Tips for Positive Practice Mindset

For musicians, practice is our battleground.

There is intense drama going on in any musician’s practice because, when we practice, we are all battling with the worst enemy in the world- the oneself. Oftentimes, we win the battles, but some of the thoughts and emotions we experience in our practice are not healthy and worth experiencing. 

Although I’m not technically diagnosed with any mental illness, I experienced a lot of emotional and mental struggle through the long years of schools as a music major. At the end of my graduate studies, I had an epiphany in my personal development journey which made me realize how hurtful and unproductive some of our mindsets are for music practice, and I started to implement a more conscious and mindful approach to my practice and this shift has helped me to become a much happier and aligned musician. 

So here are the tips.

1. Meditate before practice

I know once we get into the practice room, we are eager to jump into the practice, but give it a minute or two before your dive in. Close your eyes and calm yourself. Sometimes, I say affirmations on being a fulfilled musician. Sometimes, I visualize a successful practice or performance. Sometimes I just focus on deep breathing, especially on the days that I feel rushed and anxious. But giving myself that couple of minutes to re-compose my energy really boosts my motivation and focus. 

2. Set intentions instead of goals

We have been raised in such a goal-oriented society, and intuitively, setting and achieving goals sounds more productive and fulfilling, but as we all know from our life experience, that goal-oriented life comes with anxiety and disappointments. Having intention, on the other hand, gives you more generous room for growth and self-love. For example, I used to have a few spots I must master, and if I couldn’t do it in time or if I achieved it one day, it’s gone the next day, then, I felt really discouraged and frustrated. However, if you have intentions, you still have the drive and direction for the improvement, but there is no room for disappointment. Nowadays, my intentions for the violin practice are relaxing more and aurally connecting deeper. This might sound too loose, but you would be surprised how fast and effectively you improve, and how much growth you can achieve by just having intentions in your practice even without tackling specific goals. 

3. Journal and record

For the journal, I write my intentions down. I also record the progress I make, and any feelings and thoughts that come to me after monitoring my videos.

For recording, I record a short clip of what I worked on for each segment of the practice, and I review them. This creates an opportunity for you to listen and watch yourself and improve before anyone else can criticize you. You can always choose to be kind to yourself when monitoring yourself and making those improvements whereas how someone else would react  is out of your control. Also, self awareness is the key to any improvement in life. This helps a lot in raising self awareness as a musician-you.

This habit of recording myself led me to implement the next tip which is

4. Smile instead of frown when you make mistakes

While watching my own videos, I saw myself making the meanest face I’ve ever made in my life when I made mistakes. I would never make that face to other people because it is so mean and rude. However, during my practice,I was treating myself with no respect and as if I was the worst thing in the world. It really shocked me… So after realizing that, I decided to give myself a smile instead of a frown when I make a mistake. This small change has affected the vibe of my practice quite significantly. 

5. No pain yes gain

We tend to push ourselves a little too harsh when we are in the midst of our practice, and we tend to normalize enduring pain from over practicing as a sense of accomplishment, or at least an effort. However, that is not healthy both physically and mentally, and for the long run, injury prevention should be one of the top priorities for musicians. So maybe in life, no pain no gain, but in practice, no pain yes gain.

6. Focus on the progress, not problem

Yes. we have our spots to work on, and techniques to master. However, when we focus on the problems to fix, that brings a whole negative energy into your practice. This ignites self-doubts, frustrations, comparison mindset, and anxiety. Instead, focus on the progress that you are making. We do the same things to practice, but just looking at it at a completely different angle. However, in this angle, there’s no room for negativity, but we nurture self-esteem, hope, and confidence.

7. Surround yourself with positivity and inspiration

If you have a studio mate, stand partner, or even, a really negative teacher, you don’t have to keep them in your life even if you work with them. Keep the distance and protect your boundaries. Build your tribe with people who are positive and inspirational. Avoid people who are always complaining, worrying, anxious, and angry. Also, always look for inspirations. I put nice wall arts around my practice area to feel beautiful and inspired, and I always try to clean my surroundings before practice. Consciously cultivate positive and  inspiration in life!

I hope these tips help you to cultivate healthy and happy approaches to your practice and musical journey!

Happy practicing!!!

Thank you for spending time with me, and I will see you in the next posting!

Bye~