How To Practice Singing: Joy vs. Striving

Series Overview

Anyone who has ever desired to learn a new skill, whether it be singing, playing the violin, tap dancing, or juggling knows that it takes practice to improve. The missing link for many people is how to practice. This includes questions like:

How frequently should practice sessions occur?
How long should each practice session last?
Is there a difference between rehearsing and practicing?
What should I focus on when practicing a certain skill?

This new series of articles is going to focus on practice. In particular singing practice, and how we as learners can optimize practice, both within a practice session and across practice sessions. This series is inspired by my many wonderful students, and by my mentors and teachers, all of whom have inspired me to think deeper about practice. 

Finding the Joy in practice: Contentment Vs Striving 

This first article in the How to Practice Singing? Series is going to explore the idea of finding the JOY in practice! I find that most singers either strive for improvement, or they are content with their current status when they practice. Many of us move back and forth between these states during the various seasons of our vocal journey. Both have their pros and cons. Both can influence our JOY in a given moment, and also potential JOY in the future.

Striving

Pro: The upside of striving in the context of vocal practice, is that it usually acts as a driving force behind beginning and/or sticking with a practice routine. 

Con: A potential downside of striving too much is that we may not stop to appreciate the progress we’ve made, or enjoy making music in the moment, as we are focused too intensely on future goals.  

In other words, singers who strive in practicing may yield better results when developing difficult vocal technique, but may also compromise their JOY when practicing.

Contentment

Pros: A big upside of contentment in the context of vocal practice is that we may be happy with where we are in our given stage of vocal development. 

Cons: A potential drawback to being too content is that we may lack the desire to practice and grow in our craft as a singer. Long-term, this lack of drive can be frustrating when we are unable to sing challenging repertoire that could have been achieved with a healthy amount of striving, and consistent practice over time. 

In other words, singers who seeks contentment in practicing may increase their JOY for singing, but the speed of vocal technique development may be compromised.

Regardless of where we are in our journey, we should find the JOY in our voice, in our practice, and in the music we make. This often requires being intentional with being content in our various stages of vocal development, as well as a healthy amount of striving which can drive us to practice and improve.

So if you are constantly striving, I encourage you to be intentional about taking the time to remember why you sing, and let JOY flow through all aspects of your music making, including your vocal practice. In other words, strive to be content! 

If you are often content and struggle to find the drive to practice, I encourage you to think about areas you would like to experience growth in, and find the JOY in learning and in practice itself. In other words, be content to strive!