Practice Strategies
Having a consistent and structured practice routine enforces muscle memory and enriches students’ learning experience in voice lessons. Each section provides an initial recommendation as well as guidance for parents/guardians of younger students.
How often should I practice?
The answer to this question will vary from person to person, but in general, Isabelle recommends that focused, structured practice occurs 2-4 times between weekly lessons and 4-6 times between bi-weekly lessons. Like learning any sort of new material, “cramming” everything in during a single practice session the day before/of a lesson will not serve students’ learning to the same degree as consistent practicing.
Isabelle understands that things happen; sometimes sickness, work, school, performances, or family commitments can prevent practicing from happening between every lesson. She requests that students be honest about their situation so that she can plan lesson time according to students’ needs.
For parents of younger students: Isabelle requests that a consistent practice routine be enforced at home with relative consistency between lessons. She recommends establishing days/times when practice happens in students’ routines. She also requests transparency from parents and students regarding their ability to practice between lessons.
How long should my practice be?
The length of students’ practice time will once again depend on the student and their schedule. Depending on how often students practice between lessons and the amount of repertoire they are currently singing, Isabelle recommends a 20-40 minute practice session.
For parents of younger students: The length/frequency of practice sessions should depend on a student’s ability to focus for periods of time. Generally, Isabelle recommends a shorter practice session that happens more frequently between lessons for young students.
Where should I practice?
Isabelle recommends that students practice in a quiet spot with room to stand and move around where they can focus without interruption. Students should feel that they can use their full voice in their practice space without fear of being “too loud” so as to avoid excessive physical tension. Having a piano at-hand is also useful for students who can utilize piano playing.
For parents of younger students: Some students can feel self-conscious about being overheard by their family members when practicing. Isabelle recommends that parents work together with the student to find a practice location where the student can feel most confident and free to sing without interruption.
What do I need for my practice?
Music binder and pencil OR iPad/tablet and Apple Pencil/stylus, water bottle, and any other assigned practice tools (straw, tissue, recording device, chopstick, headphones, mirror, etc.).
For parents of younger students: The steps of this practice routine can be relaxed for younger students. Isabelle will provide a more practice specific outline for individual students and will assign particular warm up tracks. To play the warm up tracks or practice tracks, students will need access to a device.
What should I do in my practice?
In accordance with the previous questions, what actually happens during the practice time will depend on the student and what has been assigned to them in lessons. However, Isabelle recommends that the following routine guide the structure of students’ practice sessions.
Goal-setting:
Prior to beginning your practice, take a few moments to determine the goals of your practice session. Goals can include:
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I want to learn the pitches and rhythms for the first verse and chorus of my new song.
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I want to incorporate some of the belting strategies discussed in my lesson into the belty parts of my song.
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I want to prepare for my audition tomorrow by running through my audition cuts back-to-back.
Warm up (5-15 minutes):
Begin your practice with a brief stretch to release tension and encourage body awareness. Follow the stretch with a vocal warm up routine. Students who play piano can play their own warm ups, or can use one of Isabelle’s already created warm up tracks.
Repertoire (10-20 minutes per song):
Depending on your practice goal, it may be suitable to run through a section or the full song to start and work particular sections from there. Other times, slowly working through a particular challenge spot(s) and then running through a section or full song is more beneficial. If you do not know where to start with your repertoire practice, reach out to Isabelle with questions or look at your lesson notes spreadsheet. If you have recorded your lesson, listen back to your recording. If you run into repeated practice challenges, write them down to discuss in your next lesson. Isabelle highly recommends utilizing Appcompanist tracks or provided practice tracks during this time.
When incorporating new technique into your practice, make sure you are monitoring your voice and body for signs of strain and tension. In response to repeated scratchy/ticklish feelings in the throat or coughing, a good rule of thumb is to take a short break, do some lip trills/vocal fry/pitch glides, and drink some water. Write down any observations of vocal strain down so they can be discussed in your next lesson.
Reflection and vocal cool-down (2-3 minutes):
If you didn’t already, take some time to write down any questions, challenges, or discoveries from your practice time. You may also want to go through some vocal cool down strategies, such as vocal fry or pitch glides on water bubbling, straw phonation, puffy cheeks, or a hum.