Microphone headphones and Vocal Practice notebook on a desk. Illustration of a girl on a horse backward by Shari Delf.

Even in the best of times, many singers struggle with practicing.

But in a pandemic? Consistent practicing is almost impossible. Without performance opportunities, it’s hard to stay motivated.

And, whether you’re a professional singer or amateur, singing, just for the joy of it, can seem trivial compared to the constant barrage of political and pandemic news.

Everyone is finding it hard to focus. But here’s the thing. Making music is even more essential in difficult times. It’s the medicine we all need to calm our nervous systems, come back to ourselves, and find that still quiet space in the eye of the storm.

I know some incredible singers who teach and have a lot of experience with practicing. I reached out to five of them to see if they would share their top three tips for anyone struggling to maintain a practice routine. All five generously said yes.

Their responses were thoughtful and wide-ranging, from how to cultivate a practicing mindset to specific strategies that will make your practice time more effective and fun.

Here’s what they said.

BRENDA EARLE STOKES, creator of Piano Skills for Singers

1. Treat daily music practice as self-care. Spending time every day singing and making music is a great way to invite structure and creativity into every day and will help to feed your mind, body and soul. Make your practice space comfortable and cozy. Make sure that it has nice lighting, get a decent chair or stool, and fill your space with candles and inspirational quotes. While you’re at it, make sure you give yourself some private and distraction free time. This is YOUR TIME to center yourself into creativity, even if it’s only for a little while.

2. Get organized. Messes, piles of paper and a lack of proper materials will derail your practicing. Take an hour or two and get your space in shape!

Put all of your music in a folder or binder.
Make sure you have your recording device, speakers, metronome, notebook and several pencils and pens handy so that when you sit down to work, you have everything you need.
Declutter anything from your practice space that you don’t need - household items like bills and paperwork and anything else that will distract you from practicing.
Get rid of anything that is visually busy or otherwise distracting to your creative flow. If there are small repairs you need to make, little loose ends that need to be tied up, take an hour or two and just DO IT.

3. Create projects and goals to work toward. It can be really hard to practice efficiently when our rehearsals, auditions and performances are all canceled. Creating goals help us to stay on track and help us to stay motivated. Try doing a deep dive on a favorite artist or composer, plan a Zoom concert for your friends and fans or sign up to take an online course to further hone your skills.

KARLA HARRIS: jazz vocalist/artist-in-residence with the Jazz Studies department at Kennesaw State University

Freedom in the music – that’s the ultimate reason to cultivate a consistent practice. What does that freedom look like? A voice that is ready and reliable. Stronger performances. More options for your repertoire. Broader creative expression. Increased confidence. Growing artistry. This is golden singer stuff – and consistent practice helps make it possible.

Some tips to assist:

Training is your foundation. Don’t dump vocal drills in favor of just singing songs during your practice. Singing is athletic, and getting your best voice means training it with scales, sirens, etc. This is the “weight-lifting” part of practice that brings strength, flexibility, range and longevity, among other benefits. I do a rote set of exercises nearly every day – and I don’t mind the repetition. Some days, it becomes like a meditation as I focus inward. Other days the time is more intellectual as I play the keyboard along with my scales, conscious of the specific pitches and music theory. And then there are the days when I’m just getting it done, scrolling through Twitter at the same time! Yep.

Follow up with three. After exercises, sing a few songs of varying difficulty and range, starting with something easy-going and then moving up the challenge ladder. Try rotating in songs outside of your usual style or comfort zone to stretch your skills.

Create a singing space. A designated spot, even if it’s simply a certain chair in your bedroom, helps your mind switch into practice gear and create habit. I recently converted a small walk-in closet into a studio. It’s cocoon-like, and when I’m in there I’m in music mode, working on my butterfly wings.

Plug-in. Try singing through a sound system during practice. You’ll hear yourself more clearly, and that can be surprisingly motivating.

Observe without judgement. What’s your mindset when you enter into practice? Try to come with an inquisitive mind that wants to learn more about your instrument. Tell any “inner critic” to take a seat. Be present. This is your playground where you can explore and take delight in your unique voice. In this way, practice can become a time of nurturing self-care. Ah, freedom!

DEANNA MAIO Confident Voice Studio

Finding motivation to practice when there's no gigs on the calendar is difficult. It's even more difficult when you may be surrounded by negative news and isolated. So let's get a reason to sing on your schedule so you can share your music with others and spread some joy.

1. Set a goal to perform and share updates weekly with someone you trust.
A recording or performance will give you a reason to practice. In a study at Dominican University, researchers found that more than 70% of people who sent weekly updates to their friend about their goal reported successful goal achievement (completely accomplished their goal or were more than 50% there), compared to 35% of those who kept their goals to themselves, without writing them down. I've found this to be true for myself and my voice students time and time again.

2. Set a phone reminder to practice daily, even if it's just for 5 minutes.
As artists, our minds are busy places even when we have little on our schedule. Use that "computer in your pocket" to remind you to practice. 5 minutes daily is much more powerful than 35 minutes once a week. Plus, the parasympathetic response triggered by increased breathing will produce a calm and relaxed feeling in your mind and body.

3. Schedule a weekly voice lesson.
Weekly time with a teacher will help you be consistent in your practice and provide support for progressing on your goals. The muscles we use to sing (both in the vocal tract and in respiration) need training and exercise. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Having a lesson will encourage and inspire you to get your voice in tip top shape so when we can perform live again, you're ready to knock their socks off.

MARK BOSNIAN Center Stage Voice Coaching from his Micro-Session Practice System™

You’ve probably heard “practice makes perfect,” right? Well, here’s what I’ve found after over 30 years of coaching singers–practice makes permanent. So, you better make sure what you’re practicing is what you want to be permanent in your singing.

Here’s what’s wrong with the way most people practice:

You repeat a song over and over, hoping that 30 minutes a day of repetitions will magically make your singing sound better.
You don’t have a target that you’re aiming at during practice, and…
Even if you have a target, you don’t have an accurate way to tell if you’re hitting it.

Let’s say you’ve noticed that the high notes in a certain song sound weaker than you’d like. Singing the song over and over doesn’t seem to change anything…

Here’s how to make your practice WAY more powerful:

1. Choose a measurable target – For example, “I’m going to sing every note in this one line of the song at a 5 intensity (on a scale of 1 to 10.)” This may be harder than you think, because you have to change power levels as notes move up and down in your range. If you keep the power the same, the volume will change.

2. Record yourself – There are physiological reasons why what you hear in your head while you’re singing is different than the sound you’re actually making. You HAVE to record to get an accurate idea of whether you’re hitting your target. You can download free apps for your smartphone that work great for this purpose!

3. Listen, Analyze, Repeat – Play the recording and analyze what you did. Using our example, if some of the notes were louder or quieter than a 5, record again, paying attention to the notes that need to change. Listen to your second recording and analyze. You may need to repeat the process until you can consistently hit your target.

The beauty of this system is the length of time it takes to make real change in your singing. Recording a line 5 times, including listening back and analyzing, might take you 3 minutes.
And it’s easier to keep your attention on one target for a few seconds than it is when you practice for longer stretches.

You’ll make much more effective, permanent change in this micro-practice-session than you ever would singing an entire five-minute song over and over for a half hour.

BETH NOELLE Creator of PATH of Authentic Voice

One thing for sure, for us Singers, all bets are off and things are anything but business as usual. In the absence of cherished ways to share our gifts, here are some tips to keep a creative groove...

1. First things first. As a Singer, your body is your instrument. Anxiety is high these days and one of the best things you can do for yourself, and your body, as a Singer, is to regulate your nervous system through breath. Slow inhale. Pause. Slower exhale. Then,

2. Practice acceptance. Things are the way they are. Now what? Choose to see our current reality as an opportunity to reconnect with what you truly Value. You may discover that in doing so, your goals and aspirations shift to be more in alignment with who you are, how you want to holistically live your life and how and what you want to create. And,

3. Think big picture. A little perspective can soften the hardest of situations. Cut yourself some slack. Be kind with yourself. Invite, rather than force yourself into practice. ‘This, too, shall pass,’ they say. Congratulate yourself when you take steps towards your Singing goals and forgive yourself when you find yourself needing to just focus on maintaining a state of calm. Inspiration is abundant! Creative waves will come again and you’re sure to catch them.

Remember, you’re a human Being. You’re allowed to breathe, to care for yourself, to follow your unique flows of inspiration. Balance rest with action, as best you can. Reroute yourself when you get off the PATH and trust, as you aim towards your Future Self, that you will find yourself exactly where you’re meant to be, in perfect time.