Summer time is Practice Time!
by Alyssa Cowell, Catoctin School of Music
The last day of school has passed, and it’s time for vacation! That means forgetting everything you learned in the previous school year and absolutely no responsibilities – right? WRONG. Summer is a prime time to pursue passion projects and build music skills without the time restraints of the school year – it’s not a time to take off from lessons, it’s a time to grow as a musician!
You spent all year working on your skills – now is not the time to rest on your laurels. Summer music practice provides an important opportunity to maintain your skills! Prolonged breaks from practice lead to loss of muscle memory, forgotten technique skills, and steps backward on your progress. On the flip side, continued practice keeps you from getting rusty as a player and enables you to sharpen your skills and prepares you to impress your school music director with how much you’ve improved over the summer!
Now that you’re convinced you should keep practicing over the summer, it’s time to make some personal goals and ask your private teacher to choose some new and challenging repertoire. Summer song projects are a great way to grow and develop as a musician. Maybe it’s time to look at new genres or styles of music outside of your comfort zone. Perhaps a deep dive into a new-to-you time period that will build technical skills in areas where your playing is weakest. Perhaps it’s time to dabble in a little song writing that requires you to improve your music theory knowledge and music notation skills. New music projects over the summer are a great way to foster creativity and expand your musical repertoire.
Exploring new music is fun during the summer because of the increased schedule flexibility – summer music practice can be fun and relaxing! Instead of having to carve out time from overloaded schedules, you have time to make music a fun part of your daily schedule. Start the day off with a little warm up and try spacing your practice throughout the day in 10–20-minute increments. Try practicing outside or getting a group of friends together for a jam session in the back yard, around the campfire, or at the playground in your neighborhood (but maybe not at the pool – instruments and water aren’t a great mix).
Summertime can be practicing time and fun time. Spending more time with your practice this summer can present the chance for screen-free entertainment and relaxation for musicians of all ages this summer. Don’t miss out on the chance to unplug and seize the opportunity to make strides as a musician while you relax and enjoy these long summer days.
