No matter where you are in your musical journey, regular practice is an essential part of the process and, without it, progress is slow and can be very discouraging. But there is school, and soccer practice, and long work hours, and homework... the list goes on. Where does piano practice fit into all of this?
As a busy mama, piano teacher, small business owner, homemaker, and homeschooler, I can say that it is definitely challenging to find time for practice. But the bottom line is this: every musician needs to practice to improve. So, I wanted to share some super practical tips for fitting piano practice in, no matter your lifestyle.
1. Take inventory of your daily schedule
What things happen around the same time every day? Where do you have a little pocket of time that you can use for practice? Maybe your family eats dinner around 5:30 every evening. Great! You can practice right after dinner before getting ready for bed or your child can practice while you are cooking dinner. They can even give a little performance for the rest of the family after dinner to show off their progress! Many children find this very motivating when the family is enthusiastic about hearing them play. This is just one example, but any daily activity can serve as a strong anchor for building in practice time.
2. Make it convenient to practice
If possible, have your piano or keyboard in a main living area of the house, where you are constantly seeing it throughout the day. Have a basket for sheet music right where it is within arm's reach when you sit down to play. Keep everything you will need for a practice session right there in that basket or on the piano. This may seem obvious, but it's amazing how much more inclined we are to do something when we can make getting started easier for ourselves.
3. Communicate with your other family members
Have you ever sat down to practice and someone is wanting to watch TV or run the vacuum at the same time? This happened to me ALL THE TIME when I was growing up and it was so frustrating! I eventually learned that communicating with my other family members about my practice needs was crucial and began working with them to determine times that I could practice in peace. If this is a problem in your house, don't be afraid to have a chat with your family – you might be pleasantly surprised at what you can come up with together!
4. Use reminders
If there isn't a real organic way to build practice into your routines right now or you would prefer to just have a set time every day that is scheduled for practice, reminders are going to be your best friend. A simple reminder can be set up on your phone or you can even use an alarm clock if that works better for you.
As far as children go, they are most likely not going to remember to practice on their own until it becomes a regular part of their daily routines, which can take longer for some children than others. Until that happens, it is really up to you, the parent, to remind them. A suggestion I have is to say something along the lines of "it's time to practice now" or "when you are finished doing ______, meet me over at the piano so we can practice together". This generally yields better results than asking your child "do you want to practice now?" or something vague like "you need to practice sometime this afternoon."
5. Practice BEFORE screen time
I know that the struggle is real when it comes to screen time and I am not going to take you down a rabbit hole on that today, I promise. But it needs to be said: piano practice definitely needs to happen before the TV gets turned on, before your child gets into video games, and before any kind of screen time because they will be so much less inclined to do it afterwards. This may already be a rule in your house, but I think it is still worth mentioning.
Also, this doesn't just apply to kids! Adults struggle with screen time too and it is important to get that practice session in before you start watching TV or playing games on your phone to wind down in the evening. Because if you don't do it before those things, chances are, you won't do it at all. I think we all know this in our heart of hearts, but we can easily lie to ourselves to have that instant gratification from our screens. While learning piano does not offer instant gratification – but it does reward effort over time if you stay the course!
6. Break it up
If your child has a lot of homework during the school year, it can be so helpful to break it up with short segments of practice. For example, they might complete one homework assignment, then sit down and play some scales or finger warmups. Then, they could complete another homework assignment and follow that up with playing a few of their pieces or working on a new song. Alternating like this and following through on one type of task at a time can not only give the brain a break, but can also bring a sense of accomplishment with each completed segment of both homework and piano practice.
7. Strategically alternate your workload
When you have a lot of things to practice and very little time to devote to practicing each day, it can be hard to fit it all into one practice session. In this case, it is wise to alternate what you are working on in each practice session to maximize your time. First, look at how much time is available fo piano practice each day. After that, you can choose an alternating schedule that allows you to work on everything you need to throughout the week. It might look something like this:
Day 1: scales, sight reading
Day 2: chords, polished repertoire
Day 3: theory homework, new piece
Day 4: scales, working/polishing piece
Continue the rotation from there
8. Make it mini and manageable
Despite what conventional wisdom says on needing to practice for hours and HOURS every day, this can actually lead to burnout and make you or your child dread practicing. We DON'T want that!
Instead, aim to practice for an amount of time that allows you to include a little bit of technique and/or sight reading practice, with a few pieces you love to play and just ONE piece that you are learning or polishing. On that one working piece, set a small, specific goal for it that can be achieved in a short period of time. For example, my goal might be to play through the first phrase of the right hand of my new piece 3 times without mistakes or pauses. This bite-sized goal can be achieved quickly and accomplishes something tangible.
I hope you have found these tips helpful. If you have any questions or want to share your family's experience with practice, I would love to hear what you are doing! Drop a comment below or shoot me a message on Instagram @alyssaalexander.music
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