Live More Musically: 5 Tips for Students (and Parents of Students) to make practice more routine and more enjoyable
With 2020 finally behind us, the new year seems tinted with the possibility that things might just go back to normal… maybe… right? Hopefully this means making progress toward all the goals derailed in 2020, or building upon a new quarantine project (…time to build that sourdough empire!). So, as we sneak into the new year cautious but hopeful, I’ve compiled some tips for all students that will help encourage play and learning through the rest of quarantine and beyond.
I will preface this by saying that these ideas are designed to help you or your student live a more musical life. They are less about the specifics of practice time (those articles will come later), and more about how to incorporate music into one’s daily routine.
#1 : Keep Your Instrument Accessible
Too often the guitar (or ukulele or violin) comes home from a lesson and sits in it’s case until the day of the lesson when it is picked up in a “oh shoot I have to practice!” frenzy. When I was growing up, there was a guitar in our living room that I’d learn and practice on. I’d pick it up some days before school to kill time, or play between commercial breaks when my family was watching TV. Keep your instrument out of its case, in a place where it’s likely to get played. Maybe that’s in the living room, or beside the bed, desk, etc… “Out of sight, out of mind” is all too true in this case.
I understand that for piano players this may prove a bit more difficult. If you have the option, keep the piano (keyboard) in the student’s room, or in a more public space like the kitchen or living room. I’ve been to many homes on house calls and piano tunings where the instrument is in a basement or less inviting space and this will only increase the feeling that practice is a chore. The instrument should feel like part of the home.
#2 : Anchor Practice Time
“Anchoring” is the term I use for tying practice time to things that are routinely happening in your house. For example, when I was growing up, I practiced [almost] every night right after dinner. I knew that when dinner was over it was practice time for half an hour. Simple. There were days that sports or school projects disrupted the schedule, but for the most part it was pretty cut and dried.
If mealtimes are irregular, maybe that means practicing at the same time every day. Maybe that means music time starts 15 minutes after the end of the student’s school day.
These days I practice piano between lessons when I know I’ll have certain gaps in my schedule, and I do most guitar playing and songwriting from my bed in the evenings. I’ve found that playing guitar at night is a really nice way to slowly power down after usually watching some TV in the evening. Coming back to point number one, I keep a guitar by my bed, and it’s always there for me to pick up when I’m starting to wind things down.
Only you and/or your student will know what’s best for your routines. The goal is to play a few times a week for 15-45 minutes, how that gets done is up to you, which brings me to my next point….
#3 : Be Consistent
It’s far better to practice for 30 minutes on four different days, than to practice for two hours one day a week.
I know we all can’t practice every day, but again, this comes back to the power of habit. Playing at different times throughout the week reinforces the habit, and the feeling that music is part of one’s life and lifestyle, not just a chore or a box to be ticked.
This is ESPECIALLY true for guitar, which has a physical barrier (when starting out) of pressing the strings. If a student only practices once a week, they won’t be able to build those calluses required to help them play without pain.
#4 : Have Some Fun!
Now, I could write pages on any one of these points, but I’ll try to keep it short. Here are some tips for incorporating music into the weekly routine.
Practice between commercial breaks. If you’re watching TV play or have your student play between breaks. Pick up the instrument and work on one small thing until the show comes back on.
PARENTS: Have your student teach you something! Ask them to show you what they’re working on. Ask them if they can teach YOU something on the piano/ guitar/ etc. This will help reinforce what they’re learning and give them a sense of ownership and expertise.
Watch movies with and about music! From Bohemian Rhapsody to the John Coltrane documentary to Coco and Frozen and Sing and Pitch Perfect, there’s a ton of musical media out right now. Watch programming that incorporates music and ask yourself or your student if there’s a song from that movie that you’d want to learn.
#5 : The Practice Sandwich
Firstly, remember that music is play. Yes, it can be difficult, especially at the beginning, but practice doesn’t have to feel like a slog, there can be some joy in there. Here’s a good way to structure playing time:
Start with something familiar: scales, warm up exercises, or an old song that feels comfortable. Get the momentum going by playing something that comes easily and you or your student will start the practice time with a sense of confidence.
Move onto something that feels challenging. New chords? New scales? A song in the book? Identify the real work, and dig into that for a while. Try to set some goal - 15 minutes, play the song five times, etc - that will indicate when it’s okay to move on.
End with something enjoyable: just PLAY. Learn that Adele song, improvise for a while, go back to your favorite “comfort song” (mine is Someday My Prince Will Come on piano - it just always feels good). End your time on a good note and you’ll be more inclined to come back for more tomorrow.
I hope that at least one of these ideas resonates with you or your student. It’s my goal to reinforce the idea that MUSIC IS MEANT TO BE ENJOYED and that there are as many different ways to engage with music as there are budding musicians.
There will be more articles and specific practice tips in the future; in the meantime, if you have any questions or would like to see an article on a specific question you have, PLEASE reach out and let me know! Or let me know any other way I can help you on your musical journey.
Thanks for making the world a more musical place.
- Jake