But I Don’t Have Time to Practice!

But I Don’t Have Time to Practice!

“I didn’t have time to practice!” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this, I could quit teaching and retire comfortably! I know many of the daily ins and outs of my students and clients because they almost always offer up the myriad of reasons why they couldn’t manage to practice since their last lesson. I get it. Contrary to what their inner monologues may be telling them, I don’t judge my students ability to carve out some time to work on their craft. Life happens. That said, let me offer you some tips on how to practice when time is tight.

Why Practice At All?

Fair question.

Motor learning requires repetition. It’s why in your lesson, your teacher might tell you to do something a few times. It’s why most anything that needs some sort of coordination doesn’t go smoothly on the first try. How many times did you fall off your bike when you were learning how to ride it? Could you touch type on your keyboard when you first started using a computer (or a typewriter, if you’re old like me)?

Creating music – singing, playing an instrument – requires coordination between a bunch of body parts and processes. Singers need to coordinate breath, language, resonance, posture, music theory, actions (if they’re doing stage work), and hearing. Instrument players coordinate many of the same things as a singer, but they’re also coordinating what their hands are doing on the keys, with a bow, etc. Good musicians do this and make it look effortless because they aren’t thinking about this stuff. It’s “muscle memory” from practice.

The truth is that you can potentially make progress without practicing, but it will be very slow. You will be revisiting concepts over and over because you didn’t give your body a chance to learn. Your music lesson should be guided exploration and discovery – not a paid practice session. Not practicing between lessons guarantees that some or most of your lesson will be stuff you could have done on your own. Honestly, I don’t care. If my students need guided practice, that’s what we do, but I’d rather we play with new ideas. And not all teachers want to hammer on notes and rhythms.

I hear you, but I don’t have time to practice!

Students who don’t practice usually suffer from one of two obstacles (and sometimes both): time management issues and/or lack of a comfortable practice space. Time management could stem from being over scheduled or not making time or feeling overwhelmed at the thought of practicing. Adequate space issues often manifest as a time problem because there never seems to be a time when the other humans in the house aren’t around and the student feels self-conscious about making a bunch of noise.

Making Time

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to practice for long periods of time every day. You don’t even need to practice every day if your schedule won’t allow it. I have several “weekend warriors” in my studio who do most of their work on Saturday or Sunday. They also find little pockets in their week to do something at least once or twice. Even if you can only swing 10 – 15 minutes three or four times between lessons, it will make a difference. If you’re doing bite-sized practices, though, you need to be prepared.

Make a Plan

Start with reviewing your lesson notes or recording shortly after it happens. If you aren’t taking notes or grabbing a recording, start doing this immediately! Make a list of 3 or 4 things you want to focus on for the week. Here’s a starting place if you aren’t sure.

• Did your teacher/coach identify one or more places to focus? If you have a list with several items, you might need to prioritize. What item on the list do you feel is your biggest challenge? Start with that.
• Was there something that you wanted to explore further on your own? Was there an exercise you worked on that you enjoyed or felt like it helped you understand a concept? Did you try something with your repertoire and want to recreate the result?
• Was there something you wanted to work out? Basic stuff like notes and rhythms? Character work? Noodling out a riff?

Get to work!

You might think of something else to add to this list, but start with the above questions. Once you have the prioritized your answers to these questions, commit to when you’ll practice. Write it on your calendar like an appointment. If you can only give it 15 minutes, then do that.

You don’t have to hit everything on your list in one practice session. If you’ve set your priorities, you’ll know exactly where you need to start. I like to structure my practice sessions – even shorter ones – with two objectives in mind. My first objective will be the more challenging of the two and I’ll spend roughly 2/3rds of the session on it. The second objective might be something that I can do quickly or something that’s an “easy win”. At the conclusion of my practice session, I jot down what I did and how it went. A couple of bullet points or sentences are all that’s needed – enough to remind me where I left things. Check out my video about keeping a practice journal.

Making Space

Until recently, my studio lived in the central room of my small Cape Cod house. When I moved my studio to my house, I went with the room that could conveniently hold my new-to-me baby grand piano. I had two rooms to pick from, but the formal living room wasn’t used very often and required less work. This room created one big challenge, though: lack of privacy when I wanted to practice or record. When I made noise, everyone in the house heard it. Thankfully, everyone in my house is fairly understanding. I planned my practice sessions around certain things so I wasn’t super disruptive. Last summer, we shifted things around in the house so I could make noise as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Not everyone has understanding housemates or a dedicated spot to practice, so they may have all the time to practice, but nowhere to do it. In addition to carving out time to practice, you may need to consider your space.

Stay Home and Ask for Support

Before you automatically assume no one in the house wants to hear you, ask them. Your housemates may not care and, in fact, may be really supportive of your artistic endeavors. If someone is concerned about noise, agree to practice during certain times of the day and/or in a specific space. Depending on your instrument or if you need a keyboard, you might be able to go to your bedroom and close the door. If you need more space or the keyboard lives in a certain room, be specific about where you want to practice. This set up can be challenging if you’re self conscious about making noise in front of others, but the more you do it, the more comfortable you will get.

If being self conscious is preventing you from practicing, can you create a space in your house where you can close yourself off? Be creative. Can you convert a walk-in closet into a small practice area? Maybe there’s a spot in your basement or even in your garage? If you’re a singer, your instrument can go anywhere. Instrument players may or may not be so fortunate. If you are shuffling between rooms, keep your music and lesson notes organized in a binder, have practice tracks on your phone, and invest in a small blue tooth speaker so you aren’t using your phone’s speaker. Keep a pencil and a few pieces of notepaper in your binder so you can mark your music and make notes for yourself.

Practicing in the Car

If you are old enough to drive, the car may be a practice space for you if you’re a singer. I can’t recommend the car as your only space because car seats do not promote great singing posture. However, I’ve used car trips to memorize music, learn my notes, and run through character ideas. One year, I was commuting back and forth from New York for one gig while memorizing the Narrator role for Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for another. The car was a perfect place to memorize all of those colors! (The link is to the original cast recording, not me).

If you practice in the car, you need to be familiar enough with your songs not to need your sheet music, or you need to be ok learning by ear. I don’t recommend working on vocal technique because posture plays a huge role.

Get Out of the House

Find another place to practice. If you’re a student, does your school have practice rooms? If you’re employed in an office, can you borrow a conference room? Maybe your church will allow you to use space there? Does a friend or relative has private space that you can use?

Just like working out at the gym, practicing outside of your house becomes a big commitment that can be difficult to stick with. I would use this option as a last resort or maybe something I do once or twice a week at most. Leaving your house may free you from one barrier to practice, but it will create another one.

For My Neurospicy Friends…

I see you. I am one of you. And my studio roster typically has a few of you on it. If you want to practice and can’t figure out how to make it all happen, talk to your teacher. Spend the last few minutes of your lesson making a plan for the next week. They will probably walk you through a process similar to what I have outlined here. They (hopefully) know what you respond to best and will tailor the process to work for you. For you, it’s extra important to jot down a few notes about how your practice sessions went. Take these with you to your lesson so your teacher can help you adjust. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many teachers can be a wonderful resource in this department.

Still Don’t Think You Have Time to Practice?

I would love to think that all of my students are so devoted to their craft that they will practice daily for at least 30 minutes. I suspect most of my students would if they didn’t have school, family stuff, work obligations, chores, etc. Learning music is a long-term investment. You’re paying for a weekly lesson. Practice helps give you a faster return on that investment. Do yourself a favor and find a little time.

If you’re ready to invest in your inner singer, book a discovery call with me. Let’s discuss your goals – I’ll even help you create a practice schedule that takes your circumstances into account!