🕰 practice routines
Ah yes, routines! Sounds boring, right? 😒 Well maybe, but the amazing thing with routines, especially in your non-work life, is that you can create your own! 🙌 What can you and should you include in your practice routine? Here are some ideas to check off each day in your practice/music bullet journal. But first … see if you can guess the first and most important suggestion!
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Tune your harp, body, and mind (did you get it right?!)
Tuning the harp is pretty self explanatory, but body and mind? Make sure to get some stretching in, not necessarily a full on yoga session, but enough to start to release any tension in your body. I’d also recommend this after a practice session (I love using a foam ball roller on those really intense practice or gigging days). To tune your mind, take a moment to promise yourself that no matter what happens in this session, you will be kind to yourself. Begin playing the harp but just taking a moment to fully appreciate a single note and it’s beauty.
Warm up exercises - scales and exercises are a great way to get the blood flowing. If my fingers are cold, I can’t play, so this is essential for me. It will also help prevent frustrations if you just jump into a piece and you can’t seem to figure out why your tone doesn’t sound that great. It’s because you haven’t warmed up. 🌤 My favorite warm ups are from the Yolanda Kondonassis book - On Playing the Harp. Not only does it have exercises with places to mark your BPMs and dates but at the back has full on exercises including scales, arpeggios, rhythm exercises, trills, anything you can think of!
Look over your goals for the day and slowly chip away.
Once you have done all the hard practice, now is the time to get creative and have fun! Spend some time at the end of your session improvising, composing, playing a favorite piece or two (or three or four!) Use some creative practicing techniques or experiment with extended techniques on the harp.
Write down your accomplishments as well as what did not go so well and how you think you can improve. Take this time to write out your goals for the next practice session.
I hope you found these suggestion/ outline useful. While it is great to have these routines in place in life, remember that your routine can and will change as your needs and goals change. This is absolutely normal and to be expected and should NOT be viewed as a failure.
Keep it up and enjoy the process!
🖤michelle