
Even though each day seems jammed with activities, you can find time to practice. You have spare moments, but you must hunt for them.
Decide the minimum amount of time you need for practice in order to accomplish your goals. For most piano students, this minimum is three to six hours each week. If you wish to become a better pianist, you must do more.
Follow yourself for a typical week and notate your activities for each section of the day. Look for slots of fifteen or thirty minutes when you have nothing to do. Include the times you watch TV, listen to cds/tapes, browse the Net. Decide how many of these you are willing to give up for practice sessions. On the chart, write (a) for times you are and (b) for times you are away from a piano and could do finger exercises, memorize, or learn theory. Here is an example in which the hobbyist has found ample time to practice by giving up some TV/Net and using (b) ‘away from the piano’ time.
If you are being intellectually honest with yourself and cannot find any time at all, look at your schedules over a month, six months or a year. You may find chunks of time you can use. When I was a young professional, I set aside two hours each weekend as well as four hours a day during the month of August for practice sessions. I lost some repertoire, but did not lose my finger dexterity and my ability during these years. For mothers, top college students and rising professionals today, our work weeks are sixty to eighty hours. Without these hours, we cannot succeed in the modem world. However, our hobbies, our love for the black and white keys, may be sustained and enhanced by careful planning and determined motivation. This love and ability is too precious to lose to the necessities of the market place or to the demands of modern parenting. Plan wisely and you will be successful.
Once you begin to practice, become your own teacher and write down the number of minutes you practice each day/week and the items you have practiced. Be honest with yourself. Reward yourself with a pat on the back if you stayed on track and practiced at least sixty percent of the time. Do not be too tough or too lenient. By keeping track on paper you can see what you are doing. Give your study habits birthday parties after one week or two weeks, a month, or a yean Gradually, practicing will become a habit and you will be organized well enough to indulge in the joys of your hobby.