Creating Sacred Practice Space

Helpful tips on getting a strong practice routine going.

Music is a funny thing. I know it’s important to me. I know it makes me feel things. It can challenge me and has potential to either inspire me to greatness or remind me that I’m just a big phony.

I have a hard time facing my music sometimes, especially when I’m 80% through with learning a song and still have that grueling 20% to go until it sounds natural.

It can also be really fun, which is why I avoid it sometimes. I’ll do household chores instead of sit down to play a few songs. That’s when my goody-two-shoes girlscout self takes over and says, “No no! No fun until the chores are done!” But what about earning my ‘music is fun” badge?

We have to make time to play, or we won’t play at all.

We’ve had alot going on this past month, so it’s no wonder if you’ve fallen off the practice wagon. Me too.

There are many other factors that impede a healthy music practice routine. Here are some ideas I’ve been using to improve my practice, ideas I’ll be implimenting strongly over the next few months.

1. Practice space

Find a space in your home for practice. Experiment over the coming weeks, try some stuff out. Hopefully it’s a space where you can leave your instrument (where you can see it) and house a music stand with your practice music waiting for you. And a little table for your beverage and candle (the ceremony).

2. Music stand

Get a music stand. If you can afford it, I recommend a nice Manhasset. They are large and too cumbersum to travel with, but nice and sturdy to hold any manner of heavy music book. I read a music practice book once that said people who practice with a music stand practice 40% longer. You can take it or leave it, but I know my neck and shoulder are alot more comfortable when I’m looking straight ahead, as opposed to down at a table or balancing a sheet on my knees. Yikes! Talk about a headache!

3. Sturdy chair with no arms

Kitchen chairs are great for this. You can add a pillow to sit on, hang a blanket over the back for when you want to warm your legs in fall/winter, and the solid quality allows you to practice proper posture for ultimate comfort. You don’t want your elbows synched tightly against your ribs because of the chair arms, and God forbid you spend even 15 min in a recliner-inspired C curve, your shoulders hunched and your head hanging on your neck like a bowling ball on a precarious henge. We want to feel better after practice, not achy.

4. Candle, Timer, or other ceremony

I loved Daniel Ward’s class at Reno 2023 called “The Art of Practice”. He began the workshop by lighting a candle and saying a small silent prayer as he breathed deeply and set his mind to the task of teaching. At the end of class, he closed his eyes, mumbled words within his heart, and then blew out the candle, thus ending his session of self reflection & music practice. I just love that. It reminds me of Carol King’s famous habit of lighting a lamp on her piano before each show. This act can help quiet the mind, turn off other responsibility alarms, and focus on your self. Doesn’t that sound so inviting? LIke a little pocket of time that only exists for you and Music.

Another method that I use in tandem with my (electric) candle is setting a timer. I like to stand and walk around while I practice a simple, repetitive line on the bass. I’ll look out the window, let my mind wonder, breathe and focus on the task at hand in a much more meditative way when I know I won’t be stopping until my timer goes off. Often times I commit to a quick 5 minutes, but end up going 10 or 15 since I’m having such a nice time.

5. Time of Day

Let’s not forget that our brain does alot of work during the day and we each have a unique mental rhythm where the lights are brighter or dimmer based on the hour.

Here are some questions to ponder:

What time of day should you practice?

What time of day is your mind most active?

Maybe you can choose this time to tackle heavy, thought-exhausting musical problems.

Or maybe today you crave the monotonous repetition of a few measures, letting your mind wonder or blank out completely while you focus on your breath.

*The afternoon (2:30-5) is my prefered time for this. And I just learned this morning in a brain Masterclass that hydrating enough in the morning will help stave off the late afternoon fatigue. I'm gunna test this out.

6. Community Support/ Accountability Group

We’ve got a weekly check-in happening on the UkeWestUkulele facebook page. There you can comment about your weekly goals. It’s amazing how many people start out with negative language about their progress.

i.e.” I failed this week!”

“I got an F!”

“I didn’t do it at all!”

But after hearing the gentle encouragement of strangers, they change it around.

i.e. “I didn’t actually practice, but I added a rug to my practice space!”

“I got through the whole page without looking!”

“I set a time for 10 min and sat and practiced one verse 4/7 days this week. Now I have Verse One memorized!”

You may also benefit from “doubling” with another; this is where you and a friend choose the same time of day and keep eachother accountable. This can feel very supportive and keep the practice flowing.

7. Determination

This is your life! It so short, time is so fleeting, and it’s very easy to wittle away the minutes on worry, cleaning house, scrolling, and everything you do for others.

When I hear: “I really want to get better but I don’t have enough time to do everything.”

What I really hear is: “I am so tired. Too many tasks. Not enough fun. Why can’t I just have fun?? I’ve earned it!!!!!”

Yes you have. Just by being you. You do alot. You help other people all day. What about you? In order to do the things on the list you have to be a little bit fet up. Be determined to persue your dream of self expression through music. There’s not enough time not to!

Here’s the bottom line; if you have the following, you are more likely to steal away practice time on a regular basis:

A comfortable space waiting for you

A ceremony

A thoughtfully scheduled time of day

Community support

Determination

You don’t even necessarily need a clear focus when you are first getting this routine going. Just sitting and doing SOMETHING for 10 min in the space will plant a seed. With a little consistency, you’ll see some sprouts and then some blooms.

In yoga they say, “Thank you for showing up at the mat today.” Let’s both try showing up in our practice space this week and see how much we can establish by the time we check-in again on Sat Jan 18 (Ukewest FB page).

Happy soul-nourishing practice to you,

Dani Joy

PS the photos show the process of taking my Music space from cluttered mess to cozy sanctuary. You don't need a big space, just one which has been given your love and consideration.