It’s almost the new year—so it’s time to start setting those goals, especially when it comes to your musical craft.
Instead of vague resolutions, setting clear and realistic music goals can help you stay consistent and actually see progress this upcoming year.
Thoughtful goal-setting not only brings structure to your practice routine, but also leads to meaningful, lasting improvement. Here are some practical goal ideas to help you strengthen your musical skills in the year ahead.
Your Schedule
One of the first things to set straight is your practice schedule. How many days a week are you practicing? For how long each day? Whether it is 20 minutes or an hour, consistency matters more than cramming. Set a practice length and number of days that you can realistically stick to throughout the year. Be sure that it feels sustainable over the long term. Sticking to a plan will help build strong habits and keep burnout at bay.
Your Tempo
Whether you are working on a fast passage or a simple scale, the metronome should no doubt be part of your routine. Set a starting tempo that you can play cleanly, then decide on a clear tempo goal. For each increment, by how much will you increase the tempo? Will this increase be daily or weekly? Remember: small, steady increases add up over time. It may feel slow at first, but over time they lead to cleaner, more refined technique and far better results than rushing ahead too quickly. This is one of those goals that is recyclable over time—it works for any fast piece or fundamental!
Your Growth
A strong goal to include is a full run-through of your repertoire each week. If you have not been doing this already, setting a run-through day in your practice routine adds an element of urgency that sets the groundwork for progress. Run-throughs are simply playing your pieces from start to finish—but the key is that this is done without stopping, just like a performance. Weekly run-throughs help build confidence, endurance, and highlight what still needs work. And it gives a clear outline of how much progress you have made throughout the week!
It’s time to start setting those goals. The new year is a fresh opportunity to reset, refocus, and grow as a musician. By setting deliberate, achievable goals and committing to consistency, you give yourself the best chance to see real progress in your musical proficiency. Consistency is key!
Ready to start? Contact us to set up your first lesson today!
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Hi, I’m Devon! I play the flute and enjoy writing music in my free time.