It goes without saying that regular, effective practice is essential to success as a singer. Many articles on practicing tips have been published over the years in Classical Singer as well as other publications. But I want to address an important related issue: creating an ideal environment for practicing, one that is free from outside interference. Particularly for undergraduates, it sometimes feels impossible to disconnect from the distractions of electronics, people, and noise. In order for effective practice to take place, singers need to intentionally create a distraction-free environment. Here are some tips to “find one’s space” for mental focus and clarity.
Solitude
Singers are by nature very social individuals—but most of the time, effective practicing needs to be a solitary endeavor. In today’s litigious environment, practice rooms at universities are usually outfitted with large glass doors and windows, making complete privacy an issue. While practicing, it is easy to become distracted by what is occurring in the hallway or to interrupt practice when someone you know walks by. If covering windows is not an option (some institutions forbid this), try to arrange the piano and stand so you are facing away from any outside interference. If there are windows to the outside world, try selecting inner rooms to minimize distraction.
Often well meaning friends might seek you out in a practice room to socialize. When this occurs, politely asking for privacy will quickly help to establish boundaries without compromising any friendships. (“I need to practice right now, but let’s catch up at noon!”) Practice is a sacred time that needs to be prioritized and respected.
Turn Off All Smart Phones and Other Electronic Devices
For the millennial studying singing, this is perhaps the most important cardinal rule. With e-mail, incoming texts, and social media notifications, cell phones that are in the “on” position are likely to beep every several minutes, completely ruining the opportunity for focused, continuous practice. The solution is simple: turn it off. Whether you are practicing for 30 minutes or an hour or more, turn your phone off for the duration of the practice session. Those e-mails, texts, and Snapchats will still be there when you’re done—I promise. If you utilize apps to practice (which is becoming more and more common), most of them will still function with the phone in airplane mode. This option will allow you to use a metronome, for instance, while still preventing incoming e-mails and texts.
Schedule Your Practice
Failure to set a specific practice time is the most common mistake that I see my incoming freshmen make. Practicing will be most effective if it is scheduled in your calendar just like a regular class. For instance, if you have class from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then again at 11 a.m., fill in the 10:00 hour as your practice hour.
The most successful undergraduates are the ones who make efficient use of their unstructured time. Ironically, even though regular practice is one of the most important things you must do throughout your week, too often it becomes a last priority—something done with leftover time after other classes and homework and perhaps a job. Thinking of practice as a scheduled first priority can reverse this paradigm and lead to more successful vocal development.
While it is not uncommon for instrumentalists—pianists in particular come to mind—to practice physically on their instruments four, five, or even six hours a day, singers have to be careful not to overextend their voices, particularly during the ensemble-heavy undergraduate years. Many college voice majors have choral rehearsal every day, sight singing class, long opera rehearsals, and mock-teaching experiences in which they are using their voices heavily. For these reasons, it is perhaps best to schedule three 20-minute practice sessions in a day as opposed to one 60-minute session.
Finally, I also remind my students that they can indeed practice four hours a day just like a pianist does. Mental practice is just as valuable as physical practice, and there is no time constraint involved there. While an hour on the voice might be plenty, one can still study translations, transcribe songs into IPA, work out musical difficulties at the piano, and—quintessentially important for the singer—memorize!
Memorization (Taking Advantage of Hidden Practice Time)
If you walk to class, drive to campus, or take the subway or bus, you probably have at least an extra hour in your day that you haven’t even thought about or realized. Use this time to mentally rehearse your songs from beginning to end. Since singers (unlike instrumentalists) deal with text, reciting poetry to yourself while walking across campus will help to solidify your performance.
As a doctoral student in Boston, I think it’s fair to say that most of the memorization for my three doctoral recitals took place while riding the Green Line B, which crept along Commonwealth Avenue at a glacial pace. That 90 minutes of my day was valuable time spent “score in hand.” I learned a lot of music and never sang a note.
Find Your Routine
As mentioned above, practice needs to be prioritized alongside all other major responsibilities, not regulated (intentionally or unintentionally) into a category where one practices in whatever time is left over. Everyone’s schedules and routines are different, and it is important to know how you work and learn best.
While some people are night owls, I have always been a morning person, so in college my best practicing and score study would happen before most of the world was out of bed. I would find a quiet corner of the dining hall at 6:30 a.m. and—over at least two cups of coffee—I would study my music for about an hour before heading to the practice rooms to warm up for about 20 minutes before class started. That daily routine became a quasi-religious endeavor, and I felt out of sorts if I didn’t do it. Some of my friends felt their voices responded best later at night and would head to the practice rooms at 9 p.m. after a recital was over. There is no “one size fits all” answer, but having a daily routine that works for you will set you up for success.
I hope that these tips will give you some ideas to maximize your efficiency with practice and that you are inspired to try some new things in the coming weeks and months. Happy practicing!
