​

​

​In this letter

They can all play the excerpts. So what matters?

​

​

​

I'm sitting in a dark auditorium today, listening to some of the best oboists in the world compete for one chair—associate principal oboe of the Cincinnati Symphony.

And I keep thinking about something that has nothing to do with intonation, articulation, low register sound or rhythm.

Every single person in this audition can play the excerpts. Every. Single. One.

They've all practiced thousands of hours. Most can all nail the technical demands. The notes are there. The rhythm is clean. The intonation is solid. The question becomes: what separates the candidates who make us lean forward in our seats from the ones who simply... check the boxes?

Usually I stop taking notes. And I'm enjoying the performance. What I'm loving isn't technical perfection. It's clarity.

You can hear it in the first phrase. Some musicians play like they're trying to prove something. Others play like they know exactly who they are and what they're communicating.

One sounds defensive. The other sounds organic and inevitable.

​

What's the difference? It's not time in the practice room, or the best reed ever, or most expensive oboe. It's the work in and out of the practice room:

• Why you're pursuing this in the first place
• What success actually means to you (not what you think it should mean)
• What your unique strengths are as a musician
• How this opportunity aligns with your bigger vision

Which brings about:

• the poetry you bring to the phrases
• how you sing, and communicate
• the generous energy of sharing your ideas and musical intentions
• an expansive vs. contractive sound

​

This deeper work changes everything. Your preparation becomes focused instead of frantic. Your performance becomes compelling instead of competent.

​

Thrive, the Musicians' Purpose & Practice Planner, and everything we make at 360 is to help you pursue your path. An academic position, a project, collab, project, grant, studio, or audition... all and multiple selections require this foundation.

I've been on both sides of the screen. I know what it feels like to pour everything into an audition and wonder, is it enough? And I know what committees hear when they vote yes. Technical mastery is certainly part of it, but the way you reach that isn't just about practice time. It's purpose, in general and specifically. But purpose, clarity, knowing who you are, and conviction of what you want to say, these are the elements that make you unforgettable.

The Purpose Planner helps you do that deeper work—connecting your daily practice to your bigger why, clarifying your vision, and building the foundation that technical perfection alone can't give you.

We'll have all the exciting Planner details out this week! (You'll get a special email announcement)!

• Inside you'll find:
  • Your roadmap framework - the inside-to-outside journey from Your Center to Your Path to Your Reach
  • Purpose & values exercises that help you articulate your north star and what truly guides you
  • 5-year vision & success definition pages to clarify where you're actually headed
  • The Path - a backward planning tool to map your route from 5 years to this week
  • Pre-performance routines & visualization tools to build consistency and confidence
  • Well-being toolkit with breathing exercises, mantras, and physical warm-ups
  • Mindset resources for reframing perfectionism and building resilience
  • 6-month dashboard to see your entire journey at a glance
  • Monthly pages with rep list organizers to track what you're working on
  • Weekly practice trackers that connect your daily work to your bigger goals
  • Portfolio checklists & personal brand exercises for building outward with intention

Here's to navigating your path with clarity,

Ixi

​

​

P.S. Sitting in this auditorium, we are all rooting for every single person who walks through that door. The courage it takes just to show up is enormous. But the ones who'll pass aren't the ones who practiced the most—they're the ones who know what they want to say, step out of their comfort zone to say it, and know why they're here.

​

​

​

​

​