Staying Motivated Between Lessons
Going to music lessons is a wonderful thing. You can talk to your teacher, get specific help, ask questions, and more! But what about in between lessons when your teacher isn’t there. This post offers some tricks for how to keep your motivation between lessons as high as it is during lessons.
The “Five-Minute” Rule
Commit to playing for just five minutes. The hardest part is simply opening the case or sitting at the bench. Once you start, you’ll usually find your flow and stay longer, but on low-energy days, those five minutes still keep your muscle memory sharp.
Mix “Work” with “Play”
Divide your practice time. Spend the first half on the “work”—scales, technique, or that tricky passage your teacher assigned. Spend the second half on “play”—noodling around, learning a riff from a song you love, or experimenting with sounds. This reminds you why you started playing in the first place.
Record Yourself
Use your phone to record a quick video or audio clip of a piece you’re working on. Listening back helps you catch things you didn’t notice while playing, and saving these clips allows you to look back in a month and see tangible proof of how much you’ve improved.
Create a “Performance” Goal
Even if you aren’t ready for a stage, pick a date to “perform” a specific song for a friend, a family member, or even your pet. Having a “deadline” creates a healthy sense of urgency that keeps you focused.
Curate an Inspiration Playlist
On days you don’t feel like playing, just listen. Create a playlist of musicians who play your instrument exceptionally well (like the John Mayer or Yo-Yo Ma tracks you’ve looked into). Listening to what’s possible can reignite your “I want to do that” spark.
There are so many other things you can do to boost motivation, but these are just a few of our favorites. Did we forget your favorite motivation booster? Leave a comment and let us know what helps you keep your head in the game. Thanks for tuning in this time! See ya next week.
As an institution that is a beat above the rest, Breaking the Barrier School of Music provides quality music lessons in a family atmosphere to students of all ages and skillsets. For more articles like these or information on this school, visit https://btbschoolofmusic.com/
