How Much Should I Practice?

I often start young students who catch on very quickly and fly through their first book with little to no practice. That’s okay, because we’re having fun and learning what it’s like to play an instrument. However, what happens sometimes is that students get used to not practicing and when they progress to their second book, their progress DRAMATICALLY slows down or stops. There becomes some frustration over having to work on the same piece week after week and the lesson becomes a practice session rather than learning new concepts and music.

So when students and parents ask me, “how much practice?,” it kind of depends! It depends on the student’s age and level, their practice habits, how much fun they want to have, and their goals with their instrument. More frequent, shorter practice sessions are more beneficial for young learners than one hour-long practice session once a week. Consistent, frequent practice creates a positive habit and develops muscle strength and memory as well as improving knowledge of how your instrument works. The more you put into something, the more you will get out of it. The more you work at it, the better you will get, and the more fun you will have practicing and performing!

Here are my recommendations for practice amounts:

How Much Should I Practice?

Talk to your teacher about your musical goals. They will help you set target practice times in order for you to get what you want out of lessons. For students who say they “just want to have fun”, they will have the most fun when they can actually play their instrument. Students who make progress with their instrument are more likely to enjoy their musical experience and take their skills into adulthood, making lessons a worthwhile investment for parents. In order to have fun, I recommend setting a goal of 4-5 practice sessions per week. Less practice than this does not achieve the student’s desired outcome of “having fun”.

Sometimes I talk to students about how getting started is the hardest part of practice. Taking your books to your instrument, opening them up and beginning is sometimes the biggest hurdle! Blocking the same period of time each day will help. In future blog posts, I’ll share more tips for effective practice that leads to progress.