Still Practicing

"Still practicing" has several meanings. Still practicing suggests that the balance of heartaches and joys must not deter us from pursuing a clinical practice. At the same time, still practicing suggests that for the clinician "practice" never "makes perfect." We continue to refine our clinical instruments over our entire working lives. Framed by her previous work on the concept of emotional balance, Sandra Buechler investigates how vicissitudes in a clinical career can have a profound and lasting impact on the clinician's emotional balance, and considers how the clinician's resilience is maintained in the face of the personal fallout of a lifetime of clinical practice. At each juncture, from training to early phases of clinical experience, through mid and late career, she asks, what can help us maintain a vital interest in our work? How do we not burn out? Aimed at the nexus of the personal and theoretical, Still Practicing concentrates on the sadness, feelings of shame, and satisfactions inherent in practice, and encourages newcomers and veterans alike to make career choices mindful of their potential long-term impact on their feelings about being therapists. It poses a question vital to the life of the clinician: How can we strike a balance between the work's inevitable pain and its potential joy?

The memory feats of famous musicians seem almost superhuman. Can such extraordinary accomplishments be explained by the same principles that account for more ordinary, everyday memory abilities? To find out, a concert pianist videotaped her practice as she learned a new piece for performance, the third movement, Presto, of the Italian Concerto by J.S. Bach. The story of how the pianist went about learning, memorizing and polishing the piece is told from the viewpoints of the pianist (the second author) and of a cognitive psychologist (the first author) observing the practice. The counterpoint between these insider and outsider perspectives is framed by the observations of a social psychologist (the third author) about how the two viewpoints were reconciled. The CD that accompanies the book provides for yet another perspective, allowing the reader to hear the polished performance. Written for both psychologists and musicians, the book provides the first detailed description of how an experienced pianist organizes her practice, identifying stages of the learning process, characteristics of expert practice, and practice strategies. The main focus, however, is on memorization. An analysis of what prominent pianists of the past century have said about memorization reveals considerable disagreement and confusion. Using previous work on expert memory as a starting point, the authors show how principles of memory developed by cognitive psychologists apply to musical performance and uncover the intimate connection between memorization and interpretation.

In a remarkable memoir written with insight and humor, Glenn Kurtz takes us from his first lessons at the age of eight to his acceptance at the elite New England Conservatory of Music. After graduation, he attempts a solo career in Vienna but soon realizes that he has neither the ego nor the talent required to succeed and gives up the instrument, and his dream, entirely. But not forever: Returning to the guitar, Kurtz weaves into the narrative the rich experience of a single practice session. Practicing takes us on a revelatory, inspiring journey: a love affair with music.

In a time when academic theology often neglects the lived practices of the Christian community, this volume seeks to bring balance to the situation by showing the dynamic link between the task of theology and the practices of the Christian life. The work of thirteen first-rate theologians from several cultural and Christian perspectives, these informed and informative essays explore the relationship between Christian theology and practice in the daily lives of believers, in the ministry of Christian communities, and as a needed focus within Christian education. Contributors: Dorothy C. Bass, Nancy Bedford, Gilbert Bond, Sarah Coakley, Craig Dykstra, Reinhard Hütter, L. Gregory Jones, Serene Jones, Amy Plantinga Pauw, Christine Pohl, Kathryn Tanner, Miroslav Volf, Tammy Williams

In volumes1-8: the final number consists of the Commencement annual.

Practicing Alcohol Moderation is designed to be used by clients of behavioral health care providers who have utilized The Clinician’s Guide to Alcohol Moderation. This groundbreaking workbook can be used on its own or in conjunction with therapy, and additionally as a resource for family members whose loved ones are struggling with alcohol. It gives transparent, easy-to-follow, research-based explanations with questionnaires, checklists, quizzes, and worksheets. Each chapter begins with a brief overview and is interspersed with exercises and client experiences, combining research-based information with practical self-assessments, tools, and questions to answer to practice alcohol moderation. Readers can take the Alcohol Moderation Assessment to determine their likelihood of success in practicing alcohol moderation. The book provides the resources to create a personalized Alcohol Moderation Plan and suggests ways to manage its success for clinicians and general audiences alike.

There are few works in the cello repertoire as significant as the etudes by David Popper. They are practiced, studied, and learned by cellists all over the world as a sort of rite of passage to the advanced cello techniques. This has been the case since their publication, and there is no sign that this is going to change in the foreseeable future. Auditions for such things as youth orchestras, festivals, competitions, or university admissions frequently require the performance of one or more Popper etudes. Learning these etudes is a wonderful way to prepare yourself for the advanced cello repertoire. However, tackling them on your own can be a daunting task. Several authors have published their ideas and suggestions for practicing these etudes whether as articles, books, or videos. What makes this guide different is that it shows you step-by-step exactly how you can effectively practice all the difficult spots in each etude such that you will surely learn and master each one at a faster rate than you would without these suggestions and exercises.