Your time is valuable. So when you’re ready to practice or learn something new on your instrument, you want to make the best and most focused use of that time. With a little prep work you can ensure that you’re setting yourself up for the best possible learning outcome! Here are some practice tips to get you there.

Ditch the Phone

Get rid of distractions. Leave your phone in another room. Or, at the very least, put it on airplane mood or Do Not Disturb. You won’t hear or see any alerts and wonder what you’re missing! And don’t worry, those messages will still be there later.

Set the Stage

If you want to create an atmosphere for focus, declutter your workspace so that you can more easily keep your attention on the task at hand. Store other instruments you are not using neatly, or hang them on the wall. Keep accessories in a basket or drawer. Hang cables on hooks. Whatever it takes to make your space a bit more zen will help you concentrate.

Comfort is Key

Make sure your area is set up for you to comfortably practice and learn. The right chair, a music stand, good lighting, an easy place to view your computer, headphones – whatever you need to feel good while practicing should be close at hand. And having a good setup for your physical posture will help you learn good technique, too. 

Instrument Ready

Maintain your instrument and you’ll look forward to picking it up. Change your strings, use a fresh reed, clean your instrument, keep any accessories you need on hand. By regularly keeping your instrument in tip-top shape, you’ll enjoy learning and practicing that much more!

Warm Up

Get your muscles moving and your head in the right place with a bit of warm up before you dig into something new. Warm up exercises help you focus and prepare for what’s next. Varying your warm up can help to hold your focus, too, so don’t be afraid to mix it up. Try running guitar scales or warm up exercises in the key that you’ll be learning in can help you get ready to jump into what’s next.

Quiet Your Computer

When you’re engaged in online learning, as you will be with an ArtistWorks course, you’ll want to make sure that any alerts on your computer are quiet while you’re studying. That means no email notifications, chat messages or Skype pings. Close programs you’re not using and set your notifications to Do Not Disturb in your preferences. When you’re done, just turn ‘em back on!

Goal Tending

Make goals for yourself. Write them down and hang them on the wall. Add photos or whatever else it takes to motivate yourself to reach them. Studies show that visualizing success can help you get there!

Ok! Now you’re ready to learn! Try a free lesson here today.

View our Becoming a Musician video series for more best practices:

https://go.artistworks.com/becoming-a-musician

Want more practice tips? Try these:

Beginner Mandolin Practice Tips

Trumpet Fingering Technique

Building Technique as a Musician

5 Tips for Beginner Musicians