Creative Practice Strategies For Musicians Of All Abilities

The strategies we use when practicing can have a dramatic impact on our ability to progress and improve, and the time it takes to do so. But approaching your music in the exact same way every day can be both boring and ineffective. Musicians experience the most growth when their brains are fully engaged in what they are practicing. In other words, just going through the motions isn’t enough. Musicians have to be extremely deliberate when they practice, or risk ingraining incorrect techniques/information and stalling their own progress.

So, how do we keep practicing fresh? If you’re feeling bored with your normal routine, try some of these strategies to reengage your brain and get the most out of your time.

SET YOUR GOALS BEFORE YOU PRACTICE

Trying to work on too many skills at once can often be overwhelming and ineffectual. Choose one goal for each assignment BEFORE you begin to practice. Some examples of goals to focus on:

1. Correct fingering
2. Speed
3. A specific technical skill (ex: releasing tongue tension on an [i] vowel, or keeping fingers rounded while playing piano)
4. Playing a series of especially difficult measures without errors

SPACE OUT YOUR PRACTICE

An increasing amount of research indicates that short, focused bursts of practice can be much more effective than a single, long practice session during the day. Here are some ideas for how to do this:

1. Play your piece when you get home from school/work for approximately 10 minutes. When you’re finished with dinner, sit down and play for an additional 10 minutes.
2. In the morning, play through all the hardest measures in your piece with the aim of making zero errors. Then walk away and play through the entire piece later in the day.
3. Drill all of the hardest sections of your piece before school/work. Then, when you return home for the day, sit down and see what you remember. Play through all of your assignments the next morning and aim to play through those hardest sections without any errors.

MIX IT UP

Repetition of skills is key to mastering them, but research shows that the brain learns more effectively when we move between a variety of skills. For example:

1. Practice a scale with attention to correct fingering. Then switch to your assigned piece for the week. Return to the scale and aim for correct fingering again.
2. If you have more than one piece assigned for the week, choose a section of each to work on and rotate between them: 10 minutes on one piece, then 10 minutes on the next, until your practice time is up.
3. Try starting from the end of your piece for a change! Beginning your assignment in a different place can be a fun challenge for the brain, and it will help ensure the end of your piece is just as strong as the beginning.

DIMINISHING RETURNS ARE REAL

1. Limit repetition of any given passage to three times. Aim for your third repetition to be free of errors.
2. Monitor your relaxation and energy levels, as both are critical for retention of skills and keeping your body free of tension. If you find yourself getting tense or tired, take a break. Take a walk, do some deep breathing, or go chat with a friend. Once you are back to a state of balance, return to your practice.
3. It’s never a good idea to try and push through exhaustion. It’s okay to take a break once in a while. Be kind to yourself and if you need to miss a day of practice, just resolve to get back to it the following day.

ENJOYMENT IS KEY!

Yes, practice is work. But it should also be fun! If you are not enjoying yourself as you practice you will not only be miserable, but you will also minimize your gains in retention. If you are consistently not enjoying your practice, it might be time to ask yourself some questions:

1. “Are my expectations too high?”
2. “Have I set reasonable goals for myself today?”
3. “Can I break my goal up into smaller pieces?”
4. “Am I engaging in negative self-talk?”
5. “Am I overly focused on comparing myself to others?”

If you’re not sure how to answer these questions, check in with your teacher. And never be afraid to ask for help or guidance – that’s what your teacher is there for.

I hope these ideas will motivate you, and help you take ownership of every moment of your practice!