Chelsea Tanner, Flutist and Mindset Coach

is the best! 📸 so glad we got to see each other in San Antonio!! 🥰

Had some thoughts on the plane ride home from NFA ✈️ so of course I wrote a substack post 🙃

There were so many amazing players and people at the convention, I left equal parts inspired and feeling a little down on myself. Read the substack post (link in bio 🔗) and see why feeling inadequate means you’re right on track.

One of my favorite parts of the NFA Convention was speaking about performance anxiety with a room full of curious and amazing people 🥰

PC:

If you missed the workshop, unfortunately I don’t have comprehensive slides that will guide you through the material in a way that would make sense but feel free to DM me about a private session!

Are you going to NFA??

So excited for travel to San Antonio tomorrow and see everyone there! Above are some events I’m participating in and consider yourself personally invited! 💖

Baroque and Romantic Nature Recital is in 206B (forgot to include it in the photo… 🙃)

Excited to see everyone!

I wrote this several weeks ago, and it’s something I think we need to keep talking about. This question, “what are we doing?” is one I’ve come back to countless times as a musician. (Link in bio if you’d like to read it 🔗)

I love what I do, of course. AND I’d love zoom out and look at the bigger picture. We can get so caught up in minutia (of course, I’m also guilty of this… but I think we can do both, I have faith in us).

If you read it, let me know if this resonated with you in the comments :) ⬇️

What a special production with at with Paula Robison ❤️ truly magical things coming to tonebase from this production 🥰

Thanks to .work.man for making this possible!

This is a sentence that’s been on my mind a lot lately (and I thought I’d share), especially surrounding recent discourse online. I love music, for sure. But I do value how we treat humans more.

This doesn’t mean I’m not devoted to the art form. I think the music we get to play is amazing and incredible AND it is not so important that we should ever excuse the horrible behavior and actions of the people playing the music. (No matter how amazing the sound waves sound…)

I’ve been reflecting on this a lot recently and will have more to say in my substack this week - link in bio if you’d like to sign up to read it!

Align Your Mind is back! This release is long overdue with the wonderful Julee Kim Walker (). We talk about the many possibilities that can come from a career in music! I hope you enjoy our conversation! I know I did :)

🔗 in bio!

Sometimes it’s a numbers game… How often do you think and believe you are good at what you do?

Just a quick something I’ve decided to believe: You can make errors in the practice room or on stage and still be good at what you do.

If you don’t believe this, it is going to be really hard to gain confidence, because we ALL need room to make mistakes, do things we didn’t intend to, and still come back to our practice space feeling safe and secure in our abilities. This is easier said than done.

Another aside: I’m not in any way implying that anyone should think less highly of anyone to make themselves feel better. This isn’t a zero-sum situation. It is 100% possible for two people to both be extraordinarily good at what they do (but the brain tends to default to zero-sum when we don’t feel safe and secure, of course making the situation worse).

We all know the value of practice, repetition, and having intention behind what we practice. The same goes for those thoughts that tend to swirl around. They’re likely there on autopilot, and if not examined can lead to some habits you don’t want.

ALSO, I’m not talking about positive affirmations you don’t believe. If you don’t believe you’re good at what you do right now, don’t start trying to tell yourself that (Your brain will roll its eyes). Try stating neutral facts. ‘I play the flute’ or whatever you do! Then when that becomes the habit, more positive things will be more believable.

This is simple. Easy to do, and easy not to do. It takes time, but less time than you might think.

Have questions about how to stop comparing yourself? Put them in the comments, or DM me, I’m happy to talk with you!

So excited to start teaching at the Colburn Community School!
☺️🤩🎶

The Panoramic Flutist 2024! Application deadline March 15!!

In these four days, we will explore the flute through in-depth exploration of our bodies, minds, and beyond. Our projects for this time together will be:

- The Charles Griffes Poem
- Pre-assigned chamber music for flutes (duos, trios, quartets, and quintets from diverse eras and composers
- The Flute Theory Workout

This is a non-traditional masterclass format. Students will not perform individually for teachers, rather we will explore the pre-assigned repertoire, and concepts collectively, holistically and in our safe community.

This class is open to flutists ages 18-100. We are inviting musicians of multi-generations and experiences. Flutists should open to exploring music in movement and issues of mindset and self-confidence.

Learn more: https://www.colorado.edu/music/summer-college-music/panoramic-flutist

New on my Substack! 👀 ✨

Separating ourselves from what we do is pretty difficult, and I don’t think we have to… click the link https://chelseatanner.substack.com to read more!



Do you find it difficult to separate yourself from what you do? Or from how you play your instrument?

It’s been a year since I wrote this blog post originally, and is a testament to what mindset work can do for.

For me, that meant freedom from outsourcing my validation through professional auditions.

Click the link in my bio to read about my experience or visit chelseatanner.substack.com 💖

More thoughts… ☀️💭☕️

If you’re afraid to make mistakes in the practice room (or do things you didn’t intend to), what kind of pressure do you experience on stage?

I used to meet myself with harsh criticism all the time. This let me to not wanting to do things I wasn’t good at already (aka not actually practicing). I didn’t do a lot of deep practicing, I didn’t even really scratch the surface of what I could do because not being able to do it yet was too painful.

For some reason, I have heard over and over from everyone who goes into music (and from people who don’t) that they don’t feel like they can make mistakes or not know things. They fell like they have to have all the answers before they walk into any situation (including the practice room). Self-sabotage happens because we’re trying to protect ourselves, not because we “don’t have what it takes.”

Replacing criticism and anxiety with compassion and curiosity isn’t an instant switch you can flip, but it is 100% possible to do.

☕️ just a thought I had this morning ☀️💭

What I’ve learned over the last year: the way to “balance” life and work doesn’t mean that you’re gonna be able to do everything all at once. It means leaning into one thing at a time, going through a lot of emotions, and being able to prioritize imperfectly (with a lot of self-compassion).

I have decided to focus more on my podcast/writing/community creating for musicians to have a place to get resources they need and coaching they want.

My page on substack I’ll be building in the coming months/years/etc. to serve as a place people can go when music doesn’t feel like something they love anymore, when imposter syndrome takes over, when performance anxiety feels unmanageable, and perfectionism feels overwhelming.

Substack is basically a newsletter that also converts these newsletters into blog-posts and hosts a place for people to comment/ask questions!

I’ve started with my latest podcast episode of Align Your Mind - Mindset in the Moment of Performance - (what to do when you lose focus in performance and how to get it back).

There’s a link in my bio to sign up! Or go to chelseatanner.substack.com - once again if you’re already on my email list, you’re already on the list!

I hope you’ll join me in this next adventure on Substack!

If you don’t believe something is possible, it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to work your hardest to achieve it. Believing (even just a little bit) is essential to going after what you want. Let’s apply this to auditions…

If you are thinking “There’s no way I can win this” - Do you feel motivated to practice?

If you think “I’m not good enough” - How do you feel? Excited? Motivated? - probably not…

Beliefs are thoughts you think over and over again. They’re learned and changeable. The key to ending self-sabotage is changing your beliefs about what’s possible, and it doesn’t happen by spending more hours in the practice room.

Listen to my latest episode of Align Youth Mind if you want to learn more about “Getting out of your own way”! 🔗 in bio

Or schedule a preliminary call with me to find out how coaching can help you believe in yourself and gain confidence! (They’re free! Link in bio!)

🤩 I’m so excited to be part of The Panoramic Flutist faculty this year!! This is sure to be an inspiring week for all in Boulder, Colorado! ✨🏔️🎶 swipe for details! ➡️ Spread the word!

NEW PODCAST EPISODE! with Mark Wallace!

This conversation has SO much value, and if you are a musician you absolutely need to listen to it!

I had the opportunity to get to know Mark at the National Flute Association this year. We both spoke on a panel about having diverse careers in music. His story was so incredible that I had to have him on the podcast.
We talk about what it means to "make it."
We talk about his incredible journey.
We talk about an outdated music culture in today's society.
It's an empowering conversation for all musicians.

Listen wherever you get podcasts!

Let's talk about what really gets you to those 2024 goals.

It isn't having the perfect practice plan.

It isn't having a color-coded planner.

It isn't trying to outwork everyone else.

It's what happens when things don't go your way.

I work with clients on this all the time. How you deal with disappointment is directly related to how you show up to your next audition/competition/application.

What happens when you don't advance? Do you wish you had a plan?

Let's chat about how coaching could be the answer to those mental spirals that happen whenever rejection hits. Schedule a preliminary call with me to chat about how we can work together! I have a 30-day program that is tailored to YOUR goals. Let's chat! Click the link -> https://calendly.com/chelseatanner/preliminarycall

What I’m proud of…

✨started a new job
✨went through a lot of life changes
✨moved across the country
✨shifted my mental/emotional relationship to so many things that had been holding me back
✨feel better and more confident than I ever have 💪🏻

Tell me yours!! ⬇️⬇️

Just a thought I had this morning ☀️😊💕

Some thoughts about classical music and creativity 💭🎶🤔

Sometimes it may seem more urgent to just jump into a piece (and sometimes “getting through it” is just what you have to do).

But, if that becomes your habit and your norm, we aren’t actually being creative we are being diligent.

How can you infuse creativity into your practice this week? (Let me know in the comments!)

it may seem like you’re taking too much time to listen and contemplate, but I guarantee it will speed up your learning in the long run.

I had the BEST week with - pro tip: play music with your friends. It is the best. 💕😊🎶✨

Just endlessly talking about the flute

🎙️New episode of Align Your Mind out today with Brice Smith! ✨

We had a great conversation about being a human in the music field! I hope you enjoy!!

🔗 link in bio!

These have been a couple of amazing flute-filled weeks! 🎶

I feel so grateful to have heard ‘s first faculty recital at Rice University. It was absolutely incredible. 😊 And I got to see a lot of my UT flute fam :) 🧡

Of course all of went because we are MG super fans so we got to have an in-person meeting. ☕️

Then yesterday it was such a pleasure to help run the competitions at the flute fair! And to meet and hear an amazing recital from Lorna McGhee!

Just a little reminder 💕

Sometimes I get the question, “What if I’m over-confident?”

This is usually from a student who is afraid to be perceived as not having “earned” their confidence, which is not really how confidence works…

Confidence is an emotion, a feeling. It is created within ourselves when we feel trusting of ourselves. How much we know or don’t know isn’t really relevant here.

We all know people who feel fine not knowing things they don’t know, and who are confident despite not knowing everything about every topic.

It isn’t embarrassing to not know things, your brain may make you feel embarrassed, but it’s a liar and it’s just scared.

You don’t have to earn confidence, it’s just something you get to feel.

Just a little reminder ➡️➡️

You don’t have to put yourself down or beat yourself up in order to get better. I promise, being hard on yourself is not required. What if it was possible to reach your goals and feel good along the way?

Spoiler: it’s totally possible!