Musical Goals

Practice routines

Sample weekly practice plans

Four example weeks for adult learners, each drawn on the same scale. Borrow one as it is, or use them as a starting point for a week that fits your own schedule.

Four sample weeks

Each bar shows one day of practice, split into blocks. The scale runs to sixty minutes, so a longer bar means a longer session. The total for the week sits next to each plan's name. Days marked rest are part of the plan.

Twenty minutes a day120 min a weekA steady starting routine with one rest day.
  1. Mon20
  2. Tue20
  3. Wed20
  4. Thu20
  5. Fri20
  6. Sat20
  7. SunRest0
Short weekdays, longer weekends125 min a weekFor full workdays: ten minutes to keep things moving, real work on the weekend.
  1. Mon10
  2. Tue10
  3. Wed10
  4. Thu10
  5. Fri10
  6. Sat45
  7. Sun30
A week with a Thursday lesson170 min a weekFresh material early in the week, a full run-through the day before the lesson.
  1. Mon25
  2. Tue25
  3. Wed30
  4. Thu45
  5. Fri15
  6. Sat30
  7. SunRest0
Coming back after a break55 min a weekShort, easy sessions built around music you already know.
  1. Mon10
  2. TueRest0
  3. Wed12
  4. ThuRest0
  5. Fri13
  6. Sat20
  7. SunRest0
  • Warm-up
  • Technique
  • Pieces
  • Reading and rhythm
  • Free play
  • Lesson

Twenty minutes a day

This plan suits most beginners. The same five blocks happen every day, so you don't spend time deciding what to do. One rest day gives your hands, lips or voice a break. If twenty minutes is too much at first, cut every block in half and build back up over a few weeks.

Short weekdays, longer weekends

When work and family fill the week, ten minutes still keeps a piece fresh in your hands. Use the weekday sessions for one technique point and a few bars of your piece. Save new material, reading practice and longer playing for the weekend, when you have time to think.

A week with a lesson

The days right after a lesson are when the teacher's advice is clearest, so this plan puts new material and technique there. The day before the lesson is a run-through of everything assigned, so you can show what you worked on and ask about what still trips you up. The day after the lesson is lighter, with time to enjoy what you can already play.

Coming back after a break

After weeks or years away, fingers, lips and patience all need time. This plan uses short sessions on alternate days at first, built mostly around music you already know. Add a day and a few minutes each week until you are back to a regular routine. Expect old skills to return faster than they took to learn.

Make your own week

  1. Write down the times you could realistically practice each day this week.
  2. Give each session one main job, such as a new chord, a hard passage or reading.
  3. Keep a few minutes of free play in most sessions.
  4. Plan at least one rest day.
  5. At the end of the week, check what happened and adjust next week's plan to match real life.

A short note after each session helps with the last step. See setting goals for a simple practice log.