The title of this blog could be misleading. You might think that it means you need to have a whole day dedicated to practice. That is not what I meant. As matter of fact, it is almost the opposite: it’s about placing a few sessions on the instrument in a busy week.
Let’s see a typical week with either work or school/homework and the accompanying chores. Let’s add to that the time needed to be spent with friends and family. What are we left with? usually a few minutes every day or every other day on a regular weekday and a little more time during the weekend.
With that in mind it seems like practicing an instrument becomes a daunting task. That’s almost true. If we are drowning in activities, then yes, it is an absolutely impossible situation to deal with. But, let’s be honest here, we are not drowning in activities, submerged every day and every moment with responsibilities and duties. We do have some down time, some moments for ourselves. Those are precious. And they can be dedicated to what WE want to do, not what the society or the boss want us to do. In one word, we can dedicate that time to music.
It then becomes a matter of organization. For instance, some of my students spend 20 minutes on the piano in the morning. They wake up, eat breakfast, take a shower and, before heading out, they jump on the piano to do some of their homework (First tip: you don’t have to do your whole assignment page in one session. Pick and chose).
Another group of student will come home, have a snack and take a breather for a few minute, then, before homework for the children, or before dinner for the adult, they make a point to practice (Second tip: you need to make a point of it, as in “it is not negotiable, I’ll practice today”). They can do that if they are not traveling that week or spend a vacation away from home.
Usually all of my student have some time during the weekend. Ah! The weekend. It has saved so many of us from feeling miserable during a lesson. We can polish up a piece we’ve been working on for a few weeks, we can tackle a particularly tricky passage, or a difficult concept, we can get lost in a the repetition of a pattern to “print” it in our DNA. That time has transform many of us from mere hobbyist to someone who actually cares about the craft.
When I hear that someone doesn’t have the time to practice, I first look into their schedule and gauge where we can find a few minutes here and there to get the job done. I am an understanding teacher and try to cater the load of assignments to what the student can manage (Third tip: don’t be absolute like “I’m going to achieve this for this week”, instead learn to manage yourself and your expectations. The goal is not to be frustrated).
Remember, the time you spend on the drums or the piano, is your time. It is about you. Whatever it is you do, that’s the time you can claim for yourself. And, above all else, never forget: It’s suppose to be fun.
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