Keeping A Practice Log

Before this semester, I was never someone who scheduled my practice time. Sure, I knew what blocks of time I had to practice on any given day, but I didn’t have a plan on what I was doing exactly. I’m also a person that can start a habit no problem, but never keep them up. But once I switched to an iPad for my sheet music and for taking notes in class, I started to use Goodnotes to my advantage.

You can use any note-taking app for this, but I created a weekly practice log for myself that I’ve been using for the semester so far. I log what I do (scales, etudes, orchestra music, etc.) for how long, and what days of the week I practice. It’s helpful for a few reasons:

One, I can see what days I missed or didn’t practice so I can plan what my rest day is. I like to take one day off of practicing, so if I miss another day I know I have to make that up in the next practice session.

Two, it helps me to see what I actually did when I practiced; I usually forget what I practiced on any given day so being able to see what I did informs me on what to do for the next practice session. For example, if I did Bach Partita No. 3 Minuet 1 on Monday and in my Wednesday lesson my professor wants me to practice both Minuets, I can practice Minuet 1 a little less on Tuesday and focus more on Minuet 2.

Three, it provides important information that you can bring to your lessons. Earlier this semester I was having trouble fitting all of my music in a three hour practice block. Because I was writing down what I was practicing, I was able to tell my professor exactly how I was practicing. That led to the discovery that orchestra music shouldn’t take up more than 30 minutes of my practice time, and that a lot can be done outside of the practice room (especially for orchestra music, listening to the pieces cuts my practice time in half).

This has helped me a TON in keeping my practice time as efficient as possible and to keep me accountable. I usually write down what I want to do just before practicing instead of planning my week out ahead of time because I find it important to be flexible with my schedule. One of my favorite quotes about consistency is that “consistency requires flexibility”, and I can’t agree more with this. I never know how I’m going to be feeling until that day, and my practice time should reflect that I am human. Motivation isn’t always going to be steady, and that’s okay.

Na'ilah Ali​