“How much should I be practicing?” Music teachers everywhere wish they had £1 for every time they were asked this! Whether it’s students or their parents, so often we get asked “how much practice should I be doing?” The really short answer is as much and as often as you can. But that probably isn’t the most helpful answer. Let’s look at some details.
What is practice?
Understanding what practice is and what “counts” or “qualifies” as practice is an important starting point.
The dictionary defines practice as “to do or play something regularly or repeatedly in order to become skilled at it.” For this article, we won't go into the details what exercises, songs or notation should be included in a practice session or routine. Instead, our focus will be on the purpose and practice of practicing.
Our working definition then could be “Practice is an action we do, often a repeatedly, in order to get better at a given skill or activity”.
Practice needs a goal.
Two things stand out in this definition, 1) practice takes time, 2) practice needs a goal.
Without a goal or a direction, there is no way of knowing if we achieve what we set out to do.
What we are seeking to do through any practice is to grow. Growth takes time.
Every practice session should have a goal and these goals need to be given time in order to be achieved. That might be a couple of days, weeks, months or even longer. These goals and timeline can be set by the student or with the help of a good teacher - but always working towards what the student is looking to achieve. It also really helps to have specific exercises or elements to use in a practice session. Knowing what we are going to work on before we sit down to practice removes the guess work and can bring a focus to the time.
Starting Out
How long should a practice session be? For younger students here at The Drum Hub, we usually suggest between 15-20 mins 3 to 4 times a week as a good starting place. That’s usually enough time to work towards a goal and have some fun. It is also regular enough to remember and develop from the previous session. This shouldn’t set out as an absolute rule for all. Some students may need longer sessions, others may need to be more frequent. There is a degree of working out what works best for each person and situation.
Developing a practice routine
If you’re more of an intermediate player, moving beyond 15-20 mins to longer and more frequent sessions is the next logical step. However, it is easy to lose focus when working on one idea for an extended period of time. We suggest taking you session and splitting it into smaller portions. This may look like:
5 min warm up
15 min 1st goal
10 min 2nd goal
5 min jamming
Alternatively, if your calendar allows it you could try doing 2 separate 15 min practice sessions. Either doing the same things twice or, something different each time.
A lifetime of practice
Music can be a lifetime pursuit and as such what practice looks like should and does change over time and with the seasons of life. The key to developing a lifetime practice of practicing is to keep showing up and keep going. Realising that what worked last month might not work next month and keeping your time, structure and content of your practice under review and adjustment will help keep you growing, improving and enjoying your practice for many years to come.
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