Tips for Starting your Practice Sessions

Maybe your goal this year is to learn a new instrument, or to finally learn piano, or get better at something you already play. You've gotten the books, taken the lessons and there's only one thing left to do: practice.

As teachers, we talk a lot about how to practice—slow the hard parts down, play the music a bunch of times, take breaks, tap out the rhythm—there's a million practice techniques. But, in my experience, sometimes the difficult part isn't the actual practicing, it's actually starting the task!

There’s lots of reasons it might be difficult to start. It’s important to be gentle to ourselves, starting a new tasks is a big transition, and it's hard! As someone with an ADHD brain, a musician and music therapist, I know the struggle.

So, here are some methods for how to start your practice!

1. The Shark Method

   

   A picture of a great white shark swimming with some fish in the ocean

   It was once believed that all sharks had to swim constantly in order to breathe— always needing momentum.

   For practice, the shark method uses momentum from something else to start your practice. For example, when you are coming home instead of sitting down, go straight to practice! Or when you're done the dishes, go practice! Don't sit down, turn on the tv, or go on your phone! Use the momentum you already have going for the tasks you want!

   
   

2. The Annoyance Method

   

   A picture of many analog alarm clocks on a wooden shelf

   For this method, you will need a physical alarm, it won't work if you set an alarm on your phone or watch. You can usually find one at the dollar store. You will need to set an alarm (or timer) for the time you want to practice and put it on the instrument you want to practice, away from yourself.

   The reason we use a physical alarm because you need to be annoyed into moving to the practice location to turn the alarm off. If you set the alarm on your phone or your watch, you might just turn the alarm off without moving, and go back to doom scrolling, playing a game or whatever you were doing. The act of actually having to get up is very helpful for the transition into practice, it breaks the focus of whatever you were doing to help you move to the next thing.

3. Little Treat Method

   

   An Iced Coffee on a white countertop

   Give yourself a little reward for your practice! A sticker, a food you really like, a favourite meal! It doesn't have to be something expensive either, maybe your reward is a fun game on your phone, or calling a friend!

   Treats give you a dopamine boost which make you want to practice again!

4. Body Doubling

Two people playing trombone together

Body Doubling is productivity technique where you work with another person to complete tasks. So grab a friend and practice together!

You can both practice together, at the same time in different rooms if you have access to it, or you practice while they do something else. You can also go online and mute yourself, or have your friend wear earplugs/headphones so you don’t have to feel self conscious about being listened to.

5. Inconvenience Method

   

   Two packages sitting at the front door of a bricked house

   This method works really well if you forget to practice. You'll want to take your music (or instrument if it's small) and put it in the middle of your way. Make sure if you live with other people, it is not bothersome for them, of course. Also make sure that it is somewhere in your daily routine where you have time to practice. For example, put it where your dirty shoes go when you come home, on top of the stove, in the fridge on top of the leftover pizza you're going to have for dinner or right in front of the TV.

   The idea of this is later, when you go to, for example, get dinner you'll see the music in the fridge and remember to go practice. Then you can go practice!

   This method also gets you to think intentionally about when you have time to practice when you place the music. If you don't have time around dinner, maybe don't put the music in the fridge. Put it by your shoes because you'll have time when you come home.

   If you have to move it, do it!

So Go Forth, and Start your Practice!