7 ways to find motivation to practise music during holidays

Taking a ‘total break’ from your instrument or singing voice comes with a price. An extended break results in rustiness. It can take your brain and body some adjustment to return to the standard you were at before the holiday.

As another major holiday approaches, some of us want to ‘switch off’. Yet we have worked hard for our current level, and we don’t want to lose it either. So, is there a middle ground between stopping entirely and exhausting our already tired selves?

Yes! Here are 7 ways to balance the holiday vibe as a musician:

1. Don’t play the same pieces during holiday that you’ve been working on recently. Pick something simpler, upbeat, fresh and fun. Your music reading is intact but you’re not studiously working on something challenging at each play.
2. Listen more actively. Listening to music and mimicking your instrument in time (guitar/piano, violin etc) still creates brain waves. It also forms connections between music and your instrument. Even if you are on a cruise in the Pacific 😉
3. Write music if it is relaxing to do. Emphasis being relaxing. Some of us feel most inspired and creative when we are not doing day to day chores and fixed activities. If you love songwriting, scribble a quick verse. Create a few chord progressions to keep the brain active. This helps with music making without such formal structure.
4. Read a book by a musician. Pick a favourite one. Chances are you will come across some of their mistakes and tips which you can learn from. Of course, you can choose a whole other topic from music on holiday. Try reading a fiction book alongside a music-themed one. You are effectively ‘music practising’ even while away from the instrument.
5. Make your break shorter from your instrument than your holiday. If you take a week off work, play your instrument for 3 days. It doesn’t need to be for very long. Quality over quantity is essential.
6. Listen to songs in a different language. This can help your brain take a break from processing lyrics. Meanwhile, you are hearing music and widening your listening choices. This can also add to a holiday vibe if you are abroad and find a recommendation! Bonus points if you learn a useful sung phrase!
7. Treat yourself. When you do practise some music, give yourself an incentive or a reward. Although you will already be rewarded by keeping your playing up without losing that momentum, we can all use some extra credit! Ideas include: visiting a music shop for a little treat. (For example, new strings, new picks, manuscript paper, a book clip, even just playing a new instrument. We only live once!) Other options include chocolate/something sweet, take-out coffee or a mini beauty/massage treatment. Whatever you can think of to healthily associate with music playing. After all you are on holiday!

On a final note, while some of these ideas work for some, they won’t for others. We don’t all practise the same way, naturally. During a holiday, aiming to keep your musical skill honed is not always easy due to accessibility. No piano or double bass will fit into a caravan or plane! Yet we can incorporate music practise by playing music games, rapping, singing, using body percussion or dancing. We are musicians to our very bones. Avoiding music entirely can feel both debilitating and impossible, even during the holiday season. Enjoyment is essential more than anything. Every little bit of music practise during the ‘break’ will be rewarded when your skill is not set back afterwards. Some of my piano students are discovering new music in the form of festive duets with percussive parts. We look forward to sharing our performances with you online soon.