All articles, tagged with “practice”

We teach our piano students how to be mindful when they practice.

What does this mean?

This means that while you practice, you may do two things to stay present and focused:

1. observe your thoughts without judgment
2. focus on one element of practice to get into a relaxed state of mind

When people practice, their minds tend to wander and the goal becomes, “I just want to get through” the music or the practice session as quickly as possible. These wandering thoughts can create impatience and frustration as the mistakes begin to mount.

The first thing to do is to recognize that you want to be somewhere else other than in the present moment. Simply acknowledge that thought as it arises. Then, just observe any thoughts that come to you like, “I’m never going to learn this,” “I wish I could play like [some master of the instrument here],” “I can’t do this,” etc.

Just allow the thoughts to come up rather than trying to resist them. As you practice observing your thoughts without judgment, you can really transform an average practice session into something more creative and fulfilling.

Next, try the following “Practice Lifelines”:
1. practice less material (work on one measure instead of two measures)
2. separate the hands (if you play keyboard, for example)
3. play slower (use the metronome to help keep the tempo slower)

Those three steps allow you to drop into a calmer state in which your mind can actually focus on one particular element at a time.

For example, if you’re playing a two measure spot with just the right hand, try doing any of the following exercises as you play. Do these steps until you feel ease.
1. play and name the notes out loud
2. play and say the fingering numbers
3. play and say the letters of notes that are unclear out loud
4. play and count out loud

Practicing a musical instrument has the power to help you become aware of your thoughts as they arise. If you have ways to bring mindfulness into the practice, you will be amazed at your creativity and musicality.

Even if you don’t play an instrument, you can see how these ideas can help you in any creative venture.

With mindfulness comes awareness that is beyond thoughts. Last week, I was wrapping up a lesson with a student in which we were applying these principles. Suddenly, I was literally drawn outside into the rain with my camera to this brilliant orange lily. I don’t usually take my camera outside in the rain and I don’t normally think about taking photos after I teach.

Here is the image that resulted. The inspiration just came and it brought me a lot of joy to just take the photo. In fact, it drew more response on our Facebook page than any other photo we’ve posted to this point.

Yeah, I know, anything with “Ultimate” in it sounds like a huge promise. But we’ve come across a new way to help our students and anyone else who wants to achieve new levels of success. Those who are already using this plan are getting huge results!

Rather than trying to remember the details of the plan, print out this page so you can follow the steps.

We all know that consistency, focus and plans for action are keys to getting results from our creative practice, right? Our state of mind when we create plays an even larger role.

The “Ultimate Practice Guide” builds on these ideas with the following steps:

1. At the beginning of each week, write down a statement of intention on paper.

We recommend that you get a notebook that you’ll continue to use for tracking your practice process. Here’s an example of a statement of intention for practicing that’s short and simple:

“I intend to practice 6 days this week and my practice time for my first practice is 8:30 am.”

Setting a time is important because you’re less likely to put it off if you plan around your practice time. The time may change from day to day, but it’s still a good idea to write down the intended time. Note that everything is written in present tense, not future tense.

In addition, write out the specifics of your first day of practice. It’s preferable to do this the day before you practice. Why? Because you will process the plans in your subconscious mind while you sleep, making it much more likely that you’ll follow through the next day!

2. Begin every practice session with these short, but powerful steps:

a) Do a deep breathing exercise that allows you to clear your mind and body of any distracting thoughts and emotions before you engage in practice. After all, effective practice requires your undivided attention. (If you need ideas about breathing exercises, feel free to write to us at Greg@GCCreativeStudio.com)
b) turn off all electronic distractions in your practice space — TV, cell phone, computer, etc.
c) Look over your written practice plans for the day. Because you already wrote out the details of your practice, the plans are clear and you’re many times more likely to follow through with your intention.

3. Follow through with the plans you wrote down on paper. Experience supercharged creativity in your practice.

Here is the part of the plan in which you create or practice. Notice how it’s couched in the middle of all these supportive processes.

4. Put a check mark next to each item you complete from your written plans.

5. At the end of the day’s practice time, write out your plans for the next day.

If you want further fuel for this idea about writing out your plans the day before you actually practice, remember this quote from Jim Fannin, who is a coach of many world class athletes:

“Champions walk into the arena having already won. Others walk in and try to figure out how to win.”

Yes, we’re talking about a creative process, and the sports analogy is a good one. Why? Champions find time to practice in any field. Most people never get around to consistent practicing or creating. Life “gets in the way.” Also, many well-meaning people don’t actually conceive detailed plans about what they want to do or how they intend to do it. So, if you think this process seems too regimented for creative activity, give it a try first and see which creative pathways you open up for yourself.

Step 5 definitely helps you to “win” before you begin, but the final step takes the entire process to a higher level…

6. Visualize tomorrow’s practice session right before you go to sleep.

This is the crown jewel in the process, folks. Just before you go to sleep, your thoughts in that last hour of the day are processed in your subconscious many more times than everything that took place throughout the day. If you go to bed worrying, you will likely wake up not feeling very refreshed (and the worry from the night before will resume the next morning).

But imagine going to sleep visualizing your creative plans and your success with that process. You are then using your greatest ally, the subconscious mind, which will help you fulfill the success that you visualize with effortless ease. Creative visualization also makes you a more creative person.

Don’t just take our word for it. We’re not asking you to believe in this process without giving it a try. For maximum results, plan to use these ideas for three weeks. You will be amazed at what you can do in just 21 days!

Good luck and much success to you!

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

That quote is all you need in order to understand the power of establishing a habit of practice in any creative discipline. This concept is also true in sports and business.

As teachers, we see that music students who enjoy playing the most are those who manage to turn their daily practice into a habit. I’m sure that’s no surprise to you.

Getting started is the hardest part for most people.

If you wish to be more creative, have more fun and experience greater focus, choose a time each day to commit to practicing and stick with it for 21 days. For a more powerful intention, write down your plan for practice and note the time of day in which you will install this new routine.

Once you hit that significant 21st day (without missing a single day), your habit will be in place. Distractions will be less likely to throw you off track and your subconscious mind will accept this activity as “normal.” Resistance will disappear and you will be more creative.

Think about it this way.

Many students put off starting to practice until a few days before the lesson. Sound familiar?

They try to “cram” their assignment into those few days, like many students who study for tests in school.

But, here’s the deal.

The information (or the music), doesn’t stick that well when you force it in quickly. How much do you chew your food when you eat? I chew my food 30 times for each bite because it helps me to digest my food and my body rewards me with great energy and health. That simple step can work miracles for your body.

Even if you practice 7 hours in one day, it isn’t nearly as effective as practicing one hour, every day for 7 days. You need to give your mind the time to absorb and process. It does its job beautifully when given the opportunity. Plus, everything feels easier.

Why?

Because your personal assistant, the subconscious mind, becomes a very effective ally when you feed it ideas regularly. In fact, if you feed it the idea that “cramming” is practicing, it becomes difficult not to cram!

I leave you with this…

Let’s say that you walk your dog 3 times each day and all three walks add up to one mile. If you do the math, the dog will get walked 7 miles in a week, 28 miles in a month and 336 miles per year. In an effort to save time and effort, you decide to walk him 336 miles in one day.

You might get far, but Fido’s health will suffer, you’ll miss the changing details of the outdoors with each day, you won’t bond in the same way with your best friend and you won’t have the chance to be creative with your routes.

If there’s something you want to improve and it’s important to you, start making your plan today by writing it down and committing to it for 21 days.

Fido will thank you!

Are you looking for ways to sharpen your strategies for a creative project or a new skill? We gave these ten powerful tips to our piano students this year. Give them a try!

1. Establish a consistent practice time each day

• a consistent daily time turns your practice into an automatic success mechanism
• it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit

2. Prepare your mind before you begin

• breathing exercise: inhale slowly for 4 counts, hold breath for 7 and exhale for 8 (repeat this cycle three times)
• close your eyes and visualize putting your distractions on a rolling table that you can push out of the way while you practice
• read something that puts you in a good mood or look at relaxing images (this is why we created “Water Films”)

3. Write out your practice plans and goals in a notebook

• you may also use this notebook as a practice journal to keep track of your progress

4. Do it until you believe it

• with repetition comes confidence and clarity
• by strengthening your belief about the quality of your practice routine and your creative skills, you eliminate excuses (which are talking about or thinking about things you don’t want)

5. Transform distraction into focus

• use your practice time as an exercise to practice being fully in the present
• if you learn the skill of how to focus while distractions are present, you become more consistent (in the case of music, you become a better performer)

6. Prioritize your day

• plan your upcoming day the night before and include creative practice in your plans
• planning your day makes your goals easy to accomplish with minimal effort – the more you do this, the more effective you become

7. Silence the inner critic

• “easy” always wins out over “struggle”
• affirm: “I approve of myself, no matter what anyone else thinks” multiple times every day
• celebrate your victories and focus on your strengths
• overcome insecurity by making an effective practice routine habitual and by fully engaging in each task at hand before moving on to the next task (in practice and in life)

8. Detailed in practice, free and easy in performance

• develop such an effective practice routine that you “trust” your process
• during a performance, job review or evaluation, “there is no evaluating [yourself]. There is no judging. There is no anticipating the result. There is only trust and acceptance.&rdquo
– Bob Rotella, The Golfer’s Mind

9. Enjoy the process more than the product

• “perfection” is both unattainable and stress inducing
• you benefit more by improving your process than simply learning how to get through one creative task (i.e., a single piece of music) in an effort to be “finished”
• accept partial successes and remember that you are on a journey

10. Let go of Fear

• fear is simply your mind giving attention to something that creates anxiety, and you have no guarantee that this object of your focus will come to pass
• talk or think about your life as you want it to be
• focus completely on the task at hand to engage your mind constructively

“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.”
– Wayne Dyer