Why Every Setback Is a Step Toward Success

It's easy to look at someone else's success and assume it happened overnight.

But behind many of the biggest moments are years of persistence.

Take Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper from Cabo Verde. After nearly two decades balancing professional football with jobs as an electrician and volleyball coach, he finally stepped onto the World Cup stage. He held one of the world's strongest teams to a scoreless draw and earned worldwide recognition almost overnight. Twenty years of "not yet" was never a "no."

Or consider Erling Haaland, whose joy for the game is just as remarkable as his talent. He plays with enthusiasm, reminding us that excellence and enjoyment can exist together.

Their stories echo something NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo said after his team was eliminated from the playoffs:

"It's not a failure. It's steps to success."

That perspective is powerful for musicians.

An audition that doesn't go your way isn't proof you aren't good enough. A disappointing performance doesn't define your future. Every rehearsal, lesson, rejection, and opportunity becomes part of your growth.

There's a Buddhist teaching called the Eight Worldly Conditions, which reminds us that gain and loss, praise and blame, success and disappointment all come in pairs. They're part of life—not proof that something is wrong.

As you move forward, remember:

• Separate the event from your identity.

• Approach auditions with quiet confidence and humility.

• Share your music with joy, knowing your expression matters.

• Keep practicing, experimenting, and focusing on your own growth instead of comparison.

Every step is refining your artistry.

What happens along the way isn't a final verdict—it's part of the process that shapes who you become.

Keep taking the next step.

- Ixi

P.S. The summer seasonal practice, "the Forge" keeps its doors open through July. What's calling to you this summer? Join before July 13 to catch the Live sessions "live"! See below for details.
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THE FORGE

Have an idea you've been sitting on, and want to finally make it happen? You don't have to do it alone.

We get to the heart of this in the SUMMER PRACTICE, all focused on forging - forging ahead, forging your projects, forging a practice. Here's what's waiting for you inside:​
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🗒️ 1. The Field Notes

✨ 2. The ideas —​
📌 A Practice with your guide (me!) with exercises and prompts you can sit with for twenty minutes or all season. This is the stuff music school never taught you, but is what your skills are built on.

🎓 3. Live Faculty Sessions — Real People, Real Expertise

Five live classes with faculty who have been exactly where you are — and built something real on the other side of it:

• June 13 11am EDT: Writing Your Personal Statement — Ted Nelson (cellist & arts administrator) walks you through writing a personal and artist statement that sounds like you — not a grant application from last century. His take from what he's learned being on both sides of the aisle.
• June 14 1pm EDT: Cover Letters That Open Doors — David Cook (Associate Professor of Clarinet at Millikin University, founder of Academic Musician Career Consulting) breaks down exactly what gets a cover letter read — and what gets it recycled. Practical and specific.
• June 15 11am EDT: Building Something That Lasts — Annie Phillips (former co-director of the entrepreneurship program at New England Conservatory of Music, co-founder of Switchboard Music) brings her experience helping musicians build careers that didn't exist before they built them. (Topic to be announced).
• June 17 1pm EDT: Anxiety to Agency — Ixi Chen (yours truly)
• Performance Masterclass — Sam Rothstein (Indiana Symphony) shares what his experience building a performing career — what separates the players who succeed from the ones who don't. We'll talk about what sustaining a performing career actually looks like from the inside — the pacing, the setbacks, and the wins.

💫 4. A live Gathering to be in community.
​💛 5. And a closing Integration to mark the transition into autumn.

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​[register for the FORGE here!]

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