33 Fun musical challenges to keep you motivated while you’re at home

For everyone out there who is stuck at home for the unforeseeable future, here are some fun challenges and ideas to keep you occupied and motivated until you can return to your normal schedule:

Listen to all Mahler symphonies in a single day
Listen/watch Wagner’s entire Ring Cycle (Der Ring des Nibelungen, WWV 86)
Have a photo shoot with your instrument (hello, new DIY headshots!)
Make a carrot clarinet (or see what other vegetables work well)
Write a chronological list of your instrument’s major works (bonus points if you do it from memory)
Tour music museums virtually
Take advantage of all the free concerts online
Make an arrangement of your favorite song
Offer your services via free or reduced online lessons / tutoring
Collab on a multitrack with a friend
Organize, label, and database your music collection
Listen to five new pieces each day
Clean out your case – organize each compartment and use a small vacuum/lint roller/other device to deep clean the interior lining
Read a book about your instrument’s history
Catch up with your musician friends from band camp, festivals, or other events
Make a repertoire bucket list
Send fan mail (aka DMs to your favorite artists)
Watch Leonard Bernstein’s Norton Lectures for free on YouTube
Learn another instrument
Practice a different language
Organize all the programs from concerts you’ve played
Revamp your warm-up routine
Read through an entire etude book
Have a virtual scale showdown with your friends
Update your website
Listen to all of Mozart’s symphonies
Learn about the physics and acoustics of your instrument
Learn an extended technique – double tonguing, circular breathing, multiphonics, etc
Host a virtual practice party
Find a composer or performer who shares your initials
Learn about music history in another country
Brush up on your theory skills
DIY crafts for your practice space – pencil holders, reed cases, mirrors, and anything else you can think of