Prep your space

Does your music have a home? Do you have a music stand, pencil, sticky notes, and highlighter? Get all the materials you need gathered in one place. Find a bin or shelf for your music and a pencil case for your extras. Have whatever music you want to start with open on the stand and your instrument stored safely out of its case so you are ready to practice.

Watch and learn

Watch a video of someone playing your instrument. Make note of at least three things you notice about the way they play and how they sound. Go for videos of professionals, or at least ones with lots of views. Better yet, ask your teacher for recommendations.

List your goals

What do you hope to improve this session, this week, this semester, this year? What pieces do you hope to learn? Write down your goals and keep them posted in your practice area to remind yourself why you are practicing.

Make a plan

Plan out your next practice session and write it down. What will you work on? In what order? What should you accomplish? Be as specific as possible, including sections you want to get to certain tempos, levels of accuracy, or memorized.

Ready, set, analyze

Before starting a new piece, go through with a pencil and note the following: tempo, time signature, key signature and any changes, dynamics, phrases and sections, repeating patterns, terms, and questions for your teacher.

Listen and follow along

Listen to your piece while following along in the score. Can you keep up?

Tap and count

Clap or tap through the rhythm of your piece or section while counting out loud. For pianists, see if you can tap the right and left hand parts accurately with each hand while counting aloud.

Tap and play

Play one hand while tapping the rhythm of the other hand simultaneously. Then switch.

Point and name

Point to each note and say its name. Bonus points if you can say it in rhythm.

Slowly, carefully

Play the section or piece slowly and carefully, maintaining accuracy and intention throughout. Let the notes emerge from the instrument in the most expressive way possible.

3x: notes

Identify a tricky section. Can you play it with the correct notes three times in a row?

3x: rhythm

Identify a tricky section. Can you play it with the correct rhythm three times in a row?

3x: dynamics

Identify a tricky section. Can you play it with the correct dynamics three times in a row?

Half time

Play through your piece at half speed with the metronome. Pay attention to expression, accuracy, finger numbers, and anything else you want to focus on.

Metronome: on the beat

Play with the metronome beating the quarter note or main value. Start at the speed where you can play with 100% accuracy and gradually increase by 2 to 5 clicks each time. If you can still play accurately, keep increasing. If not, slow back down and try again.

Metronome: on the big beat

Play with the metronome beating the biggest possible beat — once per measure or even once every two measures for fast tempos. Start at the speed where you can play with 100% accuracy and gradually increase by 2 to 5 clicks each time.

Metronome: on the off-beat

Play with the metronome clicking on the off-beats — beats 2 and 4 in 4/4, on the second eighth note of each beat, halfway through a measure, or on every second measure.

Choreography

Play while focusing on the direction of the hands. Is one hand moving up, down, or staying the same? Are both hands moving in, out, or together? Verbalize the motions out loud. Practice each gesture slowly, then work up to speed, incorporating multiple notes into single gestures.

Hands separate

Practice only one hand at a time. Combine with any other practice method.

Ghost playing

Play one hand. The other hand ghost-plays — it moves on the keys as if playing, but without actually pressing the keys or making sound.

10% ghost life

Play one hand. The other plays with just 10% of its energy — barely touching the keys, mostly silent. Use this for voicing. The full hand is what you want to hear more; the ghost hand is what you want to hear less.

Count out loud

Count out loud while you play — the main beats, the micro beats, the big beats, or once per measure. Use this to secure your rhythm and determine what type of pulse you want to feel while practicing.

Get the feel

Practice a section for the feel of it — move through the patterns with the momentum and direction you want, and let go of needing every note right. You might slide through a technical section, but the goal is to get the feel. Then go back and use other methods to match the notes to it.

Sing and play: melody

Sing along with the melody on a neutral syllable. Choose one that matches the feel of the piece — "la" or "ya" for smooth, "ba" or "da" for more detached and pronounced.

Sing and play: bass line

Sing along with the bass line of the piece on a neutral syllable, solfege, or the number of the scale degree or chord.

Switch hands

Every other measure or every two measures, switch which hand you are using. See if you can keep a steady flow through the transitions. Then practice starting on the opposite hand so every measure gets practiced by each hand.

Playing and counting

Every other measure, switch from playing to counting out loud. Count the main beat, micro beats, or big beats. Come back in on the next measure without missing a beat.

Speedbump

Pick a section that is giving you trouble. Add in a "speedbump": slow down as you get close to the section, play through the section slowly and accurately, then speed back up out of the section. Gradually make those speedbumps smaller and smaller (slow down less and less) until you can do the whole section in tempo.

Sing and move

Sing the piece or section while moving in a way that reflects how you want it to sound — flowy, strong, hopping, skipping, undulating, running in place, melting. Let your body find the character of the music.

Sing like a storyteller

Sing the melody on a neutral syllable — on pitch or monotone — as if you are telling an exciting story to a very small child. How does that influence your pacing, your dynamics, your flow?

Backwards practice

Start at the last measure of a piece or section. Practice until you can play it fluently. Then back up one measure and play the last two measures together. Continue until you have the whole section fluent.

Sticky note practice

Block off a challenging measure, transition, or section with sticky notes at the beginning and end so you cannot see the surrounding notes. Practice until you can play it three times in a row with no mistakes.

5 object challenge

Place five small objects on one side of your stand. Each time you achieve your goal, move one to the other side. To make it harder, a mistake moves it back. For the hardest version, a mistake moves all objects back to start.

Tic tac toe

Draw a tic tac toe board and set a goal. Each time you achieve it, you get an X. Each time you miss, your opponent gets an O. You could win in just three plays — but you could also lose in three.

Octave challenge

Play a challenging transition, chord, or section in every octave of the piano. Start at the lowest and move up each time you play correctly. A mistake moves you down one octave. For the bonus challenge, a mistake sends you all the way back to the bottom.

Slow, soft, staccato

Play a measure or section slowly, softly, and with staccato.

All legato

Play a measure or section totally legato, or as legato as possible.

Play one, sing one

Play one hand while singing the other. If that hand has more than one line, try singing each part while playing the other hand. Then switch.

Open strings only

Play a section with only the bow, no left hand. You will notice the especially tricky string crossings when you do not have to think about your left hand.

Left hand only

Finger a small section without the bow. Make sure to hear the pitches when your fingers land on the strings.

Fast fingers and freeze

Play a small section at tempo and freeze right before the tricky spot. Count two beats, then keep going at tempo.

Play out subdivisions

Pick a small section and play the smallest subdivision that makes sense — constant sixteenth notes, counting the correct number for each rhythm you see. Four sixteenths for every quarter, two for every eighth.

String crossings

Pick a section with tricky string crossings, play slowly, and accent each time you cross a string. Try it on open strings first.

Memory map

Make a map. Draw the piece out in story form with colors, words, and shapes — whatever makes sense to you to help you stay on track and remember the structure.

Metronome phrasing

Play at tempo with the metronome, but every time you arrive at the end of a phrase, pause for a few beats before continuing. This helps you understand the timing between phrases so you can take natural time without rushing or slowing unintentionally.

Sing it, then play it

Sing a section before you play it. This helps you understand where you do not yet know what something sounds like — rhythmically or with the pitches — before your hands have to deal with it.

Find the pulse

Clap or snap the beat while moving your hands in a circle rather than staying in one spot. This helps you understand how to get from one beat to the next — you can see the entire beat, not just its beginning.

Upside down bow

Find a spot with tricky string crossings. Turn your bow around so the frog is at the tip and the tip is at the frog, then play that spot. This is silly and fun, and changes the weight distribution of the bow.

Opposite bowings

Pick a section with tricky bowings and do the opposite. This switches things up and helps your brain coordinate the bowings better.

Sing the next note

Play a scale slowly — play the first note and sing the note right above, then play the note you were singing. Continue up and then down. How does this help your sense of intonation and finding the pitches?

Chordal singing and playing

If you are playing a piece with many double stops and chords, try singing the top line and playing the bottom. It is fun and great ear training.

Building blocks

Pick a section with multiple mini-phrases. Practice two bars at a time, then string them together in different combinations: 1+2, 3+4, 2+3, then 1+2+3, 2+3+4, then all of them. This ensures every transition gets practiced.

Plucking

Take a tricky rhythm spot and play it pizzicato instead of with the bow. How does this change how you feel and hear the rhythm and pulse?

No vibrato

Try playing a section without vibrato. How does this change the way you hear the phrasing, tone, intonation, or anything else?

Easy song for tricky technique

Pick a spot with a tricky rhythm or bowing and practice it on an easy song or a scale until it feels comfortable. Then bring it back to your piece.

In the details

Without opening your piece, answer: What is my starting note? Time signature? Key? How many measures? What is the starting dynamic? What are all the dynamics? What is the final note? What is the tempo marking? What is the main mood? Open your score to find any you missed, then try again another day.

Rhythm manipulations

Choose a section with a constant note value. Play it with swing (long-short), then reverse swing (short-long), then group the notes into threes or fours with one note long and the rest short. Try as many variations as you can.

Gradual accelerando

Choose a difficult run or passage. Start slowly and gradually speed up as you play.

Gradual ritardando

Choose a difficult run or passage. Start fast and gradually slow down as you play.

Backwards run

Choose a difficult run. Play the last two notes. Then the last three, then four, and so on until you are playing the full run. Repeat as needed for fluency.

Backwards run redux

Choose a difficult run. Play it forwards, then play it backwards — reversing all the notes. Focus on your fingering and how you move between the notes.

Blocking

Find and identify broken chord shapes in your piece. Play those notes together as a block chord.

Find the harmony

Go through your music and identify any chords — blocked or broken. Use letter names or Roman numerals. If the chords are not obvious in the melody, look in the accompaniment.

Breathe and stretch

Do this at the beginning, middle, or end of a session. Take 5 to 10 deep, full belly breaths, expelling all your air each exhale. Then stretch your hands, arms, shoulders, back, legs, and whole body.

Playing in tune

Set your tuner to a drone. Practice scales and arpeggios along with the drone, listening carefully to whether you are in tune. Train your ear.

Golden oldies

Review a piece from six months ago or more. Can you still play it? Try it hands separately, at half speed, or in small sections.

Sight-reading

Sight-read something. Anything.

Record yourself

Audio or video record yourself playing a piece or section. Then listen or watch it back with your score open. Mark spots where you had difficulty, spots you want to change, and spots that already sound the way you want.

Mental memory

Play through your piece from memory in your head, without looking at your music. Can you get through it? Pay attention to the fuzzy spots — those sections need extra attention.

Live audience

Ever notice things go better alone than in front of your teacher? The day before your next lesson, play through a piece for someone — a parent, sibling, or friend. Notice how you feel differently when someone is actively listening.

Play along

Play along with a recording of your piece. If you make mistakes, keep going. On YouTube you can play videos at 0.75 or 0.5 speed if the piece is still at an early stage.

Be the teacher

Pretend you are the teacher. What is going well in your piece, and what could improve? How would you fix it? Be creative.

Get poetic

Read the text of your piece like you are reciting a poem. Find the words and phrases you gravitate toward and underline them. Speak the text in rhythm and give emphasis to those words. If your piece is in another language, recite it both in the original and in translation.

Pick a vowel

Sing your entire piece on your favorite vowel, focusing on line and legato.

Speak it in rhythm

Speak through your piece or a tricky section in rhythm while keeping the beat somewhere on your body — clapping, snapping, stomping.

Sing it on solfege

Take the words away and sing on solfege. This works especially well with new pieces or difficult sections. It is great for your brain and helps with learning unfamiliar melodies.

All about that bass

Play just the bass line or the tonic of each chord while singing your part over it. The focus is lining up the rhythm. This is an excellent strategy for anyone working on self-accompaniment. Requires some piano knowledge.

Walk it out

Feeling stuck? Sing your piece while walking around in a circle, with a track or a cappella. Do not overthink it. Bonus: record yourself while you walk and see if you notice anything different.

Time keeping challenge

Start with the metronome on every beat and play until your rhythm lines up. Then switch to beats 1 and 3, then just the downbeat. Can you stay in time? Do you notice whether you tend to rush or drag?

Magical markings

Mark all your dynamics using different colors. Choose colors that represent each dynamic to you.

Translations

Write in the translations of any terms that appear in a different language. Think about how you will achieve each term and how it will affect the mood or sound. For vocal pieces in another language, write in the text translation as well.

Play without stopping

Pick a section or the whole piece. Play without stopping no matter what happens. When you get to the end, analyze what happened. Where did things fall apart? Mark the sections that need work.

Stop and fix

Play through your piece. Every time you hit a mistake, stop and mark it. Then play that spot correctly three times in a row before moving on.

Staccato approach before performance

For three to five days before a performance, play the entire piece staccato at half to three-quarter speed. Skip dynamics, slurs, and phrasing. Then, for the last day or two, return to full legato, dynamics, and phrasing at regular speed.

Play in different octaves

Experiment with your piece in different octaves to hear how it changes. If a section is meant to be light or quiet, try it high. If it is meant to be heavy or loud, try it low. Then return to the written octave and try to bring those qualities with you.

Five minute super focus

Give yourself one area to work on and spend five minutes fine-tuning that skill and nothing else. When the time is up, move on — or be done for the day if you need. Usually you will want to keep playing.

Eyes closed

Close your eyes and play to test your memory. This could be for one measure, one phrase, or the whole piece. It also develops your sense of ear-hand coordination and, for singers, your sense of how a note feels in your voice and body.

Outside perspective

Listen to the piece you are working on performed by at least two different people. Follow along with your score and notice what you liked — and what you might want to do differently.

Sing what you play

For instrumentalists: sing the piece you are working on. When you sing, do you notice yourself phrasing it differently than when you play it on your instrument?

One foot

Balance on one foot while you play or sing. How does it affect your focus and concentration?

Stand up

Pianists: stand up and play. Pretend you are a piano rock star.

Stability ball

Play or sing while sitting on a stability ball. Pianists, you can do this too. Try bouncing to the beat.

Productivity check

Practice at the time of day when you are most productive. That may be early in the morning, late at night, or anything in between. You know your body's clock best.

Jam session

Pick a key or a chord and play around on your instrument or voice. See what comes out.

Alternation

Alternate between different passages or pieces in your practice, going back and forth between them. This strengthens your flexibility and agility.

Reduce

Reduce the texture to its simplest form — only the melody or basic chords, leaving out melismas, ornamentation, or accompaniment layers.

Sneak attack

Getting ready for a performance? Every time you walk past your instrument, play or sing the opening bars of your piece. This gives you confidence that you can start well at any time.

Move to the music

Listen to your piece in headphones and go for a walk. Incorporate subtle movements that match the feeling — tip-toe through soft sections, stomp through loud ones. This helps build your musical interpretation into your body.

Stopped rhythm

Only play the start of each note, as if clapping a rhythm using your instrument. A whole note sounds like a short note on beat one followed by three rests. Challenge yourself to stay in time without the sustained sound. A metronome helps.

Subdivide

Play all the subdivisions within your notes. For example, if you have a dotted quarter, divide it to play three eighth notes or six sixteenth notes.

Ask

If you do not know how to practice something, ask your teacher. They would love to help you find success with your practicing and your pieces.