Bringing fun back into practice time

I am a college student getting my degree in music. I fell like I have started practicing just to get through an audition or to do well in my lesson, and that I have forgotten why I truly play music. Because it's fun!! So I started bringing in different techniques to make my "playing time" better. One thing I did was change what I call practice and that gave me a different perspective.

photo:Music Notes, http://www.themusikplant.com/Music%20Notes.jpg, February 15,2009

The main things that are involved in a practice session are the warm-up, the music you are currently playing and sight reading. Within the warm-up you have scales, chordal studies, articulation, and working on your sound. So why not add creative things to these areas. How about adding one thing you find interesting each month. Or maybe you won't need toeally dive into the subject. There are several ideas, improvising, learning about a new genre of music, and eartraining on songs you like or buy playing music you listen to. Don't forget to have recordings of pieces you are learning how to play. Practicing in groups always makes the time really go by. You get different perspectives and it is very enjoyable.

Another thing to think about when practicing are some of the essential parts:
Set goals
Evaluate what you have done
Practice daily and consistently
Know the terminology that may be throughout your music
Use alternative rhythms to practice difficult rhythmic parts( for example using a dotted eighth note sixteenth note pattern instead of two eighth notes)
Slow down the parts that you are having difficulty witth and then build it up again
Practice in front of others and practice your stage presence ( Open mic night anyone?)
Set up your environment (how do you practice best?)
expand your range
Work on your expression ( What is your dynamic range, can you play with a good tone at a p versus an f, what type of tones do you want to potray?)
What do you like about how some famous musicians play your instrument?
Use your scales to practice chord changes in a song, then improvise over them
Memorize some melodies then learn them in different keys so that you can just play them when ever you want them and when improvising.

The most important thing I believe a musician should have when practicing includes realistic goals and a thorough way of approaching them. Yeah these ideas can expand your horizon, but if they are not what you are trying to reach they are worthless to you. Know what you want as a musician and find creative ways to approach those goals.

photo: Piano Player, www.ragfest.com/RagFest_cartoon_2007.jpg, February, 22, 2009.

Here is an interesting exercise that you can try, and it will help you to figure out what is important to you when it comes to practicing. First you start off with the word practicing in the middle of a page of paper then you branch off into sub categories. You can break these down as small as you would like to. Then afterward highlight the areas that you find most important for your goals.