or pecuniary obligation.
Let's re-frame my questions. If you have a lesson teacher, great! Pump them for every scrap of knowledge you can. You are with them a half hour a week or a full hour if you’re fortunate. 
You have yourself for the other 167 hours every week. So wouldn’t it be useful if you could be your own teacher? Are you an asset to yourself or a liability? 
How can you teach yourself? 

• Listen 
  • To recordings of anyone who’s better than you 
  • Imitate what you listen to 
  • Articulations 
  • Vibrato 
  • Phrasing 
  • Etc 
  • To all types of brass and classical performers 
• Record yourself 
  • Your routine 
  • Etudes 
  • Exercises 
  • Solos  
  • Record yourself playing in an ensemble (with your ensemble director's permission)
  • Record yourself in every performance/practice situation you can come up with
  • Record your lessons

How do you know what to fix? 

• The more you listen to others, the more you’ll hear problems in your own playing 
• Like anything worth doing, it takes practice 

How do I fix the mistakes I hear? 

• The practice room is a laboratory 
• You are a scientist 
• Run some experiments 
  • If something works take note and use it again in the future 
  • If it doesn’t work, forget it 

How do you plan to become your own greatest asset?
Thank you for reading!