Practicing can often be a stressful word. As a child, we often associate practice as a burden or chore that needs to be done just to check it off for the day. I’m here to tell you that practicing is not as daunting as it may seem and can be quick, effiencent and fun! Here are 5 tips to making practicing a little easier.
Stop calling it Practicing! If you are a drummer, simply call it drumming. Telling yourself you have to drum today instead of practicing is one easy way to break down that chore-like feel of the “p” word.
Leave your instrument out and assembled. This is an easy way to pick it up and play. It puts one less step in your way that may only take a few seconds, but in your head that few seconds is all it takes to say “nah, ill do it later”
Find a way to make the more mundane parts of practicing fun. The best way to do this is to warm up to a favourite song (easier if you are a drummer). Put on a 3 minute song and play along working on something that needs to be looked at, or just use it to stretch out.
Follow the four R’s of Practicing. Routine, Regiment, Repitition and Record. Make sure that your practice time is apart of your daily routine, that it has a direction and goal, that you are playing something correctly multiple times before packing it in and that you record yourself playing in order to more critically see your mistakes and where to improve.
Quality over Quantity. We are often taught that we need to practice a half hour a day or more! When you or your child are starting out it is more important to have frequent short sessions than one or two long ones. Set a timer for 10 minutes and try to practice 4 times a week. This will guarantee progress more that a 1 hour session once a week. Who doesn’t have 10 minutes to work on the instrument they love!
There you have it. Practicing isn’t so bad after all! Make it effiencent, directed and fun and you will be improving and enjoying your playing in no time.
Hilary