Powerful practice tips that will lead you to success
Yes, I know I know, and we hear it all the time.
There just wasn’t enough time to practice… Schoolwork, Work work, events, and just life interrupt our routines albeit often in good ways, but can cause disruptions in the consistency of our practice and progress.
It is often said, you will achieve success to the degree and level you can maintain an action consistently over a period of time.
In short, Success = Consistency, even if its just a small action, over a large period of time it will make a difference!
So how can we stay consistent in our practice?
Well I’m glad you asked. Here are some ways you can “sneak” in some practice time when you are short for time to really sit at your instrument. And some ways you can keep yourself accountable.
- Practice smaller sections of music that need work, or music that you are trying to keep fresh ( already learned but don’t want to forget) when you are waiting. Waiting for what you ask? Say you are heating up food in the microwave or waiting for dinner. Waiting for someone to finish in the shower, or waiting for family members to get ready to leave. This is sneaky practice time – Hop over and practice something that is already learned and just needs to be polished and at least this little bit of practice is better than nothing!
2. Couple your practice time with something else that you have to do every day. For example, you have dinner every day, so could schedule your practicing right before or after dinner or a shower.
3. Find the right time of day! Some people practice better by waking up a little earlier and doing it before work or school!
4. Set little goals of a line you want to learn or perfect, and perhaps use a reward like candy or play time to motivate you to reach those goals. The trick its to make the goals attainable that you can reach them within a few days of practice.
5. Use a Practice Log to track your consistency. I love this one! Set a goal of how many days of practice is feasible, with an amount of time that is reasonable, and every week use the log to track your consistency to make sure it becomes part of your routine and something that you do every day or 2. Set up a reward with your teacher or parent and use it as motivation to be consistent every week!
6. If you are just starting to learn your notes, you can use apps like My Little Note to practice your notes even if you are not in front of a piano. Or use Note Flash Cards or Staff Flash Cards
Hopefully some of all of these little tips and tricks can help you with finding ways to be consistent in your practice. And at the end of the day our Consistency will lead to Success!
Try some of them out, and be sure to let us know if any of these work particularly well for you!
Happy Practicing!