Practicing With A Busy Schedule

Balancing work, school, social life, and practice can be tough. Maybe you get to the end of the day without having any time to even think about practicing, or maybe you find that, when you finally get home in the evening, you simply feel too exhausted to focus on practicing. Here are a few ways to make fitting a practice session into your schedule a little bit easier!

1. Make a practice appointment

If you make an appointment for yourself to practice at a specific time and set an alarm for it, you will be much more likely to get it done. You can’t procrastinate on an appointment!

2. Set a timer

Set a timer for the duration that you want to practice. Just seeing the time ticking down will make you more focused, as it emphasizes that you have limited time to make progress on your instrument. It can make you less likely to check your phone during your practice as well.

3. Leave your instrument set up

By eliminating the need to open up your case to pick up your instrument, you remove a small mental barrier that so often stops strings students from practicing. Especially when you get to the end of a long day and feel depleted of energy, simple things like unzipping your case might feel impossible.

4. Make a practice log

You can track your practice on an app or in a journal for healthy competition with yourself. Seeing your progress can be encouraging and make consistent practice feel more important.

5. Small and frequent practice sessions

Practicing for short amounts of time more frequently is much better for improvement than practicing for long amounts of time less frequently. Spending a little bit of time with your instrument often allows you to maintain the progress that you make.

6. Find motivation from other musicians

Being in groups like school orchestra, your local youth symphony, or a chamber music program can be very inspiring because it allows you to see what other students your age are able to accomplish. Just be sure that you don’t compare yourself to others too harshly and take into consideration your personal goals.

7. Reward yourself

Rewarding yourself after practicing causes you to associate practicing with feelings of accomplishment. Try treating yourself to your favorite snack or watching a fun TV show after a successful practice session to motivate you to practice the next day.

8. Take lessons and sign up for events

“Deadlines” like private lessons, performances, competitions, or auditions can create a little bit of healthy stress that will motivate you to practice your instrument. Getting involved in your local music scene can also make music feel more exciting!

Finding the time and motivation to practice can be difficult, but being intentional about practicing and giving yourself exciting reasons to practice will help you continue to progress during busy times in your life. We hope these tips will help you to practice meaningfully and often!