Untold Stories Around Us: An Interview with Diane Worthey

Today we’re speaking with violinist, teacher, and author Diane Worthey. Diane teaches in the preparatory Strings Division at the University of Idaho and is the author of the recent book IN ONE EAR & OUT THE OTHER: ANTONIA BRICO & HER AMAZINGLY MUSICAL LIFE and the recipient of the 2021 Paterson Prize for Young Readers. We discussed her journey with practice as a musician, what inspired her to write her book, and her passion for telling untold stories, especially of women in music history, around her.

Three Takeaways from Diane Worthey:

·        When it comes to practice – just do it but also make it fun and change things up. 

·        There are many parallels between the art and discipline of writing and practicing. It’s helpful to remember that some of what makes it challenging to practice and play our instruments is the same as what is hard for any discipline that requires deep work and focus. 

·        There are amazing people all around us that we might not even realize play an important role in history or whose story may not have been told yet. How can you look for the untold stories around you?

Highlights Include:

 

“And I loved music from the start. I just felt like it was something that was always in my head. And I liked being able to express myself through music. I was very shy, extremely shy as a child. And music was sort of a safe outlet for me to, speak in a different way without using my human voice. And so, yeah, I started piano and then in fourth grade I became enamored with the violin because of another movie that I was taken to called Fantasia. And that was the original Fantasia movie. And when I saw the Philadelphia orchestra warming up on stage and all their bows moving together in the shadowy images on the screen, I was like, mesmerized. I was like, oh my goodness.

That’s what I want to do. So that’s when I started the violin in school.”

“Who I’m practicing for is myself. I’m not practicing to please anybody else I’m practicing to better my own skills, my own self. And once I realized that. I love to practice because it’s not about pleasing somebody else or disappointing someone else it’s about not disappointing myself. That was a huge change for me. And I wish I would’ve learned that much younger than I did.”

“So it’s important that you do it. Don’t listen to the naysayers who say you’ll never have success. I’ve had that both in music and in writing. So, that’s the whole point of my Antonia book right there. Let those discouraging words go in one ear and out the other. And, those are words Antonia Brico herself said over and over.”

“When I started writing, I immediately could see the parallels. And honestly, I think being a musician is what has given me success getting my book published, finding that a traditional publisher to publish my books, everything, I point back to music.

First of all, you have to work with others to realize your skills. I’ve joined a writing group right away and, get critiques on my manuscripts. And they helped me mold my manuscripts and make them better. And musicians do that too. Right. Where we don’t learn in a vacuum. We learn with others. We have a teacher, that’s our mentor. We have other players, peers that we play with. It’s especially important as a string player to play with others. You learn more. And I always learn more in an orchestra than I learned anywhere else.”

To Listen to the whole episode, you can find the Time to Practice Podcast on your favorite Podcast Platform or listen through the podcast player below.

---

Important Links from Today’s Episode:

Find Diane Worthey’s Website: https://dianeworthey.blog/

Find In One Ear & Out the Other: Antonia Brico & Her Amazing Musical Life by Diane Worthey

Read about other books Diane recommends in addition to her own: 

https://shepherd.com/best-books/childrens-books-about-classical-music

Reach out: TimetoPracticePodcast@gmail.com 

Find Christine on Instagram @SuzukiTriangle 

Sign up for one of the upcoming Time to Practice Pep Talks HERE