Wow... A lot has happened since I last posted. And I mean a lot. But this is (mainly) a blog about music and not a blog where I tell my life story (although I do tell some stories because lets face it, music is an immensely important part of my life). So let's get to the post.
I just finished practicing my flute for an hour. In the old days, this wouldn't have been notable at all-- I frequently practiced for an hour or more, almost every day. But now, I'm a senior in high school, a drum major and band teacher's assistant, my piano lessons are more intense and require more practice than ever, I have homework, and I was writing college essays nonstop back in September. In short, I have a lot going on. So tonight was the first time in a very long time that I had actually practiced for an hour straight. In light of this monumental event, I decided to write a post to share the tips and tricks I've figured out about practicing.
I've finally just accepted the fact that I hate practicing at school. Even though my school has nice practice rooms with sound-dampening pads on the walls and a piano in three out of four of them, I don't like practicing there unless I really need to work something out or warm up before a lesson. It's not that I'm insecure, although it can be a bit unnerving to have other people walking by or in the other practice rooms where I know they can hear me. I just don't like being isolated from whatever is happening out in the band room, because that's usually where all my friends are and I don't want to be left out. That's just a minor reason, though-- the main reason why I don't like practicing at school is because as a TA and a music librarian, I have so many responsibilities in the band room, especially where organization is concerned, that I feel like I'm shirking those responsibilities if I practice at school.
So I practice at home. This can be dangerous, though, because I'm more likely to procrastinate and subsequently decide not to practice, favoring the comfort of my couch instead. However, my practice sessions at home are sometimes more productive, when my family doesn't interrupt me. Usually, I need it pretty quiet in order to focus on what I need to do.
I've also found that sometimes, it's helpful to practice when there are other things going on in my house. For example, if my dad is listening to music downstairs, it provides (ironically) a soundtrack for my practicing, that is, the muffled tunes I hear from downstairs energize and inspire me, either to accomplish my own epic musical feats, play along, or to cover up what I'm hearing if I don't like it.
So ultimately, my perfect practice environment changes from day to day, and really what it comes down to is the head game I have to play with myself every time I'm trying to motivate myself to practice. I've been pretty good about practicing for at least 20-30 minutes every day, but I definitely need to do more. It's an ongoing process, I suppose.
