“Practice makes perfect” is a well-known phrase that holds true for music students across all skill levels, from novice to virtuoso. But here's the challenge: Life doesn't always provide us with a lot of free time, and for many of us, busy schedules and family responsibilities can leave little room for consistent practice. However, at Music U, we believe that learning music is about the journey, not the destination. In this article, we'll explore strategies to stick to a regular practice routine even when your calendar is jam-packed.
Prioritizing Your Practice
In our bustling lives, it's all too easy to let practice slip through the cracks. However, prioritizing your practice time is key to staying on track. At Music U, we understand the importance of making music a priority in your life, and we encourage you to do the same. There are a lot of great ways to incorporate regular practice time into your schedule, with one obvious option being to add it to a calendar so that practicing occurs around the same time on the same days of the week. This kind of routine helps to ensure that you learn a new song or new playing technique gradually, which greatly improves retention. Similar to what can happen when you cram for a test, if you practice all at once instead of a little at a time, your brain and body will have a much easier time remembering what you’ve learned weeks and even months later. For example, I remember that it took me around 3-4 months to perfect “Neon” by John Mayer when I was in High School, and I can still play it to this day!
With all of this in mind, we’ve listed below some key ways you can make practicing routine in your life:
Creating a Schedule
Life's demands can vary greatly from day to day. That's why creating a flexible yet realistic practice schedule is crucial. Most important is the fact that you don’t actually need to carve out a lot of time in your day to get the benefits of practicing. It’s actually recommended that you practice in regular intervals of small amounts of time, as opposed to all at once, to attain better results. We’ve heard this called practice snacks! This is especially true for younger learners, who may only be able to focus on practicing an instrument for a small amount of time. It is important to remember that practicing is a marathon, not a sprint!
With all of the above in mind, you can then decide how many days are needed each week based on how much time is needed to prepare for your next lesson or performance. For example, let’s say you have a recital at the end of the month, and you want to be fully prepared in time. If you need about 2-3 hours of practice for a song to ensure you are ready to perform, then try practicing 15 minutes, 4 days a week, for the first 2 to 3 weeks, leaving the final week for playing the song in its entirety. This kind of schedule will ensure you are putting in the necessary amount of time without requiring you to block out an afternoon.
Practice Efficiency
At Music U, we teach our students the value of efficient practice in two ways: Practice Segmentation and Practice Blocks. To elaborate on these two ideas, it's important to consider the mental challenges that learning a piece of music can present and how the below recommendations work to overcome these challenges:
Practice Segmentation: This concept is similar to the idea of “productivity breaks.” If you are working on a piece of music or a new musical concept, it is important to schedule in mental breaks to assist with retention and long-term focusing. For example, for every 25 minutes of practice, consider adding a 5-minute block away from your music or even just 5 minutes of playing your instrument that isn’t considered “learning” and more “play.”
Practice Blocks: This is a very valuable concept to incorporate into your practice time, especially if you are learning a longer piece of music. You essentially block out your music into “chunks” of 4 - 8 measures, or even 2 - 4 measures if it has a lot of fast rhythms, and only work on that group before proceeding to the next set. This method of practicing, along with doing smaller amounts of time each day instead of a lot of time all at once, is by far the most efficient and effective way to learn that difficult recital piece. Another added benefit is if you are memorizing a song and happen to get lost in the middle of it, you can start from the most recent “chunk” or section instead of going all the way back to the beginning of the song.
Tracking Progress and Staying Motivated
At Music U, we believe that consistent progress stems from tracking your achievements! By holding yourself accountable and monitoring your musical journey, you can stay motivated even during the busiest of weeks. Firstly, we recommend creating an external incentive other than simply the pride of completing a week's worth of practicing. Even the simplest of rewards can help build good practice habits. For example, if you set a goal to practice 4 times a week, then after a week, you can earn a sticker or something similar. Also, you can “stack” rewards to help with longevity. An example being to earn a small reward for 2 weeks, but if you practice for 4 weeks without a lapse, to earn something more valuable like a gift card! Finally, it can be fun to track your progress using a dry-erase board with check boxes or with a calendar you can write on.
Keep Practicing Fun!
As with most things, what matters when learning an instrument is that you stick with it. Any new challenge requires time to discover the fruits of your labor, but keeping that time fun, engaging, and focused will make a world of difference. At Music U, we love to ensure that the key elements of our lessons are in the above order, so be sure to do the same with your practice time. Remember, we're not just teaching notes; we're fostering creativity, confidence, and a lifelong love for music!
Ready to start your musical journey? Sign up for lessons today!
