What’s the big idea?
Practicing is an essential part of musicianship—in order to improve at playing any instrument, it’s so important to have a consistent habit of practice. However, many musicians struggle to motivate themselves in this regard. Read on for some suggestions on ways to help yourself (or your students) find joy in practice time!
I am sure anyone taking the time to read this blog probably knows (at least to some extent) that practicing is important. In order to become better at ANY skill—be that a sport, a hobby, cooking, gaming, drawing, writing—one MUST spend time actually doing that activity. Many times, music practice falls into the “homework” category for many students. They avoid practice until it’s time to cram for a performance, and treat playing their instrument like a chore. This isn’t necessarily always bad, but it can mean that an actual, healthy practice habit never develops. If that’s you, don’t worry! There’s always time to learn, and that’s the point of today’s article.
I know I have to practice, but I hate doing it…
If that is your initial response, please know: that’s how many people feel at the start. And that’s ok! It’s important to recognize that mindset and be honest with yourself. But that’s not the end of the story, nor is it an excuse not to practice. You just need to figure out how to make practicing work for you! Everyone is motivated by different things and in different ways. Some of us are extremely independent and have no problem “self-starting” and diving deeply into a new activity. Some of us need some help staying focused, or being disciplined, or even getting started in the first place. Regardless of all of this information, you have to start the process by recognizing your own motivational tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. What is going to help YOU personally make practicing less of a chore? Once you’ve figured that out, do it!
Ok, I get that practicing is important. What can I do so that I don’t hate it?
All right, let’s get into the meat of this post. Here are some suggestions for helping motivate yourself to practice.
Refer to my previous post regarding creating a designated musical space in your home. If your practice area is uncomfortable, ineffective, distracting, or inconstant, it will be very hard to motivate yourself. I know that I tend to require a clean space free of visual stressors (like dust piles or dirty clothes) in order to focus the best. Seeing other things that need to be done is one of my own major stumbling blocks when it comes to truly prioritizing my musical work. I enjoy playing the piano: therefore, it should be lower on my priority list because it’s fun. FALSE! Suffice it to say, attempting to keep a clear head in a musical space full of clutter and reminders of other things we don’t want to do can cause us to avoid practice entirely.
Practice at the same time of day, and on the same days each week. Just like the first point, having a consistent time as well as a designated space will help in building that habitual structure. After a few sessions, you will start to expect yourself to practice when “Tuesday at 4pm” rolls around! Plus, it allows you to plan for and prioritize your musical learning. I’d even recommend blocking off space in a calendar or planner and making that commitment to yourself. If the decision on how to spend that time is already made, so much the better!
Set a timer, or have a clock nearby…NOT YOUR PHONE. I know I’ve written about this before: phones are amazing tools and can be so very helpful. But, they are the WORST when it comes to staying on task. It’s so easy to pick up the phone to “check the time” and end up watching TikTok videos for your allotted hour of practice instead of actually accomplishing anything musical. Instead, set a cooking timer, look at an not-phone-clock, or even set your phone timer and put it in another room with the alarm loud enough that you’ll hear it. That way, we can mitigate at least some of the distractions we might encounter when working on building this new habit. If you routinely use metronomes or tuners, these can be purchased relatively cheaply online or in a local music store—try and use these instead of relying on those phone apps as they do lead to distraction. I’ve done it myself, many a time!
Reward yourself! As a teacher, I love finding out what my students enjoy and creating rewards that reflect those things. Rewards don’t have to be tangible—I’ve done sticker charts towards practice goals that accumulate over several weeks and result in a choice of a fun piece, or a duet, or a musical game. Many teachers make use of prizes like candy or toys for young students. If you are a musician yourself, struggling to make yourself sit down and learn that sonata, I encourage you to take some pages from an elementary music teacher’s book. What do you enjoy? How can you acknowledge your success to yourself? How can you congratulate yourself on following through? Make a list! I love drinking tea, so after a practice session I might allow myself a nice cup of Lavender Earl Grey. Or maybe I’ll hit up a coffee shop and get a special chai latte—tastes like success! Other ideas could include an activity that makes you happy: taking a walk, playing some video games, reading a book, listening to a spooky podcast. I also really LOVE the feeling of crossing things off a list. Some people use habit trackers or apps to keep up with “streaks.” If you are motivated by being able to categorically see what you’ve accomplished, add practicing to those lists!
Give yourself a brain break. No matter how old or experienced you are, everyone benefits from a brain break. The older you are, the longer you may be able to practice at a session. However, I think it’s pretty much always good at some point during a practice session to take a step away and then come back to your work. It’s like giving your brain a drink of water—it can only do so much work before it gets dehydrated! Movement is an excellent way of resetting both your body and your mind. Stand up and take a lap around your practice space. Do some gentle stretches with you hands, arms, fingers, back, neck, and shoulders. Oftentimes, practicing can entail getting crunched up into one unnatural position for long periods of time. Check that posture! When was the last time you blinked? Close your eyes for a minute so they don’t get dry. Deep breaths are another fantastic way to reset. Breathe in deeply through your nose, and slowly out your mouth. Young students practicing with a helper might benefit from some jumping jacks, a quick riddle repetition, counting, touching their toes…just a few minutes doing something else. Then, when it’s time to start again, the brain will be more engaged, the body will feel better, and the practice session should be more productive on the whole!
Have clear goals. What are you working towards this session? Of course you will have larger, longer term goals like working towards a performance or learning a big piece. But, what are you planning to accomplish in this singular practice session? How will you know when you’ve finished? These goals can be as simple as a time allotment, or “play through the whole first page without stopping.” They could also be very complex—deciding artistic phrasing and voicings in a new work, or perfecting specific technical runs using unique fingerings and gestures. Whatever your goals, it helps for them to be measurable and realistic. You likely won’t learn an entire piece in one session. Break it down into small chunks, and choose one specific part to work on per session.
Give yourself grace. One of the most important things you can do as you are starting a new habit is to understand that it will take time. You may not reach your goal right away, and that’s perfectly ok. There’s a theory called the Law of Diminishing Returns wherein progress starts to slow as one gets exhausted. If you aren’t used to practicing consistently, you may need to start small. Try to go for 30 minutes without stopping instead of the full hour if you feel yourself starting to fade. Sometimes that extra couple minutes isn’t worth the stress it puts on your body or mind. You probably won’t lose progress, but you almost certainly won’t gain any if you reach this point! Take a brain break, move on to a different section of the piece, or even start working on another piece entirely. Or, if you need to, call it a day! Reflect on your success at coming to your instrument and working towards becoming a better musician: focus on what you did accomplish, and be proud. There’s always tomorrow to get even better!
You’ve Got this!
I hope this post has given you some ideas that might make practicing a bit more enjoyable for you. As musicians, spending time at our instrument is key to becoming better at what we do. There is absolutely nothing, however, that says we have to hate the process. Try some of these strategies to get out of your practice rut, or use them as a jumping off point to begin your practice own habit. Best of luck and happy practicing!
—Charissa Garrigus, Instructor at Vibe Music Academy
