Establishing a practice routine and getting the most out of it

Sure talent plays a part in your success as a singer and a musician, but practice has been confirmed to help you become an expert in anything. After all, practice makes perfect! Just ask renowned psychologist Dr. Anders Ericsson who’s determined that anybody can be an expert at anything with enough practice. According to the good doc, to become an expert, it takes 20 hours of practice for 50 weeks a year for ten years (a.k.a. 10,000 hours). But for those of us just trying to get the most out of life and enjoy the music, 10,000 hours of practice hugely eats into our daily lives.

So how do you make the most of the practice time you’ve got and establish a routine that will help you improve? Below are our tips.

Know your objectives

Are you looking at getting a record label or do you just want to follow your passion? Knowing what you want to get out of your practice sessions will help you to set realistic objectives and may even ward off discouragement and guilt.

Get the proper tools

You’re not alone on this. Sticking to a practice routine can be tough, but online resources exist to inform, track and measure progress and ultimately make the load a bit lighter. Our Custom Backing Tracks are a good way to help you hone your practice and singing skills as they let you personalize a track to fit your needs. What better tool to get exactly what you need!

Commit

This alone can be half the battle. Finding the time, let alone the energy, can sometimes be difficult. Try mentally setting a precise objective (example, “I will practice 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes"). Schedule your sessions in order to prevent you from easily finding their replacement. Know the times that best suit you. Are you a morning or an evening person? Work with yourself and not against! Track your progress and lastly reward yourself. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t push yourself too hard. Doing so will create burnout.

Practice Deliberately

We’ve all been guilty of mindless practicing; when you switch into auto-drive and practice what you already know or what is comfortable. The problem with this is that it’s boring and ultimately a waste of time as we don’t push our limits. Conscious and deliberate practice means that we are observant of what we are practicing, our posture, and overall our actions. It means following a consistent and structured practice while analyzing how we practice, what is right and wrong and taking the necessary time to correct our mistakes.

It takes work to establish a routine, but improvements are sure to be plentiful with a bit of organization, perseverance and time.

Published on: 1 February 2016