How often should I practice my singing?
It’s not uncommon to hear that musicians practice for hours a day. There is a strong narrative that musicians (and that includes singers, in case you were in any doubt!) should be practicing a lot. And every day.
In fact, there’s a famous quote from Louis Armstrong that goes “If I don't practice for a day, I know it. If I don't practice for two days, the critics know it. And if I don't practice for three days, the public knows it.”
But what if you don’t have time every day? What if you’re not in an environment that allows for long practice sessions at convenient times that won’t disturb anyone? What if being a singer isn’t your only responsibility in life?
It’s at these moments that it becomes easier to write off the idea of practicing entirely; if it’s not the perfect circumstance, it may as well not happen.
But we know that practice is important to develop our skills and increase our experience and confidence levels…
Here are a number of ways that we can reframe the thinking around practice to become supportive of our efforts, rather than it become a chore, or something that gets deprioritised when life becomes busy. With these reframes, perhaps practicing daily isn’t beyond us.
1. Rethink time
A practice session doesn’t need to be hours long. It doesn’t even need to be 20 minutes long! If you have 30 seconds available to explore vocalising in a new vocal setup - think ‘calling out’ or a twangy ‘nay’. Boom. There’s some curiosity-led technique work. Better than nothing.
2. Rethink ‘practice’
Does practice necessarily mean repeating a drill over and over? Or singing a whole song? OR could we think of practice as also listening to gather new repertoire, or making music with friends, or playing on an aural training app on your commute to work instead of scrolling social media? Informal practice can be just as beneficial as formal practice, and is sometimes easier to fit into a busy schedule too.
3. Redefine practice goals
This blog has explored time-based versus task-based goals before, but by giving practice sessions a specific task to complete, rather than a length of time, we can shorten the practice time required but potentially feel more achievement and therefore increase motivation.
4. Be flexible
One of the most important elements in our approach to practice is compassion. Life happens and sometimes spending an hour working on your voice is outside of the realms of possibility! Feeling guilty about not practicing won’t make it happen! In fact, it might have the opposite effect and demotivate you. Allowing for schedules to change, or surprise illnesses to take hold, and not feeling bound to a rigid practice schedule might well lead to more opportunities to practice.
For more singing practice tips you can follow me on social media @TessaSmithMusic, or explore thesingersguide.com where there are resources all about optimising your singing practice.