Creating a Mindful Practice Space

Creating a dedicated space promotes effective and mindful singing practice by reducing distractions, fostering focus, and encouraging experimentation. Personalise the space with motivational elements, necessary tools, and acoustic considerations. Start small and refine over time.

(3-minute read time)

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

It is rare to find ourselves with enough discretionary spending money to custom-design a space that fits our wildest dreams. But we can be inventive and repurpose items and spaces we do already have. If we see our practice space as one of the singing tools that promotes our passion and dedication, then there is probably an idea or two in this list that you can start experimenting with.

So, start small…but start today!

WHY DO YOU NEED A DEDICATED PRACTICE SPACE?

To make it easy to jump into action when your practice appointment reminder goes DING on your
phone!
To help you remember what to do first when you go into your practice space.
To help you stay in the zone while you are practicing so that you create great mental and physical
maps that lead to robust muscle memory…the kind of stuff that FUTURE you will thank PAST you
for.
To help you leave yourself reminders that will help you kick off tomorrow’s practice.

“There are two kinds of privacy that a practice room of your own will give you: one is inward and the other is outward. The inward privacy is the knowledge that nobody can hear you, allowing you the freedom to experiment with any sound you want without fear of being judged. But it’s the long hours and the repetition that gets to others. In a private space, you can repeat something over and over and over again without fear of annoying anybody…The benefit of a shed of your own is that you get to explore sound without annoying anybody or feeling self-conscious. No matter how good you get, the exploration of sound is endless.”

Jonathan Harnum

Don’t panic…I’m not advocating that you start building a shed in your backyard just for practice.

It’s just that we can’t deep dive into what mindful singing practice looks like without first exploring WHERE you practice. If you’re a little like me, nothing sends me down the mindLESS practice rabbit hole faster than being preoccupied with who can hear me…or by notifications going off on my phone….or by the distracting clutter on my desk…

So what makes the kind of practice space that supports your mindful singing practice?

You can download a tipsheet here to further unpack these ideas and come to grips with what you can and can’t control about your practice space.

Think about the following elements as you set up a space that encourages the type of mindFUL singing practice that mines the gold that turns into sustainable, reliable muscle memory. The stuff that stays rock solid when you’re a little nervous on stage.

LOCATION, LOCATION!

Inspiration/motivation/mood-setting
- Colour
- Images
- Goals/progress chart
- Light
Tools
- Music stand
- Sheet music (
- Lesson notes, plans and goals
- Mobile devices with practice/music apps
- Instruments and associated tools
Acoustic factors

DISTRACTIONS

Overhearers
- In the room – inner voices
  - Peers
  - Rolemodels
  - Coaches
  - Parents
- Outside the room – cohabitants and neighbours
  - Have a conversation with people who can hear your practicing about what will help them and what will help you.
  - Choose a time to share your progress with people in an intentional way.
  - Do unto others…does another musician live nearby? Don’t comment on their practice either 😉
- Devices
  - Turn your phone to Do Not Disturb.
  - Adjust banners and notifications.
  - And if you can’t achieve this, then leave them OUTSIDE your practice space.
- Absence of a plan
  - Plan your practice BEFORE you walk into your practice space.
  - Use a timer or alarm so you don’t have to worry about remembering your next appointment.
  - After your practice, take a moment to jot down the following:
    - Something that went well that you want to reinforce in tomorrow’s practice.
    - Something that you are in the middle of solving – note what you tried today and what you want to try tomorrow.
    - Something that you want to discuss with your vocal coach/singing teachers at your next lesson.

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SOURCES:

Harnum, J. ( 2014). The Practice of Practice. Sol Ut Press.

Perris, H. (2021). How to Set Up a Happy Practice Space. (YouTube clip)