This article presents some thought-worthy ideas on the subject:
http://snip.ly/KSjJ#http://www.artoffreedom.me/how-long-should-you-practice-every-day/
One concept that particularly struck me was "quality over quantity.” It’s good to remember that while we have to practice often, it is more important to practice well than it is to practice a lot (the quality of the minutes spent practicing are more important than the number of minutes spent practicing).
I also appreciate the notion that we should consider how our musical practice fits in with our life priorities. Does your singing make you a better human being? Does it contribute to society? How? Practicing those elements of our singing are just as necessary (arguably MORE necessary) than the elements of our singing that make us “marketable.”
What perspectives do you take from the article? What might you adjust or give more focus to in your own practice routine based on what you read?
Now go practice.
I love the concept of quality over quantity. I am definitely guilty of just going into a practice room and singing whatever I want for about an hour. It is definitely more effective to sing warmups and then work on my pieces. I need to focus on my focus. When I don't particularly like what I'm working on my brain says "let's just sing through the Hamilton soundtrack!" And I'll practice singing for over an hour, but I won't sing anything that I'm supposed to be singing.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Cara on this one. I know I have my days where I just want to get into singing the stuff I'm working on. I need to remind myself to warm up first some times and then carry on. I also feel that singing does affect my daily life.It makes me happy as well as brings some color into the world having more art around.
ReplyDeleteI think that the concept of there being no “should” is very interesting. Because some days I find that I only want to give 15 minutes of practice where as other days I could go for an hour depending on my personal availability (not only time wise but emotionally/energetically). I think that when I tell myself that I NEED to get this done right now, that makes me want to do it less. So that idea really resonated with me. So maybe for me it’s about changing my mind-frame and telling myself that its something that I want to excel in, and therefore something I want to do! The power of positive thinking, and all that! Also having a specific goal for each practice I think helps (i.e. today I am going to work on this phrase of my song, or I'm going to work on this specific exercise that Brian had me do, ect.).
ReplyDelete-Katryna Williams
I really like the idea of smaller sections of practice as opposed to long sections of practice. I feel that it's easier to find 15 minute sections in my day when I can take the time to breathe, sing, etc. rather than attempting to fit in a long rehearsal when each day is ultimately different, but just as busy, as the next. Plus, it is a repeated mood boost, which brings me to my next point...
ReplyDeleteDoes singing make us a better human being?
I personally believe that singing makes me a better human being. When I sing, I am happy. It puts me in a good mood. This mood remains with me after I have finished singing and continues throughout the day. When I'm in a better mood I feel like I am a nicer human being, and a better artist. These things come into play when I am doing my work, or creating art, and therefor helping me to make better contributions to society as well.
Cece Otto
Wait, if you don't use quality 100% of the time in your practice why are you here? I have a hard time believing that there is such a thing as "bad practicing". I mean in practice, you are practicing building up the things you already are in a way, so that aspect of the quality is there and will always be there. Also recently I have been founding the sessions super frustrating. I find it super time consuming because I find myself needing to fully warm up before each and every session which I think defeated the purpose, so I've been switching my practice routine and doing more long sessions which I find more efficent sometimes. I also think it might be beneficial to do longer sessions now and then to give those vocal folds a nice deep stretch. Short sessions have a lesser probability for that nice deep stretch. It's all about the stretch.
ReplyDeleteWell, considering the adage "practice makes permanent" (as opposed to "practice makes perfect") the things you practice become more ingrained. So, if you're reinforcing an inefficient habit that may be considered an example of "bad practicing."
DeleteAnd, of course, everyone has to find what works best for them. If longer sessions work well for you, then you should practice in longer sessions. But if it stops being as productive as you'd like, or if you just need to change things up (which can be good for the voice) then you can try a different approach.
While I found this article beautiful, I am not sure how much I buy into her views on practicing. For example, the concept that in order for your music to be beautiful, balanced, and in tune, you as a person have to also be beautiful, balanced, and in tune. Life can be really difficult and really confusing. Does that mean that while you are going through a rough time in life you should stop practicing? What if this rough time lasts a week? a month? a year? Do I stop practicing altogether because I don't want to practice making music while in that state? I disagree with that whole-heartedly. If I want to enjoy music-making, that does NOT mean I can only practice while I am in a good, balanced mood. I know there have been times in my life where I have felt very ungrounded, unbalanced, confused, and downright unhappy, but I continue to sing and practice anyway. Personally, that has not ruined my love for making music. In fact, practicing and singing while I feel down in life is an escape. Losing myself in the music and completely changing my focus for that particular practice session, makes everything look brighter. Do not wait for the "right" time to practice, instead let the practicing make your life seem "right" again.
ReplyDeleteYou raise some very good points, Jessica. As professionals, there are times when we sing with technique at the center of our focus. But as human beings, hopefully there are even more times when we sing simply because it feeds our souls.
DeleteThis comment is completely random:
ReplyDeleteI have come up with a very good analogy: singing is a lot like driving stick. You have different gears (registers) and your goal is to move from gear to gear without any bumps/killing/etc. Similarly, in singing, your goal is to transition from register to register without any bumps/killing/etc. I am sure I will come up with more reasons why singing and driving stick are the same, but that's all I have for now. :)
So, you're essentially trying to get your voice to function as seamlessly between gears as an automatic transmission. Eh?
DeleteI have started learning many things in life, only to stop practicing and let it slip into nothing. Guitar was the first thing that I ever really stuck with, and guitar was the first thing that I never really tried to practice. I never set a schedule, I never set goals for how much I would practice. I never had lessons. I just wanted to play because the people around me were playing. They would teach me a few things and I would keep that excitement and go play on my own. Eventually I would hit a roadblock and there would be something I could not play. I would then figure out how to practice that specific thing until I got it.
ReplyDeleteVoice has been a very different journey for me. I love to sing and I do it all of the time, but just singing is not practice. I am not getting better if I am just singing along with my radio in the car. It takes focus on practicing specific things that will help me improve. I have also noticed that I rarely want to practice until I start practicing. Once I am in a practice it is really enjoyable, but for some reason the idea of starting to practice doesn't exactly fill me up with excitement.
That's part of the method in the madness behind the shorter practice sessions. If you know you only have to practice for 10-15 minutes, that helps you get started. Then, once you have some momentum built up, odds are you'll go longer than just 10-15 minutes.
DeleteI appreciate a lot of the ideas presented in this article/post. I feel it is a refreshing take on what practice time ought to look like and feel like as opposed to an overly disciplined take that can feel often rigid or strict. That being said, I don't know if I 100% agree with the idea that you "should practice only as long as you are sincerely interested" because I know that in anything that requires practice, I do not always feel like doing it. Some days I walk into the studio (voice/acting/movement/singing/etc.) in no mood or mental condition to achieve my best work. However, I feel I can train myself to put aside my preexisting conditions, get myself into a state more available for growth, and do the work. I think that the ability to do the work even when I do not "feel" like it that day speaks to training professionalism and resilience within the art. For me, when I experience this, I often leave the studio feeling a lighter burden than when I had come in because I at least feel I have done what is best for myself and made myself better somehow despite any desires to be elsewhere and put in less effort.
ReplyDeleteSomething that resonated with me was the idea of why you are practicing. Is it out of fear? Love? Anxiety? Passion? I definitely feel I have practiced out of all of the above but I think bringing it to self-awareness would be an informative step to take. Looking back I can already express that when I have practiced out of love and passion I left the room more full and with more growth than when I have practiced out of fear and anxiety. When I practice out of the former, I practice to make myself a better artist and human and to get a more generous, creative self. When I have practiced out of the latter, I practice so that I do not fall behind or receive unwanted judgment.
~Ashley Marian Ramos
It's true that fear, love, anxiety, and passion can all be good motivators. Studies continue to point to the fact that the negative emotions tend to only be good in the short term. So if fear gets you in the practice room every so often, that's not necessarily a bad thing. But if fear is the primary motivation for your career (instead of love, passion, etc.) then it may not be sustainable.
DeleteSomething I've heard since I was a little kid playing sports was you play how you practice. If you practice lacrosse with a tense, quick cradle, you will always have trouble slowing down to shoot and score. I think this article is saying the same thing about singing. If we train our muscles and our mind to be a certain way while singing a certain song than it will be much harder to change, correct, or break that habit later on. If we do this with good, healthy balanced habits, maybe we'll have less to worry about it performance. I think practicing helps me center myself, but I'm not sure I always practice that way. Only when I can sing a song in any situation; for class, audition, performance, casually in the car, with a friend, for an important teacher- only when I've done all of these do I ever feel like a song could be practiced a bit less. I'm not sure that I agree with her that there's no right amount in numbers; I find that practicing a song or a show double the amount I do in class during the week and triple the amount on weekends is a good formula for me- but maybe she's right in that this works for me and me alone. Maybe I'll try doing yoga or meditating for a minute before I start vocalizing during my next practice session. Even if it doesn't help, I doubt it will hurt.
ReplyDeleteSinging, for me, is almost therapeutic. Whenever I'm feeling down, stressed, relaxed, or even happy, singing can easily make me feel better. Music has such an emotional connection with me that I can channel my feelings into the songs I hear and sing. This, in a way, helps me become a better singer, but it also helps me become a better actor. While I agree with the statement "quality over quantity", I feel like it's important to sing as often as possible, even if you're sick or your voice doesn't sound as good as it normally does. In musical theatre, while it's important to have a good voice, I feel like it's more important to get the message of the song across with as much emotion as possible. There was a video that I recently watched on Youtube that had Judi Dench singing "Send in the Clowns" and while Judi Dench isn't the best singer in the world, her song was extremely powerful and emotional. And so I've made it a recent goal of mine to sing with more emotion even if it impacts my vocals slightly.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to the video if anybody is interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvZex3Qf7QQ
That's always an important consideration: which comes first, the voice or communication? Certainly there are times when a beautiful sound is the best vehicle to communicate an emotion. Other times it may require singing that is edgier and more vocally risky. A lot goes into deciding which sound to use so we have to analyze, consider, and then choose carefully.
DeleteAnd I love that video of Dame Judi. Excellent example of how to communicate through song.
I agree that there is definitely quality over quantity in singing, but I also think that the two elements go hand in hand. I've been sick this past week, which has made it difficult for me to sing and give much quality to the work I've done in practicing, well at least that's what I thought. However, when I was able to sing full out yesterday and today, the quality showed in the time I spent in the words and rhythms if the songs so that I could focus on the music itself.
ReplyDeleteMusic and singing to me is my one moment to step outside of the real world and just be in this one moment of me and the music. I cherish every time that I can sing, be it by myself, with friends, or a performance in class. I would never be the same if I couldn't sing, nor would I be the person that I am today without music.
The part of the article that really struck me was the fact that I need to find out why I am doing this, and what I want to reach. I need to make sure that when I practice I practice what I want to practice, and That will push me towards something I haven't experienced before.
ReplyDeleteI can't give you credit for your post if I can't tell who you are...
DeleteWho wrote this?
I loved the part of the article that said "HOW are you practicing?"...I think this is really important. Sure, sometimes we don't want to practice at all but once we push ourselves past that part we need to look at how we spend each second of our practice. I find my practice to be a lot easier when I have decided what I'm going to work on. I think it is important to choose a certain skill to work on or maybe a specific song to work on. I think it makes the practice more meaningful and you won't be switching from one thing to the next every five minutes. I also see singing as a way to escape the outside world. I see all of theatre as an escape, really. So I think sometimes, if you have a lot of extra time that day, it is fun to just do whatever your voice is telling you to do. Do a few scales, sing a crazy song you like, etc. I think it's also nice to be able to listen to other singers as practice. I love pulling up different songs on youtube and seeing how different artists use their instruments. I think it is also awesome to have a goal. Sometimes you won't reach that goal right away, but you will one day! and as long as you are progressing in some form, that's awesome.
ReplyDeleteIs this Sarah Walker or Sarah Hutch?
DeleteBRIAN IT'S SARAH WALKER.... i already told you in person but i'm now seeing it online
DeleteI really appreciate the idea of quality over quantity. I feel like, growing up playing the the flute and the piano, the idea that I needed to practice a very specific amount of time every time I practice was deeply ingrained into me, and once I no longer had those constraints, I found myself not wanting to practice because I felt that practice time needed to be exactly 30 minutes set aside every day or whatever the qualifications were. Nowadays, I don't necessarily have 30 minutes all at once to set aside. I think it is important for me to continue getting in the habit of practicing well instead of a lot. This way, I don't feel tempted to skip ahead to just my songs. I think practicing well also brings a very important discipline that I need to stay organized and helps me to actually improve and strengthen my voice. When I see improvement or I am satisfied with my voice, it really improves my mood for the rest of the day. My goal for this semester is to set aside time that works for me for practicing so that I feel accomplished but not overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteOne of the hardest things for me, when it comes to practicing, is actual motivation. IE. When I've finally gotten home from a day of school or work or what not, I'd sometimes rather lie down and relax than practice more vocal technique. The reality is though, some times I just have to put aside any doubts I have and just practice. Even if that just means looking over my music and memorizing words, or just some simple vocal exercises. One thing that I need to work on this semester is a wider consistency in my rehearsal schedule, even if I can only fit in 10-15 minutes on some days, doing something is better than doing nothing.
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