Top Tips for Practicing Music at Home

Having a rough time being consist with practicing piano? Here are a few thing that I've learned from experience and other professionals I know.

1. Establish a Routine

Growing up, it was always come home from school, eat a snack, do homework, practice piano. Friends, games, and electronics all came after. It ensured my steady progress and prevented the whole "one step forward, two steps back" charade. Pick a time of day, create reminders, make it a requirement.

2. Positive Reinforcement

Whoever said earning treats was only for potty training?! Design a reward system for practicing the piano. For younger kids, start with an interval reward system. (Ex: one tootsie roll for every 10 minutes of practicing) For us more experienced people, brownies are my personal favorite. Whatever feels like a fun, simple reward to you, make it conditional upon practicing piano for 10-20 minutes.

3. Accountability

When someone you love and admire talks to you about what you're learning every day, you feel more motivated to provide a progressive status report. If you haven't practiced that day, it's an extra reminder to stop what you're doing (as soon as possible) and get to it! Choose someone that won't shame your for hitting a wall or struggling when you do (It happens to us all!), but that will cheer you on and support you in both your failures and successes. Make sure they come to your recitals too!

4. Embrace the Metronome!

Any piano teacher worth their salt will have and use a metronome with their students AND themselves on occasion. I can't handle the beeping ones because they clash with whatever key I'm playing in. But a consistent tick-tick-tick boosts rhythm, keeps us at a steady pace, and non-judgmentally points out pauses where they shouldn't be.

5. Break it Up!

If you feel like 20 minutes is taking FOREVER to pass, practice for 10 minutes before dinner and 10 minutes after. We all need a brain break now and again. The trick is actually coming back to it, and not giving up. Try setting a 10 minute timer... 10 minutes of practicing, 10 minutes of an alternate activity (snack, run outside, play catch... whatever), and the second 10 minutes of practicing. You'll find the more consistently you practice, the shorter 20 minutes will feel.

Do you have other ideas? What's worked for you? I'd love to hear about it. Maybe I'll even add it to our list!

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