It’s Time to Have Fun Practicing
and to stop shaming yourself about not practicing.
I’ve talked to a lot of music teachers and asked them the most frustrating thing about teaching. The #1 answer above all is when their students don’t practice.
We’ve all been that student, though. So why do we say we want to play music, and pay for lessons, and then not practice? One big reason I’ve heard is that lots of us have really, really bad associations with practicing. Plenty of people even hate the word.
I get that. But if you want to play better, not practicing is just plain getting in your way. It creates a vicious cycle: You don’t like practicing, then you feel bad about not practicing, then the whole idea of playing becomes a giant weight.
You obviously need to find a way forward, instead of going in circles. The good news is, it’s not as hard as you think. The first thing to do is to stop shaming yourself about not practicing. It’s obviously not helping you practice.
The best way to practice more is to feel good about practicing.
This seems obvoius, once you think about it. So start figuring out how you could feel better when you practice. Think about it. Be clear about what elements of practicing give you joy. Start to turn practicing into a fun thing, not something you dread doing.
Here are five ways to get started making practicing more joyful:
1. Play More
Take the word “play” seriously (pun intended). Have fun with your playing. Stop trying to play a piece of music, and just play. Play around with sounds. Play with tone. Play with different notes. Listen to all the sounds and find something to enjoy!
2. Set Smaller Goals
You probably have a bunch of unspoken, and unattainable, goals like: “I will become famous.” or “ I need to learn 380 tunes by Friday.” Time to dump those. Instead, set some specific goals you can actually do. Make them things you can measure, like: “memorize half of this tune,” or “work on string crossings for 6 weeks.” Then when you’ve done it, you can give yourself a gold star! (and set a new, small, goal.)
3. Make Your Practice Space Inviting.
Redecorate it! Fix the lighting! Add a stuffed animal! Make sure you have everything you need right where you need it. Make this somewhere you really love to be in.
4. Slow Down!
You’ll sound way better, you’ll enjoy your own playing, you’ll feel physically more relaxed, and you’ll learn much faster.
5. Finish with Something Good
Walk away with a good feeling about what you did. Make sure the last thing you do in your practice session makes you feel good, whether it’s a tune you’re pretty comfortable with, or something you love to do. Make good memories of practicing!
Finally, just remember to give a little bit of attention to those moments when you’re practicing, where you say to yourself, “Oh, this is fun!” or, “Hey, I figured that out!” It’s almost like you’re running a highlight marker across the page, for your brain to remember, “I like practicing!”
My book, Best Practice: Inspiration and Ideas for Traditional Musicians, is full of ideas to help you improve more quickly and play with more joy.
It’s written for any musician, playing any instrument, in any genre at any experience or skill level.
Here are a few chapters in Best Practice where you’ll find more about getting more joy out of your practice time:
24 — Overwhelmed
9 — Having a Plan
118 — Stop While You Feel Good
184 — Give Yourself a Gold Star
170 —The Last Thing You Hear
Judy Minot is a musician, teacher, and the author of the book Best Practice: Inspiration and Ideas for Traditional Musicians.
Judy has played and practiced piano since she could reach the keys, training in classical playing until age 16. She now plays traditional music in various settings on a number of instruments, and gives workshops and classes on Best Practice ideas all over the world, both virtually and in person.
Judy spent her working life in broadcast television and digital marketing. She holds a 4th degree black belt in the martial art of Kokikai Aikido and is a certified yoga teacher.
For more information visit: www.judyminot.com/bestpractice
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