Most music performers and students struggle with practicing. We’ve all gone through stages of not wanting to sit at the piano and deal with that “new” passage, piece, etude, etc…
Even renowned cello player Yo-Yo Ma acknowledges how difficult it is for him to find a mindset to practice!
However, we all know that in order to play music and make challenging passages sound smooth and easy, we need to practice.
It is in those minutes and hours that we dedicate to the details and the technical nuances where real music and performance lives. It is in those moments dedicated to practice where real learning and improvement happens.
So the main question is: How do we incorporate practice into our life? And for parents who want their children to play an instrument the question is: How do we encourage our young children to practice without having a fight and turning into a “tiger mom”?
After 25+ years of teaching and studying, I’ve come to the conclusion that the answer to the practice conundrum lies in turning practice into a habit.
Our brains are wired to follow habits without questioning them, and once the music practice habit is created, mastery will follow.
But how do we turn practice into a habit?
According to James Clear, who breaks down the most basic steps to habit creation in his book “Atomic Habits” we need to follow a few simple steps in order to create a practicing habit.
The trick to succeeding, lies in repeating the steps many consecutive times, and then the habit will be created.
In a nutshell, if you want to create a habit you need to follow 4 simple steps and make sure to follow them at the same time and place daily.
The steps he suggests are the following:
Sounds easier said than done, so think about it and read the next blog post for a concrete breakdown of how to apply these steps to creating a piano practice.
Thanks for reading!