Claiming the Practice Room

Remember in your undergrad? Or grad school? (Or maybe that’s where you are now!)

You had to “claim” your practice room and move in due to lack of facilities - there were never enough spaces to go around. I am sure it’s the same now, or perhaps worse.

There was an unspoken “how many HOURS did you practice today?” competition it seemed.

What we didn’t realize is that it didn’t matter. Especially as a singer. Longer didn’t equal better. Just because you camped out your stuff in a practice room didn’t mean you were practicing.

Were we ever taught HOW to practice? Some of us came from other musical disciplines and tried to balance off what we knew from that, but honestly, did we know?!

What does practice actually mean? And how do you do it?

Well, the answer is: it depends.

Practice is personal. It’s not about the amount of time, but how you use it.

I always liken it to being at the gym: what do those guys who live at the gym do there all day? Are they working out the entire time?

If singing is athletic, and it is, then learning how to practice as an athlete is crucial. Then we add the musical landscape, and the dramatic landscape, as well as the stylistic landscape.

Here’s a suggestion: don’t do it all at once. It’s overwhelming and nothing gets done well, or with purpose.

When I hear singers say “I practiced for 3 hours yesterday” my first query is: what did you actually DO? How did you DO it?

So, what are you DOING? Is it an all or nothing approach? How’s that working? Is it a freak-out, I suddenly have something coming up and I need to go into overdrive approach? How’s that working?

I am not saying that sometimes that’s where we land. I know it’s hard to stay motivated to practice when you don’t have something to work toward.

So, hear me out: if we think athletically, we would never say “okay I’ve built the muscle I want, now I never have to go to the gym again”. (although I would love if that were true!)

The same goes for singing. Intrinsic muscles and hormones are very much a part of our physical instrument. We truly don’t fully realize the instrument until much later than most of us think! (WAY past undergrad).

If we aren’t accessing those muscles in a functional way, on a regular basis, then it’s going to be a slog to get things going again.

And who has 3 hours a day? Who has an hour a day?

If we breakdown what we NEED in our practice, it can help to claim the practice room to optimal effect.

Are you just running repertoire? Do you warm up the body and voice prior or do you just jump in?

Are you thinking you have to do warm up, building technique AND repertoire each time you practice?

Are you overwhelmed, and over it?

I am a big believer in the micro-practicing. What does this mean? It means you can explore short sessions throughout the day if you know WHY you are doing what you are doing.

If you know why you do what you do, what the reasons are, you can build upon your practice with a day and thus within a week.

Start here: Just get anchored and stretch the physicality - the entire body, the alignment, and start the vibration. You’ve practiced!

Claim THAT and start there.

Then you gradually add - but not all at the same time. On days you are wanting to focus on repertoire, don’t overdo the technical behavior building! Leave that to ANOTHER day.

What does your voice need? What are you working on technically? You can work on that within your repertoire, and alone. If you know why and stay present, you are able to transition back and forth more effectively.

Do you have practice days that simply explore language? That begin to develop dramatic intention? With NO singing at all? That’s practice too!

So, take time to work your week into micro-sections. It’s not an all or nothing. It’s not about leaving it to the last minute and hope it sticks.

Warming up is not the same thing as technically building is not the same thing as crafting a song or aria or role.

“Claiming the practice room” is really about being conscious of your instrument, your needs, your time, your process - and building that into the day and the week and the month.

Claiming this process can be creative too! And, like going to the gym, sometimes it’s just GETTING there that is hardest, and once you are there, the motivation arrives right on time.

So action your claim. It’s yours for the taking!

with fondness & fierceness,