8 Practical Tips to Regain your Motivation to Practice Music

Have you found yourself avoiding your instrument lately? As adult music learners, we all experience periods when our motivation to practice wanes.

This doesn’t mean you’ve lost your passion or desire to play – it simply means life has gotten in the way.

Whether you’ve been on holiday ⛱️, feeling under the weather 🤧, or had other priorities take over 😵‍💫, it’s completely normal for music practice to occasionally take a back seat.

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Why We Resist Getting Back to Practice

When we take a break from any skill, our subconscious mind steps in with protective mechanisms.

We all know that progress requires consistent practice, so after a break, there’s a real possibility our skills might have taken a step backwards.

This fear of regression is often what keeps us away.

The longer we avoid practice, the more this fear and self-doubt grow. What I call “the protector” – our subconscious mind – creates increasingly elaborate reasons why we can’t practice.

Its job is to keep us safe from experiencing failure or disappointment. It’s very real and lives in the prefrontal cortex.

If we can be kind to ourselves and accept that we may be a little rusty when resuming practice, we have everything to gain and nothing to lose. The hardest part is always that first session. Once you push through that initial barrier, the wheels start turning, and you’ll quickly find yourself back in motion.

Seven Practical Tips to Rekindle Your Practice Motivation

1. Reframe Your Perspective

Remind yourself that you have everything to gain from returning to practice and very little to lose. For many of us, the anticipation of practising is far worse than actually doing it. Once you’re playing, you often wonder why you resisted for so long.

2. Start with Short, Focused Sessions

One common excuse is not having enough time to practice. We often believe practice sessions need to be at least 30 minutes to be worthwhile, but that’s simply not true.

You can achieve a lot in as little as five minutes if you have a clear plan.

3. Set Achievable Goals

Create goals that are super easy to achieve, such as learning one scale or mastering just a bar of music, rather than attempting to learn an entire piece in one sitting.

Accomplishing goals is essential for building motivation because motivation thrives on success.

When we achieve something, no matter how small, our brain releases dopamine – a chemical reward that makes us feel positive, energised, and motivated. This neurological reward makes us more likely to continue practising.

4. Use “Open Loops” to Your Advantage

Avoid overdoing your practice sessions. Instead, finish while you’re still enjoying yourself and eager to continue. Have you ever been completely absorbed in practice only to be interrupted before finishing? That feeling of anticipation and tension comes from what psychologists call an “open loop”—an incomplete task that creates a sense of urgency.

Creating intentional open loops in your practice is a powerful motivational tool. Our brains prefer closure, and an open loop creates tension that compels us to return to the task.

This can be especially effective in music practice, where the repetitive nature can lead to loss of focus.

By leaving tasks strategically unfinished, you create anticipation that pulls you back to your instrument. This approach also helps prioritize your practice time by identifying what needs completion first, creating direction and purpose in your sessions.

5. Establish a Consistent Routine

As humans, we find comfort in the familiar. Schedule short practice sessions at the same time every day, either at the beginning or end of your day. Choose to play something easy that you already play well—there’s great satisfaction in reconnecting with the joy of making music.

Anchor your practice to an existing habit, such as practising right after breakfast or just before dinner. Personally, I prefer practising first thing in the morning when I’m energised and focused.

This approach also leaves the rest of my day free for other responsibilities. Music matters to me, so I prioritise practice before other things can interfere—I highly recommend you do the same.

6. Try Something Completely New

Often, we avoid practicing after a break because we fear we won’t perform as well as before. Committing to learning something completely new—particularly in a different style—removes that pressure of comparison.

Step outside your comfort zone with a wildcard piece. Try improvisation, composition, or experiment with a contrasting genre. A classical player might explore jazz, or a jazz musician might attempt baroque music.

The novelty can reignite your enthusiasm while building new skills.

7. Find Accountability Partners

We typically don’t like disappointing others, so sharing your journey with another person can provide mutual inspiration and motivation. Perhaps send a quick text with a thumbs-up to your practice partner when you’ve completed a session. Seeing their confirmation might spur you on if you haven’t practiced yet.

You can also hold yourself accountable by marking completed practice sessions on a calendar. There’s powerful psychology behind not wanting to break a streak once you’ve established one—nobody likes to miss a day after consecutive successes.

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Be Gentle With Yourself

Remember to give yourself grace. Accept that you may experience negative feelings like frustration or disappointment – it’s only human. However, how you respond to those feelings makes all the difference.

Our actions stem from our thoughts and feelings. Framing experiences negatively often leads to unhelpful behaviors, while reframing thoughts positively leads to constructive action.

Think of world-class athletes – when they place second instead of first, they initially feel disappointed. The difference is how they process those feelings: they acknowledge the disappointment, take ownership, then focus on improvement. Adopting this mindset in your practice room will significantly advance your playing.

Document Your Journey

Keeping a practice journal and creating a practice plan are excellent ways to maintain motivation. By documenting your progress, you can look back and appreciate how far you’ve come when motivation lags. Sometimes this reflection reveals surprising advancement in your musical journey, providing the encouragement needed to continue.

Remember Why You Started

To summarise, if you’re struggling with motivation:

1. Remind yourself that you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by practicing even a few minutes regularly
2. Keep sessions bite-sized with easily achievable goals
3. Strategically leave tasks unfinished to create anticipation for your next session
4. Hold yourself accountable through calendars or practice partners
5. Be kind to yourself through the ups and downs

Remember that you’re already ahead of those who dream of playing but never start. You’ve begun the journey – now stay committed and enjoy the process.

Accept that there will be good days and challenging days. Practice requires dedication, focus, and commitment, and sometimes life gets in the way – that’s okay.

Just get back on the practice wagon, give yourself a gentle push to gain momentum, and you’ll soon find yourself making progress again. Success breeds motivation, creating a positive cycle of improvement and enjoyment.

Your musical journey is uniquely yours. Embrace the process, celebrate small victories, and remember that consistent, mindful practice – even in short sessions – is the key to long-term growth and enjoyment of music at any age.