Practicing an instrument without a strategy for success or accurate diagnosis of what skills need practiced is a certain way to bring about a lot of frustration and minimal improvement. By creating a consistent and structured practice routine, you can maximize your results so every practice session creates a calculable improvement.

 

The three key components of an effective practice session are environment, structure and frequency.

 

Practice Environment – It is important to establish a regular location in which all your practice sessions take place. Remember, you want to be able to listen to your playing with a critical ear so you can hear every detail. Try to create a location that meets these two guidelines:

 

Practice Structure – The structure of your practice session is perhaps the most important component. It is the way you intelligently organize your practicing of exercises that will build tone, technique and musicality. Create a structure that addresses all the components of playing your instrument. This will prevent practice sessions in which you just wander aimlessly through a few scales and band pieces in order to get a grade on your practice record. Here is a suggested structure for a practice session:

 

 

The above structure addresses all the components necessary for balanced improvement on your instrument. Stick to a structure like this, but adjust the times slightly depending on your needs and goals for that particular day or week. Your private teacher can help you fine-tune your structure even more.

 

Practice Frequency – Developing a regular and consistent frequency to your practicing will keep improvement coming at a consistent pace and help you to maintain the abilities you develop. In general, avoid extremely short or long sessions. A session of less than 20 minutes does not provide time to get focused and tackle your objectives. On the other hand, sessions greater than about 45 minutes begin to lose their effectiveness as your attention span and ability to focus on details wane. Practicing 5-7 days a week in sessions that range from 20 to 45 minutes tends to bring the best results. Exceptionally motivated students who wish to practice more should develop the habit of doing 2 moderate sessions a day, rather than one large session.

 

Now that you have an understanding of what you should be practicing and how you should be approaching it, you’re ready to make phenomenal progress and enjoy participating in band and other music activities at the highest level. Once you establish a routine that works for you, trust it. Some days, improvements will be easy to see, while other days not as much. Trust that your routine will continue to provide positive results in the short and long term. Use technology to your advantage. Always practice with a metronome and if you have the ability, record yourself to listen with a critical ear. The microphone doesn’t lie! Finally, stay positive and seek assistance when you get frustrated. Your band director and private teacher want to help you.