Practice Makes Perfect! Small Steps, Big Results

We all know that musical excellence results from smart, steady practice over a span of years.

Still, it isn’t always easy for us to practice deliberately day after day.

The following 6 strategies help us stay on track and proceed step by step to achieving boundless artistic growth.

1. Clarify Short & Long-Term Goals

When we connect our small daily goals to our deepest lifelong ones, even basic exercises crackle with meaning.

If you’d like to reinvigorate your rehearsals, a strategy I recommend is to document your artistic vision, which distills long-term goals, and then use the free practice sheet at MusiciansWay.com to organize your material and aims for the coming week.

2. Commit to a Schedule

Along with specifying aims, it’s crucial that we map out daily times to rehearse and then show up and work regardless of our mood.

3. Focus on Process

Goals and schedules amount to little if we don’t work intelligently. So, as you practice, reinforce habits of excellence and solve problems as they arise.

4. Seek Feedback

Even when we’re doing our best, we sometimes overlook faults. Be sure to record yourself regularly and also consult seasoned artists to help you transcend your limitations.

5. Be Objective & Detached

Whether we’re evaluating ourselves or listening to feedback from others, we should treat critiques as neutral information instead of tinging them with any emotional charge.

6. Embody Positivity

Along with adopting smart strategies, we also need to nurture positive emotions, especially when we collaborate. Then, our practice fuels both our music and our wellbeing.

Read more about effective practice, performance and creative habits in The Musician’s Way.