What made you want to work with Dr. Hileman?

I had a lot of anxiety and personal issues in my life which were affecting my music skills. My main problem was not being able to practice well or recreate the results I had in my lessons. I wanted to learn how to practice and to be able to solve problems in the practice room. To calm down and find a way to get results despite what was happening in my life or other school work.

What was the experience like?

Working with Dr. Hileman always felt like a safe place to say anything, personal or musical. I never felt judged, quite the opposite, always encouraged. 

I liked learning how to get out of my own way. This is something that I still struggle with sometimes, but I am now aware that most often than not the biggest obstacles are my own thoughts.  The class showed me that once you stop thinking about all the problems and obstacles there "are" and you actually take a step, you realize lots of the issues were just in your mind. 

Now, practicing is easier. If I start to get sloppy, or frustrated I am able to calm down, and now I have tools to know what to do next or in the moment.   Before, I would have either pushed myself to an unhealthy limit or left the practice room. Now I approach it from different angles and eventually things start to get solved on their own. It also helped me a lot with my time management skills and even stress. I used to get very overwhelmed because I had what at the moment seemed too many things to do, and then I wouldn't do them. But the same skills that helped me put order in my practice, helped me put order in my life. 

What specific results have you achieved?

• My practice is more efficient and above all, I am much more aware of what I am doing or need to do. There are goals and things to move forward to.

• I go into performance nervous, but also excited and most importantly happy. 

• I am able to evaluate myself and music skills without completely tearing myself apart and feeling defeated. I used to think "my breath is a problem and it shouldn't be anymore since I have been studying this for so many years." Now when I become aware that there is a problem with my breath I just think to myself, "Okay, no one is perfect. There is a problem and you know what to do to fix it, and if that doesn't work I can always ask for help.”  And when I do ask my professor for help, now we can discuss what is working and what is not, rather than just trying to guess. 

What would you say to someone considering freedom on stage?

Do it! You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Best case, it improves your life, which is what happened to me. It’s not a place to validate yourself nor the excuses you make for yourself. You will hear the truth, and that can sometimes be hard, but it is what will make you improve.