Before you begin, take a moment to write down what you want to achieve in your practice session.

It could be something small:

• Improve a particular technique

• Learn a few bars of a piece

• Work on rhythm or accuracy

• Play through something you already know

• Simply spend some time enjoying your instrument

Having a clear intention helps you stay focused and gives you something to come back to when your attention starts to wander.

Why is having an intention behind your practice important?

• It gives your practice direction. Instead of wondering what to work on, you begin with a clear purpose.

• It helps you focus. Knowing what you’re trying to achieve makes it easier to stay present and avoid mindlessly repeating something.

• It makes practice more efficient. You can choose exercises and activities that directly support your goal, rather than trying to do everything.

• It helps you recognise progress. If you know what you were aiming for, you can look back and ask, ‘Did I get closer to that?’

• It makes small wins visible. An intention doesn’t have to be ambitious. Achieving a small goal can make practice feel rewarding.

• It encourages reflection. You start to notice how you learn - what works, what doesn’t, and what you should try next.

Break your practice into manageable chunks.

Rather than trying to play through an entire piece repeatedly, divide your practice into smaller sections or goals. You might spend 10 minutes on technique, 15 minutes on a difficult passage, and finish by playing something you enjoy.

Short, focused periods of practice can often be more productive than one long session where your concentration starts to fade.

Use your daily planner to divide your practice up into efficient sections, focusing on important and meaningful tasks.

Your brain and body need time to reset.

If you notice that you’re becoming frustrated, distracted or making the same mistake repeatedly, take a break. Step away, stretch, get some water, or simply give yourself a few minutes away from your instrument.

It is proven that the brain works better when it has time away to process - simply repeating passages over and over again can do more damage than good.

At the end of your session, take a moment to reflect.

What improved? What still needs work? Did you achieve the intention you set at the beginning?

You don’t need to have everything mastered. Noticing even a small improvement helps you recognise that you’re moving forward.

Use the planner to record your progress, note anything you want to revisit, and celebrate the things that went well.

Having an intention for your practice doesn’t mean you need to plan every minute. Sometimes the most valuable moments happen when you give yourself permission to explore, experiment and simply enjoy playing.

You might discover something unexpected, feel inspired to revisit something you haven’t played for a while, or just want to play without a particular goal in mind. Your planner is there to support your practice, not restrict it - use it as a guide, but leave room to follow your curiosity and go with the flow.

• Slow it down - take a tricky passage much slower than you think you need to, and don’t forget to use a metronome!

• Small sections - work on just a few bars at a time rather than the whole piece.

• Repeat the tricky bit - isolate the part that keeps catching you out and practice it on its own.

• Change the rhythm - try dotted or reversed rhythms to work on tricky patterns.

• Start from different places - don’t always begin at the beginning. Start from the middle or a tricky transition.

• Practise the transitions - spend time moving between sections, rather than only practising each section individually.

• Use a metronome - start at a comfortable tempo and gradually increase the speed.

• Play it backwards - work from the end of a section towards the beginning.

• Exaggerate - make dynamics, articulation or phrasing more obvious than you normally would. This can also help you develop more musical ideas.

• Change the articulation - try different articulations to explore control and coordination.

• Play without stopping - keep going even when you make a mistake and practise recovering.

• Record yourself - listen back and notice something you like and something you’d like to improve.

• Perform it - play the piece from beginning to end as though you were performing for someone.

• Practice away from the instrument - look through the music, hear it in your head, or mentally rehearse a passage.

•  Try it differently - experiment with tempo, dynamics, tone colour or expression and see what you discover.

•  Take a break - step away for a few minutes and come back with fresh ears.

•  Play something you enjoy - not every moment of practice needs to be challenging.

•  End on a positive - finish by playing something you feel confident about or enjoy.

• Warm down - don’t forget to warm down your body and mind.

•  Reflect - write down one thing that improved and one thing to revisit next time.