Five Ways to Take Care of Yourself Before the Fall Semester Starts

Today’s post is written by our very own Kate Amrine who is gearing up for a busy fall semester of teaching and performing. We believe today’s post will appeal to all fellow Brass Chicks, regardless of  career status and direction. Enjoy!


Since the fall semester is around the corner, I thought this would be a great post to get everyone thinking about their preparation for the busier times of year. We all have our own idea of what taking care of ourselves means but hopefully this will broaden your perspective and help you reconsider what is best for your own preparation for the fall semester

1. Self Care

This is the one you probably most expected right? So self care isn’t just face masks and bath bombs… self care means taking action to improve one’s health. This could mean taking a vacation, journaling, developing a healthy morning routine, exercising, and so on. What can you do every day to be a healthier and happy person so you are in a better position to be a successful musician? 

2. Take care of your playing

Summertime is great for getting your playing together from developing an efficient practice routine, cleaning up technique issues, and/or deciding on new repertoire to learn. Consider starting a practice  journal, playing music with friends, recording yourself, or taking a lesson. Anything you can do to actively improve your playing in the less busy times of year will help you greatly during the busy fall semester.

3.  Take Care of  your relationships 

This one might not have been expected but summertime can br a great time to reevakuate your relationsjps. Are your closest friends inspiring you to be a better version of yourself every day or are they feeding your bad behaviora and negatively influencing you? We dont get to choose our family but since we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with you might as well pick the best people that make you happy, fulfilled and inspired instead of negative, jealous, or unhealthy.

4. Take care of your career plans 

Summer is a perfect time to reevaluate your career goals, action plans, to do lists, and everything you may have written down about your plans for your career. Think about what makes you happy and excited and go from there. What steps can you take now to make your dreams come to fruition that may be difficult to manage when your schedule is busier?

5. Take care of your creative energy

Try something new! Experiment with music, projects, interests, and directions. Having more free time to take risks and be creative is quite the gift so use it wisely while you can!

Leave a Reply