If you've been following along from the beginning, today is the final day of the 28 Day Practice Project. The point of this project was never to practice for 28 days straight, but to use the unique focus of each week to gain new insights into your playing and your practice habits.

As you might imagine from my previous blog posts, I had a whole bunch of reflection questions planned for the end of this project, but I've decided to keep it much more simple and open-ended.

There's really just one thing that matters: Did this month change your practicing?

You can go deeper into this question, naturally - how, specifically, did your practicing change? Did you like it? Did you get better as a violinist? What will you be incorporating into your practice routine from here on out? - but the main question remains: has your practicing been changed by this experience?

For me, being accountable to my students and the entire internet for my practicing really helped my own practice. I'm in a new stage of my life as a violinist. For the last sixteen years, I was a violin student. I attended weekly lessons, was in school or youth orchestras, and school-run chamber groups. My musical life was very structured. I graduated from Peabody with my master's degree in May and to be honest, my personal practice has been very unstructured. I wasn't sure what to address in my technique. I wasn't sure what repertoire worked for me to play. And with no one to be accountable to and a teaching career to start building, my energy went into designing structure for my students, not my personal practice.

This project got me practicing regularly again. Well, this project, and the recital I had last week! The best practice motivation I've found is having a performance to prepare for. The other thing I realized is how much I need structure in my practicing. I practice best when I have a plan made in advance that includes exactly what to practice and how much time I have to practice it. Knowing that I had to blog about my practice and that my students would see how much I practiced on the chart in our studio really added extra motivation.

Thank you so much to all of you for following this series of posts. I really hope they've helped you. And if you're just joining us, here are the links to all the posts in the 28 Days of Practice series.

Introduction
Week 1
Week 1 Reflections
Week 2
Week 2 Reflections
Week 3
Week 3 Reflections
Week 4

Thank you all. Stay posted for something dramatically different coming on the blog in the coming weeks, as we approach holiday recital season!

Give yourself a pat on the back! You’ve spent the last three weeks tracking your practicing, working to practice consistently, and identifying habits in your practice that might be slowing down your progress. All of this is A LOT of work, and you should be so proud of yourself for committing this time to your music making!

For the final week of our practice project, we are going to focus on setting goals for your practicing and your violin playing.

Practice goals should be something specific and possible. A general “I want to play the violin better” isn’t actually that useful. If you’re a young student making your way through the Suzuki books, saying “I want to be a famous soloist” isn’t helpful, either. When it comes to setting practice goals, they should be something that you can achieve in the week before your next violin lesson.

Here are some examples of goals you might have:

·      I want to play my piece entirely from memory for my next lesson.

·      I want to play my scale with all the ringing notes in tune.

·      I want my martele stroke to be consistent.

·      I want to move with greater ease and freedom in my shifting exercises.

·     I want my teacher to stop nagging me about holding my violin up.

·     I want to keep a steady pulse in my piece.

The options are endless. On the next page, we’ll help you construct your goals for this week of practice.

Goal Brainstorming

 

1.    What is something that you really want for your violin playing?

2.    What is a piece you have always wanted to play?

3.    What types of violin skills do you need to play that piece?

4.    What is something you are working to develop in your violin playing right now? (i.e. balanced bow hold, tall violin, smooth shifting, playing in high positions, etc)

5.    Is there anything you are working on right now that makes you feel really frustrated?

Creating Goals

Now it’s time to create up to three goals for your violin playing this week. Make sure that these are goals you can accomplish in a week! Write your goals down below, and then write down the specific ways you are going to practice to achieve that goal.

Goal #1:

Strategies to achieve your goal:

Goal #2:

Strategies:

Goal #3:

Strategies:

All right, my fellow practicers, it's the end of Week 3! Time to reflect and see if awareness of your habits transformed your practice. Answer the following questions and then see my answers below!

1.    Did your practicing feel different than it usually does this week? If so, how?

2.    Were you aware of the habit you were trying to change? How did this awareness change your practicing?

3.    Were you able to practice every day this week? If not, why?

4.    Do you feel your violin playing improved this week? How?

5.    Are there any other practice habits from the list that you noticed yourself doing? If so, which ones? How will you work to improve in the future?

6.    Are there any other observations from your practicing this week that you would like to make?

Next week, some good friends of mine and I are performing a recital of music by Johannes Brahms, the beloved German composer of the Romantic era. See my Performance Schedule for all the details about the recital, if you'd like to attend.

Normally, a recital showcases an individual performer and displays their talents in the works of numerous composers and styles. This recital is different with four artists performing the work of a single composer.

Brahms is a composer I've always admired and loved, but last year I got to know his music in much more of an intimate way. I performed his second violin sonata on his master's recital (which I'll also be performing next Sunday!), lived and breathed his magnificent piano quintet for a whole year, and was fortunate enough to play the Fourth Symphony under the baton of one of the greatest living musical artists, Leon Fleisher. Whether in an intimate chamber setting or a grand orchestral one, Brahms never fails to satisfy.

Over the last year I really feel that Brahms has become a friend to me, and his music has been a joy and a refuge. When I need to be energized and empowered, I listen to his sweeping and epic symphonies. His fast movements hum with vitality and rush over you like a wave of sound. His slow movements can warm your heart and make you feel as if you're speaking with a dear, close friend or bring tears to your eyes with the tenderness.

The music of Brahms has tremendous heart. I'm playing two very different pieces - the fiery Scherzo from the F.A.E. sonata, a piece with a fast, turbulent theme in a minor key, and the warm, open, and loving Violin Sonata No. 2. 

I sincerely hope you'll join us.

Listen below to one of my favorite movements from Brahms - the beautiful second movement of the Fourth Symphony.

This week, we're digging deep. In addition to practicing every day and tracking your practice on the chart (see Week 1 to download), you're also going to take a good look at HOW you practice. I've listed here seven common practice habits that create problems in your playing. Read through them and see if any of them seem to describe you!

1.    I am easily distracted when I practice. My mind is always thinking about other things, and I frequently check my phone and/or computer while I am practicing. I often put the violin down to talk to my family, watch tv, or respond to a text message.

2.    I play through all my pieces once and am done. I rarely practice small sections of my pieces and don’t repeat them very much. I like to get the big picture, but I don’t worry about the details.

3.    I become obsessed with small details. I spend the bulk of my practice time trying to get one or two notes in tune in a scale or playing the same section over and over because it’s not exactly right. I find it hard to move on to more material unless I am satisfied that something is perfect.

4.    I only practice my pieces and rarely think about my form. I am unaware of how I am standing or holding my instrument and bow. All my focus is on learning the notes to the piece.

 5.    I am not sure what I actually sound like. I never record myself or listen to the sound coming back to me, but I focus on what I hear under my ear. I am frequently surprised when I hear feedback from my teacher, because they comment on things I wasn’t aware of.

 6.    I feel like my practicing lacks structure and direction. I practice whatever I feel like practicing on a given day. I don’t feel like I’m getting better, necessarily. I don’ t always remember to check my assignments that my teacher gives me, and sometimes I realize that there are things I have forgotten.

 7.    I am overwhelmed with the amount of music I have to learn, and I always have to leave something out when I practice. I feel like I have to choose between learning notes to new pieces or working on my scales and technical exercises. I feel like I’m just trying to keep up.

Respond to the following reflection questions:

1.    Did any of the statements above seem to describe you? Which ones?

2.    Which statement describes your practice the most accurately? If any part of it doesn’t seem right, write a description here that feels more true to you. Pick ONE habit to focus on.

3.    What are some things that you could do to change this habit and make your practice more rewarding? 

Below are some suggestions for changing each habit. See if any of them are the same as the ones you brainstormed above, and use them to help formulate a plan.

1.    I am easily distracted when I practice. 

• Turn off your phone, computer, and anything else that could interrupt you.
• Ask your family members not to disturb you while you’re practicing.
• Use a program to block certain websites on the internet that you know you waste time on (Facebook, Netflix, Twitter, etc).
• Keep a notepad in your practice area. Each time you have a thought about something, make a note of it and when you’ll take care of it. Example: Study for history test at 8 pm. This will help you remember what you need to and then move on.
  

2.    I play through all my pieces once and am done.

• Pick three spots in your music that are tricky for you. Play each of them slowly, and aim for the goal of playing a spot three times in a row with equal quality before you move on to the next.
  
• Play through your piece after you’ve worked on your spots and observe whether or not those spots seem easier during the playthrough.
  
• List one or two things that you are trying to improve in your playing (i.e. hold your violin up, curve your bow thumb, have a beautiful sound on every note). Practice only one musical phrase at a time. After you play the phrase, ask yourself if you achieved your goal. If the answer is yes, then repeat the phrase three times in a row. If the answer is no, see if you can pinpoint where in the phrase your scroll started to droop or your sound got scratchy. Repeat until you are satisfied with the phrase.

3.    I become obsessed with small details.

• Try using the technique of selective attention. Instead of waiting for everything to be perfect before you move on, pick one thing to focus on and improve. For example, if you’re working on your rhythm, don’t let yourself stop because you miss a note or your bow squeaks. Only focus on your rhythm. Once the rhythm’s fixed, then you can work on your intonation or tone.
  
• Play through your piece every other day, and use the playthrough to notice which parts of the piece need particular attention.
  
• Look for patterns to fix. For example, if one note is consistently out of tune, work to find that note in tune, and then play it in tune every time it appears in the piece. Fixing patterns that show up throughout the piece rather than fixating on one particular passage can help everything get better faster.
  

4.    I only practice my pieces and rarely think about my form.

• Focusing on your basic setup is so crucial for violin playing. Ask your teacher what improvements they think you need to make.
  
• Use the first five minutes of your practice time to feel balanced with the violin, balance your bow hold, and to do any exercises that your teacher has assigned you to develop skills like shifting, vibrato, or special bow strokes.
  
• Pick a section of one of your pieces and play it with the goal of having a tall violin and a curvy bow thumb, or whatever it is that you are working on improving.
  

5.    I am not sure what I actually sound like.

• Use your phone (on airplane mode!) or another device to record yourself playing something.
• Write down notes in a practice journal, and use those notes to guide your planning for your next practice session.
• Put an ear plug in your left ear and listen with your right ear to the sound.
• Always ask yourself, "Am I making the best sound I possibly can?"

6.    I feel like my practicing lacks structure and direction.

• Make it a point to look over your teacher’s notes from your last lesson at the beginning of your practice session each day.
• Systematically work through them – make a checklist if that helps you.
• Give yourself five to ten minutes at the end of your practice session to play anything you want.
  

7.    I am overwhelmed with the amount of music I have to learn, and I always have to leave something out when I practice.

• Make a list of everything you need to practice this week. Divide it in half, and alternate days. This way, everything gets an equal amount of practice time and you’re not trying to fit everything into one day.
  

It's the end of Week 2 of our 28 Day Practice Project, and it's time to reflect. Answer the questions based on your experience, and I'll share mine as well below. Check back tomorrow morning for Week 3!

1.    How do you feel you improved as a violinist this week?

2.    Was it easy to find time to practice? When were the best times for you to practice? Was anything hard about finding practice time?

3.    Did you practice more days this week than you did last week?

4.    Did you succeed in practicing seven days in a row? If not, what happened on the days that you missed? Looking back, could you have done anything differently on those days in order to find practice time? 

5.    How did you need to rearrange or change your schedule to make practicing happen?

6.    Did you like practicing every day?

7.    How long were your practice sessions?

This week you are going to commit yourself to practicing every single day. Take a look at your practice chart from last week. Notice how many days you practiced. Tell yourself, right now, that your goal is to turn that number into seven. Seven days of practice. Say it out loud. “I am going to practice for seven days in a row. I am committed to doing this!”

**Modification for those who already practice every day: Set a time goal for yourself. If you normally practice, say, 30 minutes a day and are looking to increase to an hour, then have your goal to be to practice for an hour every day this week.  

The first step is to look at your schedule for this week. If you’re a younger student, someone who has their parents manage their schedule, sit down with them and your schedule and fill out the following chart for the whole week.

Create a reminder for yourself. Post this schedule on the refrigerator at home, set an alarm on your phone or computer, add an event to your calendar – anything you want, something that will remind you at the designated time that it is practice time.

Next, you’re going to need some help. It’s really easy to logic yourself out of practicing, especially if you get busy with or distracted by something else. Ask a parent, a sibling, or a really responsible friend to be your practice partner. Ask this practice partner to ask you if you’ve practiced each day this week. It can be a simple conversation on the way home from school, a question over dinner, even a text message.

<-- My friend Lillian is my practice partner! You can hear the results of both our practicing on November 17 at our recital! 

Finally, track your practice time on your usual practice chart and check off the days on the chart from this week. Remember, your goal is to practice EVERY DAY! Good luck!

This week, I asked everyone to track their practicing and to create a practice space in their home. I'm sharing with you some of my answers and practice strategies from the past week, and then we have some reflection questions to evaluate the week!

To the left you see my answers to the initial questionnaire.

My practice space, complete with mirror, metronome, camera, violin, and music.

I set the phone to airplane mode so I wouldn't be distracted.

I used to be in the habit of planning out my practice and it was really refreshing for me to get back to that. I felt like my practice was so much more structured. Here's a snapshot of my practice journal from last week.

End of Week 1 Reflection:
1. Do you feel you improved as a musician this week? How so?

2. What are some aspects of your playing that you would like to improve more?

3. What do you like about your practice space? Is there anything you need to add to it?

4. How many days did you practice?

5. Do you feel you practiced enough to accomplish your goals?

And finally, my own answers to the reflection questions.
Stay tuned for Week 2, launching tomorrow!