Finding the time to practice can often seem like of one of life’s great mysteries. Students ask all the time about how to fit practice into their busy lives.
Even during this great pandemic pause, a lack of privacy due to many people at home, and the absence of motivation and accountability from performance opportunities adds to the great practice challenge.
Here are a few tips for making practice a part of your daily life, no matter your circumstances:
Schedule It
This ultimately comes down to prioritization. If practicing is a priority, it needs to be on your calendar. For some people, practicing is a task that can be checked off of a to-do list and fit randomly into the day. For many people, though, the noblest of intentions becomes a lingering to-do that never gets done. The solution for this is scheduling your practice to have an exact beginning and end time. Assign yourself a dedicated time to practice and protect that time as you would another other appointment.
Practice in Chunks
You do not need long periods of uninterrupted time to practice your singing. In fact, long practice sessions can hurt rather than help your singing goals. Unlike other instrumentalists who can practice for hours on end, too much singing practice within a short period of time can lead to vocal fatigue, overuse, and even injury. Consistency is key, and it is better to practice for shorter spurts every day than to embark on a couple of epic practice sessions per week. Try breaking up your practice throughout the day by warming-up in the morning, singing repertoire in the afternoon, and doing some text work at night. The Pomodoro Technique of setting a timer for 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break is wonderful for focusing. Don’t have that much time? You can make progress in even 5-15 minutes of dedicated practice - just make sure that you warm up first!
Pair Your Practice
Kristin Chenoweth once said that she warms up in the shower every morning because she never knows when she will need to sing on short notice. This way, she is always prepared. For city dwellers, a great time to practice is while waiting for the subway. Try some sirens or sing a phrase as the train approaches - not only will nobody hear you, but also you’ll rely on the feeling rather than the sound. Sit at a desk all day? Work some practice in by minding your posture and deep breathing. Twofers are simple ways to sneak in practice. You can also think about these as pairing practice with another routine for consistency. This could mean reviewing your memorization every night before bed or listening to recordings of various singers every time you clean your room.
Embrace Silent Practice
A common concern is the noise required to practice, as people often worry about disturbing family or neighbors. While it is important to find some time to vocalize and get things into your muscle memory, the majority of practice can be done silently. From text and score analysis to breathing and stretching exercises, there is an abundance of ways to practice without making a peep. Download the Practice Checklist for more than 50 silent practice ideas.
Know Your Tendency
Take Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies Quiz to discover if you are an upholder, obliger, questioner or rebel. If you are an upholder, scheduling your practice may be especially helpful. If you are an obliger, you will need external accountability. Find a practice buddy or join a group program. If you are a questioner, consider making a pro/con list for spending your time practicing. If you are a rebel, get specific about the type of person you want to be and what practicing might say about your identity. Read The Four Tendencies book for more ideas.
Embrace Quality Over Quantity
When practicing in shorter bits, it’s really important to make the most of your time. Be purposeful and efficient by setting up your environment for optimal focus and choosing a clear intention for the practice session. Record yourself so that you can go back and analyze later, and end each session with a thoughtful reflection on learnings, challenges and next steps.
Are you looking to boost the quality of your practice and start practicing with purpose? Join me for a FREE Practice Time session on Wednesday, May 19th, where we will get intentional and practice together with the accountability of a supportive group. Everyone who attends will receive a FREE GIFT. The Practice Society, a new group for cultivating purposeful practice in life and art, launches that day. Register here and be the first to know when it goes live!
What do you struggle most with when it comes to practicing? Let me know in the comments:
