Practice Tip #2 - Have A Goal

Each day, when we arrive to practice, we have to ask ourselves "Exactly what are we practicing? Sure, we might be rehearsing a song or a set of exercises given to us during lessons, but that can easily become monotonous, leading to us to simply go through the motions instead of focusing with intensity. What if there was a way to ensure that you could get the most out of your practice time each and every day? 

The good news is, this way exists. And it's very simple. 

Set a goal before practice. 

Many times, when musicians across the world practice (if they are evening practicing at all) they do so without much intention, just picking up (or sitting down at) the instrument and playing. However, this often does not yield the best results. We've said it before and we'll say it again "playing is not practicing".  

Instead, consider setting a specific result to focus on achieving during your practice:

• Learning the piece? Focus on learning the next section.
• Piece already learned? Slow it down and focus on precision.
• Precision has been reached? Focus on bringing the piece up to tempo until it feels effortless.
• Up to tempo? Find the expressive flow in your performance.

The above list could go on and on, but the point is this: When we set a larger goal (learning a piece, gaining new technical ability, etc) it can feel vague and a bit daunting. However, by taking that larger goal and breaking it down into weekly, then daily goals that we can realize through what we focus on in our practice, we can intentionally lay the groundwork that will make all of the difference not only in our proficiency with out instrument, but in our musical expression overall. 

Amidei School Of Music is a boutique music school offering piano lessons, guitar lessons, ukulele lessons, & voice lessons in Ken Caryl and Littleton, Colorado. ​