Finding Time To Practice

October 28, 2010 at 6:53 PM

It is not always easy to fit in very much violin practice in a day, especially when you lead a busy life juggling work, school, the kids or anything else going on. For me, it is school. I'm in year 11 of high school which is the last year of my GCSE's. My work load, to be truthful, can be massive, and it seems that as soon as I cross one homework piece off my list, another 3 creep their way onto it. It is a constant growing mountain of Music, Science, Maths, English, French, Welsh, Religious Education, History and all the rest!

So, gradually, I have come up with ways of making sure I can fit in my daily practice. Instead of rushing out of the door on some mornings to get to school, I get up half an hour earlier and do maybe 10 or 20 minutes of practice just to warm up. Then, I might take my violin to school with me and do half an hour at lunch time. After school on most days I do a small amount of practice before starting on any homework I have. Then, after doing some homework, I can get back to doing some violin. Usually this is enough to help me relax and get myself back into focus for any more work I have to do.

It is about striking the right balance between work and play. Play to me is violin - it is something I enjoy doing, even though technically I do a lot of work on it. It relaxes me and I am then able to get back into focus for the rest of the day. Work is something I would rather not do at all, but it has to be done.

So if you struggle to fit in practice, don't worry. There is more time on your hands than you may think. 10 minutes of violin practice every couple of hours might not seem much, but it adds up and can go a long way, especially when you're stressed.

So do that little bit more and get up slightly earlier, try and fit in a bit at break and lunch times, do bits in the evening but don't feel like you just need to slave over work at your desk or even slave in front of the music stand. Take it in your stride and it will come to you.

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Finding Time To Practice

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