Tips & Tricks: 5 Ways to Maximize Your Violin Practice Space

Back when I was in high school and was taking private violin lessons, my teacher used to talk about being in “my studio” to practice. I always got the giggles because at that point my “studio” was a corner of the dining room where we had a music stand with a light over it. My violin hung off a hanger attached to the stand when I was not playing. That was it. No separate room specifically designated to music. As much as I laughed at the term, it is important to have a dedicated space where you practice your instrument, so here are 5 tips for how to maximize this area.

Make sure it is not in an area where there are too many distractions. I have had students tell me that they couldn’t practice because other people wanted to watch TV. The TV room is probably not the best place to practice.
Depending on your personality, you may want to make sure that your practice area is not in total isolation either. This can be important for kids who may feel like it is punishment being sent off to practice already, so being completely isolated makes it feel even more like a prison sentence. This is a matter of personal preference, so you must find a space that works for you!
Make sure that you have everything that you need. This would include: music stand, pencil, eraser, tuner, metronome, digital recorder and timer. You need to have all of this in easy reach because if you have to leave your space to find any of it you may not come back. Also, it is really easy to think “I’ll use my metronome tomorrow because I don’t have it here right now…” Likely the same thing will happen tomorrow too!
Have the space set up, and leave it set up. If you have to put things away to clear space before you practice, it gives you one more excuse not to…
Make sure that you have adequate lighting. Poor lighting makes life much harder. It does not need to be anything fancy.

These tips about practice space apply to all instruments. I wish you all the best in your practicing and hope you are making the most of it! If there is anything else that you like to have in your practice space, please leave a comment below.

photo credit: racheocity via photopin cc