#thetroubleintunetown #blogblast #booksontour #day5

Author Article by Maura Pierlot

Practise Should Never be a Fight

Recount the motto, ‘Practise should never be a fight. If you’re having fun, then you’re playing all right’. Today, Maura explains how this phrase was formative in her personal and working life, and she leaves us with important take-home messages that anyone can adopt into any part of life. A valuable souvenir from this piece of our journey into Tune Town!  🎹 😍


The underlying message of The Trouble in Tune Town is on the title page before the story even begins: Practice should never be a fight. If you’re having fun, then you’re playing all right. The book touches on the themes of resilience, self-belief, perseverance and belonging – traits that are important for overcoming struggles in life, not just for music practice!

​Personally, I may have developed {the motto} as a result of my childhood and working life. I was a very inquisitive child and an avid reader; thankfully, school came easily to me. I know my parents had high expectations of me, but in an unspoken, rather than pressured, way. They knew that I was a go-getter and wanted to do something with my life, and I think they formed their expectations around my academic ability. I never really felt pressured by my parents to achieve; I think I always pushed myself. I was my own worst critic – still am.

On any given day I can think I’ve written something brilliant or utter trash. I think the message for Tune Town was my realisation, albeit somewhat late in life, that although you should always try your best, the outcome should never become more important than the process. Effort doesn’t always equal reward but you still learn a lot about yourself, and others, and you can still derive a high sense of enjoyment, pride and satisfaction, even if you don’t reach the mark. I’ve seen some very talented musicians play superbly on a technical level, but with little passion, and I’ve seen others who make mistakes but play with an infectious level of energy and enthusiasm. I think we would all benefit from a bit more of the latter, not just in music but in life.

#music #selfbelief #persistence #resilience #belonging


SING IT LOUD!  It’s G I V E A W A Y  T I M E!

WIN a hardback copy of the groovalicious picture book, The Trouble in Tune Town by Maura Pierlot and Sophie Norsa!

In 25 words or less, what instrument are you?

Click the image for more details.


The Trouble in Tune Town will be officially launched on Sunday May 6 at the National Library of Australia, Canberra from 2PM, in association with Music for Canberra. There will music, activities, book reading and signing. Click the image for details.




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