This is one of the reasons why it's better to practice a little bit every day throughout the week rather than a huge practice session the day before your voice lesson or before you have to perform in class. Besides the risk of injury, you don't really have the same opportunity to embed skills in one practice session (even a long session) as you do when you spread that practice out over multiple sessions.
There is another fascinating element of shorter versus longer practice sessions that is worth exploring. Like Nix, performance psychologist Noa Kageyama took a look at existing research for possible tie-ins to music practice. In his blog, titled "The Bulletproof Musician," Kageyama looked at a 2009 study where subjects engaged in “spaced learning” versus “massed learning” when studying vocabulary words with flashcards. Go figure, spacing was more effective than both massing and “cramming” (defined as massing study on the last day before the test), even though all subjects studied for approximately the same cumulative number of minutes. But he also revealed the following:
“[T]he spaced group underestimated how much they had learned from their study session, while the massed group overestimated how much they had gained from their study session. So something about massed practice led to the illusion of effective learning. Whereas spaced practice led to more actual learning—even if it didn’t feel like it at the time.”
So, we may be conditioned to believe that massed practice is the most effective. Of course, we should be most interested in what Kageyama describes as actual learning rather than the illusion of effective learning.
As many of you may know, in Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, the character of Jamie is hesitant to jump into a full-blown marriage proposal. Instead of asking Cathy for a life together, he asks for only 10 minutes of commitment, in the hopes that it will lead to a second, equal interval:
“Will you share your life with me for the next ten minutes? For the next ten minutes: we can handle that. We could watch the waves, we could watch the sky, or just sit and wait as the time ticks by, and if we make it ‘till then, can I ask you again for another ten?”
Now, things don't end all that happily for this doomed couple. Still, as it relates to practice, Jamie may have been on to something (at least in THIS case). Instead of thinking of long-term commitments of extended practice sessions, maybe all we need to do is dedicate 10 minutes to practice. And then, later in the day, another 10. And then another.
How has your practice been going? Would shorter, more frequent practice sessions work with your schedule?
Now go practice.
My practices are going really well. I used them a lot with robin hood and i've noticed a helpful change in my voice when preparing for the day ahead. Now that the play is over i'm still feeling like they're helpful. I think also with the amount of singing that i am doing lessoning the lessons won't help the more i practice the more i want to sing so i think it goes hand in hand
ReplyDeleteI thought that the difference between distributed practice and massed practice was interesting. I know that is what we have been discussing on repeat in these blogs and in class, but what stuck with me was how in reporting progress, distributed seemed to underestimate progress and massed overestimated progress. That makes sense but was interesting to hear about regardless. I will fully admit that at times I feel the same exact way. Easy to ignore the slow and steady progress. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI learned about this concept of distributed versus massed practice in an AP Psychology class; this reminder was needed! Extremely distributed practice has been what my schedule has been looking like because of how busy I am. This is also a helpful tactic given the fact that one of my new goals is being more resonant, louder, and just singing bigger overall since I can be tentative at times. With this though, Xanadu is coming up and is a project that will require a lot of vocal stamina. So, I think I can work on revising my practice schedule to include more massed practice to implement a space for more stamina.
ReplyDeleteAlexa Shaheen
I thought It was an interesting comparison drawn between the spaced and massed groups overestimating vs. underestimating their progress, respectively. I have definitely felt both sides of this myself. I find that when I space out my practice time, I can retain material and feel more comfortable with new rep faster than when I "cram" for lessons or singing in class, which makes a world of difference in performance quality and ability to rely on technique rather than focusing on other things that aren't serving me. I feel like this is going to be really helpful for me with Xanadu coming up in my understudy preparation and juggling that with also having an ensemble role that I'm doing at the same time
ReplyDeleteAlec Foote
This idea is something that has always come for me in school, it is much more effective to study consistently in small increments then big loads all at once. It has definitely proven itself with memorizing things for me, I will retain and actually have lines or songs stick if I study them everyday rather then trying to the night before for a long period of time. I definitely want to apply this more with this class, I have waited more closely to performing to kick it into gear but I have not always had as much practice as I needed it. I will try to implement this more in my mornings to practice to listen to the songs more as I drive to and from places.
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I honestly always thought that this way of working has been the most efficient for me. Doing things more spread out over a consistent amount of time over cramming it all into one day. I love the section where you noted that shorter practice sessions are more healthy than longer practice sessions because there is less of a chance for fatigue or injury. I usually practice daily, but I have trouble remembering to log my sessions down, so I need to make sure to be consistent with that. Thank you! Also I love the picture you put on this post! :)
ReplyDeleteI can totally see how spreading out practice over a longer period of time is more effective than cramming it all into one day. When we learn new choreography in dance, I always feel so much more confident in it the next class because it feels like it just needs time to settle, and I've noticed the same thing with my singing sometimes as well. I am still struggling to find time to practice in the mornings when the practice rooms are open, but Midsummer closing should give me more time. I think I will also try listening to the songs on my walk to class so I can be 100% ready with the rhythm when I actually practice. I'm also going to start practicing the songs silently in my dorm so that I can also pre-prepare my acting choices for my real practices.
ReplyDeleteI think this is such a good post Brian! There are days during the week where everything seems to overwhelm me, and the thought of practicing just seems like something extra to add to my plate, as I know I need to sit down, set up what I need to practice, find a place to do it, and then practice. All of which discourages me from practicing as often as I should. However, this idea of distributed practice over the course of a day is actually a really good idea of getting me to fix that habit that I have built. Taking ten minutes is such a small amount of time out of the day, and maybe dedicating two more sessions like that into my routine throughout the day is just enough for me to swallow, biting off pieces that I can chew as I move throughout the day, while still getting the amount of practice in that I want!
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to get into more frequent practice. I tend to procrastinate and then try to do all the things at once, which gets overwhelming and bad. 100% I find it more effective to spread things out because they tend to settle in better, and it allows me to focus on one thing at a time or slowly build up to something over the week rather than, "I have two days to get this shit right." It also tends to be easier to find 10-20 minutes a day the week before an audition/performance than to find an hour or two the day before.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I especially loved the part where you included Jason Robert Brown to keep the theater kids interested. Practice has been going well. I feel I have been improving, especially at the songs in my rep book—many things feel easier vocally because I’ve relieved a lot of tension. I definitely identify as a “mass practicer” as it feels easier to get everything done in one go and means I only have to block out time on one or two days. Obviously you have proved this to be a less efficient way of practicing, so I definitely think I need to reevaluate how I practice, but unfortunately because of how full my days are, I don’t have a ton of time throughout the day to incorporate 10-min practices, and therefore have to do more time-intensive practices during the evenings.
ReplyDeleteAurora Nelson
My practice was going well until I got sick. When I got sick, I could barely talk, let alone sing. I did try to practice by learning and listing to the songs. I am now back into the swing of things, and I can tell I lost a little of progress, but I am doing well. I also think that short practices won't work because I won't be able progress unless I have time to run things over and over to learn and improve.
ReplyDeleteI think that shorter more frequent practices fit into my schedule better than longer ones. My schedule is always changing and always busy so a lot of the times my only practice in a week is a few 10 minute sessions. The fact that there is research saying that that is a good thing is nice to hear. Shorter sessions are less daunting to me, even if it means finding time for them more frequently, it is easier to tell myself to practice for a few minutes and not feel overwhelmed by the task. Bits sized chunks are usually the best. I have liked having specific songs and exercises to work with in my practice, the stuff we are doing in class is giving me a good baseline to work on in my own time. I think that I always could be more consistent, but some practice is better than none!
ReplyDeleteMass practice was something that I did a lot in my high school years. My attention span has a hard time with starting something, let alone stopping once I do begin. However, since coming to college, while taking voice lessons and pedagogy, I have been learning the art of distributed practice. JRB did something good there— sometimes just 10 minutes is all you need to put your mind and heart into something. I could certainly implement better habits in my practice schedule when pressure is overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteHailey Petersen
I think doing multiple shorter practice sessions would be way better for me because I don't perform long, nor do I really perform. It would also fit into my schedule better, especially because I could start practicing while I commute instead of before/afterwards. Maybe I'll try it and see how it goes!
ReplyDeleteWhen I have been practicing guitar I practice everyday for at least 10 minutes and sometimes I forget about the time and it’s 40 minutes before I know it. That being said it. It helps me settle in the work that I did. If I at least do 10 minutes of practice for anything I’ll progress even faster and further then doing an hour a week. I need to find ways to practice while I am having this cough. I have found that this cough is harming my vocal cords and my voice and range. So when this cough goes I can really dive into the practice.
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