The Importance of Not Practicing

It’s over! The end of the school year has arrived at last, and now that you’ve finished your exams, passed your jury, and hopefully passed your dorm room inspection (“you’re quite sure that drawer was broken before you moved in, Melinda?”), you’re free to take a break from work and enjoy some much-needed R&R. As a music student, however, this respite from the action is unlikely to last very long; even if you’re not heading off to a summer festival in a few weeks, you probably have a hefty list of assigned repertoire to delve into, which your teacher will expect to hear right off the bat when school starts up again in the Fall. Sure, you might have escaped from the confines of the conservatory, but the necessity to practice still remains, rendering your summer break into a mere “holiday with the instrument” as opposed to a time of rest and rejuvenation. But if you’re sitting despondently in front of your music stand right now, looking sadly at the stack of music you have to learn while all of your friends from high school are hopping on the next flight to Vegas, don’t despair! For there is a simple solution to enjoying summer break as it was meant to be enjoyed: don’t practice.

Yes, you heard me right. Put your instrument away. Shove your music under your bed. Call a cab to the airport and catch the redeye to Vegas. Just don’t do anything that is remotely related to the act of playing music….at least, for a couple of weeks or so.

Obviously, packing your instrument away until September is not the way to go; it’s still very important that you continue to refine your instrumental skills, obtain performance experiences, and pursue other opportunities that might not be available to you during the school year. Nevertheless, taking time away from your instrument is also an opportunity that you don’t really have during the school year (lest you suffer the displeasure of your teacher), and shutting the case for a while could actually prove to be beneficial in a number of respects. As music students, the constant need to practice seems to be engrained in our collective psyche, causing us to feel guilty if we’re spending our afternoons on the beach instead of practicing that “La Mer” excerpt, but it’s crucial to recognize that taking a break is of equivocal importance. Even the greats took time off–Heifetz never practiced on Sundays, and Kreisler simply never practiced (of course, he could actually get away it). Playing your instrument is all about balance–effectively transferring weight, for instance, or exhaling breath with precision–and on a larger scale, maintaining a biological balance is similarly crucial. Many of us have issues with bodily tension when playing for prolonged periods of time, and taking a definitive break from playing will help to relieve that tension, both physically and psychologically. As much as you may enjoy playing, your body is always under some degree of stress when you have your instrument at hand–how could it not be “stressed” with the presence of a bulky and somewhat awkward object?–and it’s quite important that you are aware what specific stress/tension issues you may have and take steps to remedy them effectively.

Aside from the physical benefits, taking a hiatus will ultimately enrich your practice sessions when you return from whatever distant land you’ve escaped to. Any activity can become tedious and monotonous if experienced daily, and practicing can become especially frustrating, particularly if one is not having a lesson for a prolonged period of time. Therefore, returning to the music stand with a clear head will engender much more productivity than if you’ve been slaving away in front of it on a daily basis. You’ll be evaluating your playing from a fresh perspective, and could possibly glean some new and intriguing insights into your repertoire. This concept of a “mental break” makes sense from a scientific perspective as well–when we practice our instruments, we are using specific parts of our brains to accomplish the task (including some we don’t use for any other activity) and just like any other part of our body, those parts of the brain become fatigued when used consistently and for long periods of time (especially if you’re a “good” practicer and aren’t just mindlessly running through your repertoire). Varying our focus by engaging in a variety of activities allows for us to maintain a consistent mental balance that is optimal for productivity. Most importantly, the act of practicing itself will be much more enjoyable, which in my opinion is a necessity–how can you produce your absolute best work when you’re treating the task at hand with disdain? When it comes down to it, music should really be about having fun, and that includes the practicing as well–even when you’re practicing something nasty like Strauss (“let’s see if I can get that ridiculously huge shift this time around! Oh, boy!”).

So, if you’re feeling bold and courageous, and just spent the last six weeks practicing six hours a day for your jury, give the scandalous idea of not practicing a try this summer. Your instrument will still be there when you return, and chances are you’ll get much better work done than if you’d stayed home and sawed away in the unrelenting summer heat. Best of all, you’ll be out in the world and experiencing the emotions, places, and interactions that inspired the music you are making, which will ultimately make for a more satisfying and enjoyable performance.