25 Practice tips to level up your playing in 2025

Happy New Year!

There’s something extra motivating about the change of calendars, and it’s a great time to evaluate ways you can improve and set goals for your future. One of the most impactful areas where you can unlock greater improvement is by examining your practice routine.

I’ve written several articles about practice tips throughout the years, and here are 25 practice tips that will help you level up your playing in 2025 and beyond:

1. Create realistic practice goals. At the beginning of the year, it’s easy to set goals to practice 3 hours every single day…but then real life happens, and you beat yourself up when you can’t achieve these. Take some time to review your schedule and set realistic goals for yourself that reflect your current lifestyle.
2. Take regular breaks. You should be taking a 10-15 minute break at least every hour (some may need more frequent breaks). If you feel like you are zoning out or getting frustrated, it’s also important to step away from the horn for a bit to return with a fresh mind (and attitude).
3. Prioritize quality over quantity. I have several students proudly tell me that they practice ____ hours. I immediately ask how was the quality of practice and effective were their practice techniques. Make sure you are using every minute of your practice routine to build better habits and work towards improving – not just playing to reach a time limit.
4. Organize your practice space. I know I’m not the only one who can’t concentrate with a messy practice space! At the very least, be sure to tidy your practice space so you can easily find anything you need to facilitate a smoother practice routine.
5. Develop a proper warm-up routine. A proper warm-up routine should include tone, technique, and tonguing (check out my T3 warm-up philosophy). Identify exercises and books that target each of these while helping you improve specific examples in each category.
6. Avoid autopilot. Have you ever finished a practice session and realized you don’t remember any specifics? It’s easy to zone out during practice sessions, but try to catch yourself when you do so you can refocus and regroup for more effective practicing.
7. Multitask (effectively). If you’re short on time, find ways to do double duty in the practice room. For example, I often use sections from my repertoire as long tones to better allow me to focus on the connection (something that can easily get neglected when I’m trying to learn all the notes and rhythms of new pieces!). Other examples: use scales as long tones; scales as articulation exercises; technical sections from music as your technique warm-up.
8. Embrace performance practice. Although much of practicing is repetitive focus on smaller sections to correct mistakes, it’s also important to develop performance skills (both physical, mental, and musical) so you’re prepared to do entire run-throughs of pieces without stopping. Be sure to add run-throughs of your repertoire during your practice routine to help you become a better performer.
9. Take risks. Once you start to feel comfortable with the mechanics of a new piece (notes, rhythm, dynamics, and other musical frameworks) experiment by taking risks to see what interpretation resonates the most with you. Take musical risks and try new ideas – it’s important to explore all options in the practice room!
10. Review fundamentals. Every so often, it’s a good idea to review fundamentals such as posture, hand position, articulation, etc. to make sure you aren’t developing any bad habits. Do a quick practice audit and identify any key areas which need work.
11. Learn how to recreate mistakes. If you make a mistake, see if you can recreate it – this will give you invaluable information as to what factors are contributing to causing this mistake (i.e. poor air support, improper finger position, etc)
12. Find the best time of the day for you to practice. I’m a huge morning person, and I strongly prefer morning practice. (This is also nice when I don’t have the looming practice guilt in the evening on top of my other to-do items!) Find ways to work with your schedule to see how this helps improve your practice progress.
13. Don’t get too fast too soon. Make sure you can consistently play a passage multiple times correctly in a row before speeding up your tempo. If not, your technical accuracy will not maintain itself reliably at faster tempi.
14. Work on your weaknesses. This one sounds obvious, but take some time to reflect – how often do you notice a mistake or weakness and think “I need to work on that!”….but then you never do? Make note of any recurring issues you’re experiencing, then dedicate time to tackle these.
15. Make one thing one percent better. This is something I tell my students all the time, especially when they’re feeling frustrated or like they’re not making good progress. Musical improvement takes years of dedicated, consistent practice! If you can make one thing one percent better each time you practice, it might not seem like much day-to-day, but it compounds over time.
16. Play in the moment. As much as possible, try to not let your mind wander. Focus on the notes you are currently playing, and don’t let past or future passages affect what you’re playing now.
17. Record yourself. There are three Ms that never lie in the practice room – microphones, metronomes, and mirrors. Use all three as teachers and to hold yourself accountable for any mistakes you see/hear in the practice room.
18. Keep track of your progress. Use a practice tracker or journal so you can remember what you practiced, tips and tricks you found helpful, tempi, and other useful information to help guide your next practice session.
19. Understand the difference between repeat mistakes and random mistakes. If you find yourself making the same mistake over and over, this is something you should isolate to improve. If you make a one-off random mistake, I wouldn’t worry about this (unless it becomes a repeat issue).
20. Turn off notifications. If you find yourself constantly distracted by your phone, turn off notifications or go on airplane mode so you don’t lose focus.
21. Make time for fun music. Hopefully, you’re enjoying most of what your practicing, but if not, be sure to schedule some “fun practice time” to play through music that brings you joy.
22. Reward yourself. If you’re not feeling motivated to practice, create small rewards to celebrate you avoiding the urge to skip a day! (Nothing motivates me like the thought of a nice espresso after a practice session…)
23. Celebrate milestone achievements. Practice streaks like #100daysofpractice and other online initiatives are great ways to set goals, connect with other musicians, and hold yourself accountable throughout the year. Whatever your practice goals are, celebrate along the way so you remain motivated!
24. Tidy at the end of each practice session. Write down any notes in your practice journal, organize your music, and tidy your space so you can hit the ground running at your next practice session!
25. Embrace growth outside the practice room. The nuts and bolts of practicing occur in the practice room, but so much of what we do as musicians is shaped by our worldviews and experiences. Aim to lead a fulfilling life that nourishes and inspires your musical practice, both inside and outside the practice room.

What are your favorite practice tips? Leave a comment below!

Happy practicing!