An ounce of preparation…
The more prepared you are when you begin your practice session, the more productive the session will be. By a lot! Be sure to have a plan and a purpose for your session. Know exactly what you hope to accomplish that day. Gather all the materials you will need ahead of time. This means your guitar pick, your sticks, your reeds, your instrument, your CDs/IPOD, your metronome, your manuscript paper, a pencil, etc. Having everything you need to practice will allow you to focus on the task at hand. If you have to stop your session to go search your house for a transcription or your metronome, you will break your momentum and it you down. It will take time to get back into the ‘groove’ and continue learning. This may seem obvious, but it’s so obvious that most people tend to overlook it. This act alone can make your sessions significantly more productive

Have good records
I’m not talking about vinyl here (although that’s a good idea too). I’m talking about a practice journal. Keeping a journal about your sessions has several benefits. First of all it helps you to track your progress. Looking back through your journal can help you to realize how much progress you have actually made. That will keep you motivated. Second, it’s a great tool to decide what to practice at your next session. You can reread it and pick up where you left off. This will add continuity and consistency to your practice sessions. It doesn’t have to be fancy; just a few notes about your session will be beneficial.

Fend off interruptions with a stick
The vast majority of people in all walks of life are too generous with their time. Schedule your practice sessions and stick to them. Don’t bend your schedule for anyone except in extreme situations. Don’t let people interrupt you. If you need to keep a big stick next to you to fend them off, so be it. Just kidding. But make the people around you understand that you are not to be interrupted during your practicing. Explain to them the importance of focused practicing and don’t let them steal your time. Ask them to respect that time.

Push the envelop
Each and everyday you should push forward slightly. Whatever you accomplished yesterday, you should pick up where you left off and push a bit farther. If you are in the habit of always learning something, always getting better in some way, no matter how small, you will achieve your musical goals. Here are few ideas you can apply to just about any practice topic to take it farther:

1 Increase the tempo
2 Decrease the tempo
3 Learn it in another key
4 play it with a different time feel
5 Play it in a different meter
6 Add dynamics
7 Learn more of it (another scale, another page, another tune, another bar, etc)

Under promise/over deliver
Plan your practice sessions so you can finish your routine and plan the majority of the time. It feels great to accomplish everything you set out to do and then some. If you’re always leaving things undone and not getting through your daily plan then your plan is unrealistic. You’re over promising and under delivering. This will cause you stress and anxiety. By all means push yourself, but you want to see yourself hitting your daily goals. This is how you gain mastery and increase your musical confidence.

Celebrate your victories
When you accomplish a goal, no matter how small, take a moment and bask in the glory. If you learned a new tune, or finished a method book pat yourself on the back. You’re moving forward with your music and you should be proud of yourself.

Play for the spirit of the music
Don’t forget about the whole reason you started playing in the first place. It’s easy to get caught up practicing and forget to play for fun. Schedule time into your practice session simply to play, the way you did when you first started out. No limits, no judging. Just for fun!

Chris Punis is an active jazz musician in the northeast. He is founding member of the critically acclaimed group Gypsy Schaeffer and a member of renowned saxophonist Charlie Kohlhase’s group The Explorer’s Club. Chris is also an accomplished jazz educator and author of “The Monster Jazz Formula”. For more information about his teaching methods and to receive your free lessons, “21 Great Ways To Become a Monster Jazz Musician”, visit www.learnjazzfaster.com