Distributed Practice vs. Massed Practice

In the last blog, I referenced an article by Prof. John Nix about incorporating the principles of exercise physiology into vocal practice.

There was another concept discussed in that same article that I also want to highlight. As you all know from your syllabus and from our discussions about setting up a practice schedule, I am an advocate of dividing your practice time into different sessions. In fact, I just wrote about this topic for a book that is about to be published (*hair toss*).

In Nix's article, he also discusses divided practice sessions, making a distinction between "distributed practice" and "massed practice."

An example of distributed practice would be six 10-minute sessions done at different times throughout a single day. Each session could be spent on just one aspect of your vocal technique. At 10 minutes, the sessions are generally short enough that your voice won't get tired and you won't get too bored from focusing on just one technique.

To contrast, an example of massed practice would be one 60-minute practice session per day. This kind of practice can help build endurance for longer performances, like a demanding stage role or an hour-long recital. Massed practice could be several distributed practice sessions strung together or it could be more varied in order to include work on repertoire.

In both cases, you are getting 60 minutes of practice time per day but you will obviously build different skills.

In fact, for students working up stamina for a senior recital (some of you this semester!), Nix suggests a combination of distributed and massed practice over a period of months:

• 3 months prior to the performance: distributed practice.
• 1 month prior to performance: 4 days per week distributed practice, 2 days per week massed practice (similar to performance conditions), 1 day per week rest (post massed practice).
• 2 weeks prior to performance: alternate 1 day distributed, 1 day massed (with all aspects as similar to actual performance as possible, including time of day, location, room acoustics, wearing performance-related articles of clothing, etc.), saving 1 day per week for rest following a massed practice day.
• Performance day: massed, blocked, constant warm-up of skills needed in recital; sing the recital; brief warm down afterward. 

It's not mentioned in the article but logic would dictate that you could also gradually lengthen each of your distributed sessions, from six 10-minute sessions to four 15-minute sessions to three 20-minute sessions to two 30-minute sessions. This could be another way to gradually build endurance for longer singing sessions. 

As you get settled into your practice schedules for the semester, you may consider some adjustments along the way that allow for a combination of distributed and massed practice. See how your voice responds. It's good to have consistency in your routine but it's also good to throw some variation in from time to time as well. 

How has your practice been so far this semester?

Now go practice. 

We're more than halfway to summer!

Exercise physiology

Welcome back! Let's get right to it.

Since singing is a physical activity, voice researchers are constantly looking for connections between vocal training and exercise physiology. The big question is: Do the same training principles used by athletes to become bigger, faster, and stronger work in building voices as well? The short answer seems to be: maybe.

While more research needs to be done, many voice pedagogues are encouraging structuring practices around the four basic principles of physical training. These principles were outlined by Professor John Nix in a recent article in the Journal of Singing called "Best Practices: Using Exercise Physiology and Motor Learning Principles in the Teaching Studio and Practice Room."

Exercise physiology at work.

Principle #1: Overloading is what happens when you ask a muscle to do more than it normally does, like in weight training when you use heavier weights with fewer reps. In singing, Nix says overloading would be like taking a difficult passage of music and singing it slower than you would in a performance. This would tax your breath management and how you handle the range in a way that, if you could master it, would make the normal tempo seem much easier.

Principle #2: Specificity means that your training regimen should match the skills you are trying to develop. For instance, if you're learning Amy's part in "Not getting married today" from COMPANY, you would want to practice vocal exercises that encourage freedom at the articulators (lips, tongue, jaw, etc.). If you're learning Paul's part in that same song, you'd want exercises that help build legato phrases.

Principle #3: Individuality calls for setting a training regimen that fits your unique capabilities and journey, which, as Nix says, can include your age, physical development, experience, health, and skill level. If you want to sing shimmering high Cs but right now you struggle with the G below it, it would be better if you worked to gradually increase your range rather than pushing for that C when it is beyond your current capabilities.

Principle #4: Reversibility is what some of you may be experiencing right now coming off break. It is essentially the "use it or lose it" principle that says the benefits you have gained through training are lost over time if you don't continue to train. In other words, be mindful when you are on a break that you aren't taking so much time off that you lose skills you have built.

As you are setting up your practice schedule for the semester, think about all the ways we train our bodies physically (dance, cardio, yoga, weight training, Pilates, etc.). Since the voice is a part of the body, there may be principles from this training that can be applicable to your vocal practice. Play around and see what you discover.

Let's have a great semester!

Now go practice.

All exercise must include periods of rest.