During music school, everyone tells you that you need to practice music for hours a day. Otherwise, you won’t be a successful musician. Well, I’m here to tell you that is NOT true.
As a recent masters graduate, I have gone through two music degrees without sacrificing my personal or professional life for the practice room. How did I do it? I figured out how to practice music efficiently.
Keep reading to learn more!
Get More Done
One of the biggest complaints I hear from musicians is that they need to practice more. If you’ve felt that way, I get it. We need to do a lot to keep up with our playing.
But you can get more done without practicing more if you know how to practice music efficiently. You don’t need to spend all day working on an etude or a movement of a piece.
Instead, you can complete all of your practice-related tasks and be more productive when you pick up your instrument.
Practice Less
Going back to that belief of “I need to practice more,” you actually don’t. Not only can you get more done by practicing the same amount, but you can practice LESS.
If you know how to practice music efficiently, you can cut your practice time in half. You can still go through your warmups, etudes, and repertoire. But you don’t have to feel like you’re wasting a ton of time.
Then, you can put your instrument away and leave your practice session feeling better about the work you put in.
Make Consistent Progress
A lot of professional musicians and students believe you have to practice for hours a day to make progress. But that’s just not the case. Even when I was working full-time at a bank, I was progressing as a player.
And I had to juggle two, sometimes three, different instruments. I didn’t have to sacrifice a ton of personal time. And I was still able to get enough sleep to get through my busy days.
You can make plenty of good, consistent progress. As long as you have a practice plan, you can go into the practice room with a specific task or goal. Then, you don’t have to waste the first few minutes figuring out what to work on.
Focus on Other Responsibilities
I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of stuff to do that doesn’t involve playing my flute or piccolo. For one, I run this blog as well as Instagram to help promote and grow my business.
I create products for Flute Files, my digital product shop. And I have five content marketing agency clients for whom I create blog posts each week.
Yeah, I have a lot on my plate. So I can’t sacrifice hours a day to do something that won’t bring me money. I’m sure you’re in a similar situation.
Take Your Life Back
Even if you don’t have a job or business, you probably have other interests and commitments. By knowing how to practice efficiently, you can focus on other parts of your life.
That language you always wanted to learn? Now’s the time. That new recipe you want to try? Do it today. That friend you’ve been missing? Call them and chat for a while.
Start living your life. Stop obsessing over how much you practice music. And start focusing on how WELL you practice.
So…
Do you struggle with how to practice music efficiently? Download The Busy Musician’s Practice Guide for tips and tricks to improve your practice productivity!
Leave a Reply