July Read: Cultivating a Restorative Practice Routine

Here are quick and easily implementable tips to brighten your day to day practice routine, and ultimately make practice a restorative and fulfilling activity.

Practice, practice, practice - the word itself often draws out discomfort and resistance; groaning, whining, headaches, and excuses abound. One can be the most avid lover of music, the most earnest learner, but practice can nonetheless feel like an everyday, mundane chore. Regular practice is of utmost importance however, an essential activity leading towards the development of one’s musical voice and technical finesse. Here are some quick and easily implementable tips to brighten your day to day practice routine, and ultimately make practice a restorative and fulfilling activity.

Find a Space

The first step does not involve music making, but rather a therapeutic spirit. Carve out your musical space - a place for quiet contemplation, for your imagination to flourish. A separate room is not necessary; rather, it is important to prioritize quietness and calm for optimal concentration. Try to avoid common areas if possible: the clatter and kitchen areas, or the hum of living areas and noisy TV.

Have a Plan

Sometimes practice much be approached with a battle plan - a fighting strategy for the many yawns, excuses, complaints that may inevitably come up in the daily grind. Actively schedule a certain amount of daily practice time into your weekly plan: start small, perhaps 15 minutes per day, then gradually increase over time. Within your allotted practice time, try to plan to the core: for example, 5 minutes of warmup, 5 minutes of new pieces, 5 minutes of review. The time will fly by, leaving you wanting more!

Warm Up

Playing music is a physical activity - just as with any sort of exercise, it requires warm up for optimal physical conditions. Start with some light stretching and breathing: think about your posture, relax the muscles that you will be using to play. Then start with the warm up best suited for your instrument: scales, long drones, breathing exercises, etc - best to consult with your instructor!

Take Notes

Practice is your own personal time; just as you are the performer, you must also be your own director - observe your practice, taking notes for yourself so that tomorrow’s session can build off from where you left off today.

Create Goals

Whether long-term or short, big or small, goals keep us all focused and driven. Goals give purpose to our day to day practice, driving us to make tiny steps towards a larger goal - a recording project, performance for friends/family, or even just being able to play through a piece that you love.