100 Days of Practice Challenge 2019 Reflection

On Thursday, I celebrated the completion of both my Music 100 Days of Practice Challenge AND my Budo 100 Days of Practice Challenge. Neither went exactly as I had planned, but there were still some valuable lessons and takeaways from the experience.

Reviewing my 100 Days of Practice Challenge - Music

I didn’t do a good job at meeting any of my goals this round, as far as my featured trio of pieces are concerned. For those tuning in just now, they were Papillions by Robert Schumann, Danza del gaucho matrero by Alberto Ginastera, and Happy Together by The Turtles (originally, Somewhere Over the Rainbow). The reality of being a church choir musician - a multi-instrumentalist at that, and a piano teacher with mostly intermediate and advanced students preparing for festivals and exams - is that their repertoire took precedence over my featured trio because January to April was pretty hectic for both. I did hit some milestones though:

Papillions: I did learn the Introductzione, no. 2, no. 3, and #7. I determined early on that this was more a study piece than performance piece. I struggled with repetitive strain injury from the blocked octaves (Refer to my Day 30 & Day 70 Check-in). I struggled with trying to like the piece. I made my peace with that though. So long as I could play through those pieces slowly, remembering to relax my hands and arms between each blocked octave, I called it a success. Since Papillions didn’t spark joy for me, I was happy to “Konmari” it from my practice list.

Danza del gaucho matrero: I think I got about halfway through relearning it before Holy Week preparations took over my entire practice time. I have decided to continue working on it, with the endgame being to get the entire work, Danzas Argentinas, better than how I played it back in my ARCT days.

Happy Together: This was probably the one piece that got the closest to having a check mark on it. On Day 65, I recorded myself singing and playing the song on ukulele, and then practised on cajón whilst listening to the track.

Biggest takeaways? Balance. Having three pet projects during an incredibly busy time of the year was not a great life choice.

The second is that my singing-and-playing-at-the-same-time skills leveled up significantly this round. Funny what regular practice can accomplish, eh? Playing and singing at six out of seven of our Holy Week services was exhilarating and exhausting. I think this was perhaps the most I have done for Holy Week. Preparing for it was a test in endurance as well as adaptability, as things do change on the fly.

My brother and I played musical chairs in the rhythm section for the church choir throughout the Holy Week services. Photo credit: R-M Arca.

Perhaps the third takeaway was that if I’m going to choose a piece that has some connection with my late piano teacher, Irina Ginzburg, at least pick one of the pieces I actually love. There are several, but partway during this challenge, I gravitated towards Leyenda (Asturias) by Isaac Albéniz (the last piece we worked on together). The goal is to have it performance ready for my studio’s year-end recital.

Reviewing my 100 Days of Budo Practice Challenge

With the increased study and training time, I noticed that things have been sticking better in my brain and my muscles. There is less cross-contamination between the four martial arts I study. Oh, it’s still there, but just not as much.

Demonstrating Ukigumo from the Chuden Iaido set (Muso Shinden Ryu) at the 2019 Calgary Expo. Funny thing is, I was supposed to demonstrate Yamaoroshi, but hey - kigurai. Photo credit: Jonathon Wilkes.

The result is that I entered our martial arts demonstrations at the 2019 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo with more confidence than years past.

More importantly, I got small glimpses of kigurai. My sensei once described it as the confidence you have from doing something numerous times. Sang Kim of Byakkokan Dojo says, “…it translates roughly into pride in your technique and confidence,” while Francis Briers uses, “self-possession” and “subtle but powerful confidence” (Source: The Training Journal). It’s the type of quiet confidence that a visiting sensei or senpai exudes as they walk into a new dojo. Or a musician walking onto the stage of a new-to-them venue.

The other takeaway isn’t new. If I want to squeeze in more training time (versus book/video study time), I need to schedule it in, just like I do with music practice. It also needs to be done before I start teaching piano for the day. I will have to keep fiddling with that perfect balance between studying and physical training.

Beyond the #100DaysofPracticeChallenge

“I think you now need 100 days of rest and contemplation,” posted one friend after I shared my Day 100 post on Facebook. I chuckled upon reading it. After 100 consecutive days of practice, with only one sick day, music and budo practice are just part of my daily routine now. I took yesterday off and it felt weird.

My general guideline is to keep violinist Jascha Heifetz’ quote in mind as I move forward. It is, “If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it."

I will continue plugging away with the spirit of the 100 Days of Practice Challenge but without the hashtag or the daily log updates on Instagram. If I’m away on vacation or need a day off, I’ll take time off, but otherwise, I’ll strive to practice and train daily. I will maintain my practice logs in my Budo and Music practice journals. Occasionally, I’ll post some “work in progress” clips on IG, but otherwise, I will try to get my students to show off a bit more on the studio IG page for the next little while.

I liked the practice parameters I set out for both challenges at the beginning. They offered me flexibility to get in quality practices, whether I had two minutes or three hours.

Musically, I have decided that one “me project” during the busy periods is probably easier to balance along with choir repertoire, student repertoire, and keeping my musician survival skills up to snuff.

Budo-wise, I am leaning towards training/studying three to four times a week, one day being at the dojo (due to my work schedule). On the off days, I’m going to work on cardio and/or core strengthening. I suppose, it still falls under budo as it is conditioning the mind and body. My other goal is to strive towards having two longer training sessions per week (or more).

#100DaysofPractice - Student Update

Most of my students participated in the 100 Days of Practice Challenge. All who did have recently wrapped up their 100 days of practice. Some have opted to finish the year doing 30 Days of Practice Challenges, while others settled on doing one more 60 Days of Practice Challenge. Once all of their surveys have been turned in, I will share some of their takeaways from the experience.

100 Days of Practice - Closing Thoughts

One worry that I have is that by not tying my practice to an official #100daysofpractice challenge online, I will fall off the bandwagon. I have to have faith that after completing four of these practice challenges (one #30daysofpractice music challenge, two 100 days of practice music challenges, and one #100daysofmartialarts challenge), that I won’t.

I have several studio administrative projects and tasks that I am woefully behind on, so I need to spend more time on those overdue items. To be honest, reviewing the videos and photos to post daily did eat up a lot of time that could have been spent on those other tasks. I have a couple of ideas for future 100 days of practice challenges, which can wait till the summer or the fall.

Who else has completed their 100 Days of Practice Challenge? I’d be interested in hearing about you experiences.

Our 60 Day Practice Challenge - in the Students' Words

Last time, I shared my takeaways from my first 100 Days of Practice Challenge. My students who have completed the 60 Days of Practice Challenge have submitted their surveys. Here’s what they have to share on practising for 60 days in a row:

What was the easiest part for you about the challenge?

• Remembering to practice everyday because now it is just a part of my daily routine.

• Keeping track. Finding a way to practice everyday.

• Having the small online practices that still count for something.

• This wasn’t much of a challenge for me because I practice everyday anyways.

• For me, the easiest part of the challenge was probably being able to take a lazy day when I was sick, or not feeling my best.

• By listening to my pieces everyday and by being in band.

• It wasn’t much different from the thirty day and I practice daily anyways.

• The easiest part was doing the hand drills or listening to my pieces because it was something I could do really fast and call it practise.

• Finding any aspect of music to practice, such as music apps, listening to pieces, theory, and drumming.

What was the hardest part for you about the challenge?

• Making sure I don’t skip a day even when I don’t feel like doing piano or when I’m really busy.

• Knowing what to practice. Making it a variety every day.

• Having the motivation to practice on days I’m tired.

• The hardest part for me about the challenge was not being able to take a break. Another thing that was hard was probably at the beginning, thinking “I have so many more days left!”

• The hardest part was trying to get to the piano when you have lots of homework or working up the courage to perform in front.

• Nothing.

• The hardest part was playing everyday because it was challenging to balance school and music. I would have to remember to practise, even on days I was busy, so I can learn my pieces or so I don’t have to restart the challenge.

• Finding time on the piano is a challenge.

Has your playing changed since participating in this challenge. If so, how?

• Not much since the last challenge.

• I feel my playing has improved much quicker than it did before.

• Just learning pieces/trouble spots/scales faster.

• No.

• The same.

• I think that my playing has changed during the challenge, because the more I practiced, the better I got at my songs and scales.

• Yes, I feel that I am getting better and faster at learning new pieces.

• I have been able to learn songs faster.

• I think so because I feel that I’m not stressing to get all of my pieces ready in a short time but I have a week to slowly play my pieces.

• Yes, my practicing has become more focused.

Have you noticed or discovered anything interesting about your musical journey since starting this challenge? If so, what?

• Not really.

• The challenges help me improve my piano skills.

• I feel I am more interested in practicing since my skill and confidence in the pieces has improved.

• I noticed how much practicing, even small practices affect how fast you learn things.

• It took longer.

• I have discovered that if I push myself on things I don’t really want to do ( a part of a piece or something), I can get better at it and it can become a piece that I actually like!

• I have been doing more practice and noticed that I am surrounded by music [more than] I thought.

• Not really.

• I’ve noticed that I’m learning pieces a little bit quicker compared to last year.

• I’ve discovered that I’m constantly surrounded by music, so it’s easier to take a moment and practice in different forms.

Any other comments, questions, or suggestions to make the practice challenge better next round? Or other practice challenges/projects?

• Nope!

• I think that next round, we should be allowed one break day ;-) .

• Nope. :-)

• 100 days of practice but not every single day

• Set reminders to practice more regularly.

Most of my students are in the throes of the 100 Days of Practice Challenge. A couple have opted to go back to the 30 Days of Practice Challenge, which is fine. They have picked a goal that they are more confident they can achieve and are committing to it. What more can a music teacher ask for?

*

Thank you to my students Henry, Kateri, Claire, Tanya, Alexandra, Haley, Erika, P. and Anon. for sharing their feedback here.

Reflecting on My First 100 Days of Practice Challenge

Doing something every day for 100 days seems like a really long time. At least, it did back in the fall when my piano students and I embarked on our practice challenges.

Most of them wrapped up their 60 Days of Practice Challenge around Christmas Break, so they are in the early stages of their 100 Days of Practice Challenge. I’ll share some of their thoughts once all the surveys have been turned in.

Last Thursday, I completed my first 100 Days of Practice Challenge. As I went straight into it after my 30 day challenge, I had practised for 130 consecutive days. I don’t think I have ever practised 130 days straight as a student.

Was it hard? Yes and no. There were definitely days in which it was 11:30 at night and I hadn’t gotten to any practising because of other commitments. There were days when I could only do a short practice. But once I made the commitment to my students and online, I felt honour-bound to see it through.

Did I make any life-changing discoveries? Nope. If you do something regularly, you’re going to see some improvement. But I knew that going in. There are countless studies on that.

If anything, this challenge was an opportunity for me to get back in touch with the way I used to practice at university and whilst preparing for my ARCT in Piano Performance. Here are a few things that stood out as I look back on this challenge:

Goalsetting is Important

The only goal I had going into this 100 day challenge was to show my students (as well as any aspiring musician) what practising is like. Yes, practising can be difficult. Yes, it can be unglamorous. However, with hard work and perseverance, you can attain those victory moments. The practice clips I shared on the studio Instagram page reflected this. The majority of them featured me drilling trouble spots in my students’ repertoire as well as my own. It also featured me racing from the moment I got the song list to prepare for church the following day.

It may have seemed like a hodgepodge, unlike the other #100daysofpractice musicians who were sharing the development of their audition or recital repertoire. However, I think the clips gave a good representation of what we as music teachers and those who perform work through in a day.

To help keep me on track, I resurrected the Practice Journal. My daily practice tracker was fine for giving me a bird’s eye view over a month. The journal gave a much clearer insight on what exactly I worked on. More importantly, it showed how each session went and what needs more work. It was nice to just whip out my journal and share an insight with a student that I had with one of their pieces.

Summer & Fall Practice Trackers

As you can see, my practice tracking wasn’t very good before I began my 30 day and 100 day practice challenges. (Credit: R-M Arca)

December 2018 Practice Tracker

Very colourful. And it shows that I got to more items. (Credit: R-M Arca)

January 2019 Practice Tracker

A little on the small side, but again, it shows that it’s been a very productive period. (Credit: R-M Arca)

Practice Journal Entry

Just to give you an idea of what I notated. (R-M Arca)

Practice Goals

Now that Christmas Break is over, it’s time to get serious about this month’s goals. (Credit: R-M Arca)

At the end of most practices, I sketched out a practice plan for the following day. This worked extremely well as the plan and my practice tracker showed that I cycled through my students’ repertoire (Grade 3 - 10) and piano technique quite regularly.

I must admit that in the past few years, my practising consisted of occasionally running through my students’ trouble spots but mainly focussed on racing to get songs ready for church as soon as I got the list for the next day. I did listen to my intermediate and advanced students’ repertoire regularly, however, thanks to my YouTube playlist. Needless to say, my practice frequency wasn’t as regular as it could have been.

Reviewing Your Practices is Important

Often, we go through the motions of a task without much conscious thought, be it exercise, a musical instrument, writing, photography, dance, and so on. If we want to improve however, we need to improve our self-evaluation skills. Effective practice is mindful practice. That means asking yourself if a section getting better? If not, why not? What else can you do to get it? Who can you ask for help if you are stuck?

I used to record my practice sessions fairly regularly during my university days and when I was preparing for my ARCT. Then, I fell off the “Record & Review” wagon hard, although I told my students they should be doing it.

With my public practice log being the studio’s Instagram account, I had no choice but to record photos and/or video of my practices - and to review them. I actually wound up letting the clips play while I was folding laundry or washing dishes, which helped me plan out future practices and lessons with my students.

Flexibility in your Practising is Important

Having practice goals and a plan is all well and good, but what if you just had a crappy day? This was the precise reason why I didn’t specify a practice time length for my students or myself. Quality over quantity.

On the days I was completely drained, mentally or physically (sometimes both), or when I had to work longer than anticipated, I needed a “light practice” plan. For me, that included everything from “playing” with music ed apps, scorestudying (with our without the piece playing in the background), reviewing practice clips, or rhythm work. One night, I was so tired from a long week of teaching and ushering that I fell asleep in the middle of an ear training drill on the Perfect Ear app.

Someone asked me recently how long my daily practices were. They ranged anywhere between two minutes to over three hours.

My 100 Days of Practice Log

For ease, I’ve compiled links to each of my 100 days below, for those who want to check out the clips. If not, scroll down to see what’s the next practice challenge:

Day 1: Mass of Glory | Day 2: Mass of Glory | Day 3: Come Now is the Time to Worship | Day 4: Spanish Alleluia | Day 5: Morning Prayer | Day 6: Pirates of the Caribbean | Day 7: Nocturne in e minor, op. 72 no. 1 | Day 8: Oath Sign | Day 9: Etude in A-flat Major, op. 30, no. 19 | Day 10: Oath Sign | Day 11: Someone to Lava | Day 12: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 13: Pirates of the Caribbean | Day 14: Game of Thrones Medley | Day 15: Danza de la moza donosa | Day 16: Oath Sign | Day 17: Oath Sign | Day 18: Basic cajón exercise | Day 19: Game of Thrones Medley (tap practice) | Day 20: Prelude & Fugue in d minor, BWV 851

***

Day 21: Danza del viejo boyero | Day 22: Dance of the Aborigines | Day 23: Grade 10 RCM piano technical exercises | Day 24: Seven of Hearts | Day 25: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 26: Samba groove rhythm work | Day 27: Samba groove drill on cajón | Day 28: Danza del gaucho matrero | Day 29: Foggy Day Blues | Day 30: Nocturne in e minor, op. 72 no. 1 & Our God

***

Day 31: O Canada & Awesome God | Day 32: Choir practice photo | Day 33: Sight singing and Boomwhackers | Day 34: The Avengers | Day 35: Lied | Day 36: The Avengers & Lied | Day 37: La Puerta del Vino | Day 38: Ear training: singing intervals | Day 39: Ready the Way | Day 40: Scorestudy Sunday photo

Day 41: Pirates of the Caribbean & Sonata in g, Hob. XVI: 44 (1st mvt.) | Day 42: Mighty to Save | Day 43: French Suite No. 3 in B minor BWV 814 - Minuet and Trio & Mass of St. Ann | Day 44: The Avengers | Day 45: Child of the Poor/What Child is This? | Day 46: Funky scales & trying out the lyre | Day 47: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 48: Technical Exercises | Day 49: Prelude & Fugue in d minor, BWV 851 | Day 50: Be Unto Your Name

***

Day 51: Sing We Now of Christmas | Day 52: Danza del viejo boyero | Day 53: Mass of St. Ann | Day 54: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 55: Pirates of the Caribbean | Day 56: Prelude & Fugue in d, BWV 851 | Day 57: Nocturne in e minor, op. 72, no. 1 | Day 58: Days of Elijah Clip 1 & 2 | Day 59: Days of Elijah Clip 1 & 2 | Day 60: Choir Practice photo

***

Day 61: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 62: Sonatina in B-flat Major, op. 12, no. 5 & God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen | Day 63: Child of the Poor/What Child is This? | Day 64: Nocturne in e minor, op. 72 no. 1 | Day 65: Cassandra’s Dream | Day 66: Sonata in D, K 33 L 424 & Fly Me to the Moon | Day 67: Go Tell it on the Mountain | Day 68: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 69: Pirates of the Caribbean & Ready the Way | Day 70: Sing We Now of Christmas & Mass of St. Ann

***

Day 71: III maj7 - VI maj7 - ii7 flat 5 - v7 - i7 progression | Day 72: Days of Elijah | Day 73: Gentle Waltz | Day 74: Joy to the World | Day 75: Holy is His Name | Day 76: O Come all Ye Faithful | Day 77: Choir practice photo | Day 78: The Most Amazing Sheep Game | Day 79: The Most Amazing Sheep Game | Day 80: Child of the Poor/What Child is This?

***

Day 81: Let Heaven Rejoice | Day 82: The Most Amazing Sheep Game | Day 83: Note Rush app | Day 84: Perfect Ear app | Day 85: Perfect Ear app | Day 86: Perfect Ear app | Day 87: Arpeggii practice | Day 88: Tetria A Theme | Day 89: Perfect Ear app | Day 90: Pirates of the Caribbean

***

Day 91: Seven of Hearts | Day 92: Nocturne in e minor, op. 72 no. 1 | Day 93: Game of Thrones Medley | Day 94: Perfect Ear app | Day 95: Choir practice photo | Day 96: Perfect Ear app | Day 97: La puerta del vino | Day 98: Hotel California | Day 99: Prelude and Fugue in d, BWV 851 | Day 100: Gentle Waltz, Seven of Hearts, Nocturne in e, op. 72 no. 1 & Pirates of the Caribbean

#100DaysofPractice Round 2

After taking several days off, I’m going to restart the challenge tomorrow. Part of me wants to start tonight, because I did feel a little lost on my days off, but there are some studio administrative tasks I need to take care of first.

I do have a different set of goals for this round. Although I will continue to practice my students’ repertoire and pieces for church, I’ve decided that I’ll focus the public practice log on three pieces, for the most part. That way, I can at least achieve my goal of building up my own repertoire.

I’ve chosen something old, something new, and something for all my non-primary instruments. This will also give you and me the opportunity to hear how these pieces develop over the course of 100 days. The pieces I have selected are:

1 - Danza del gaucho matrero (Alberto Ginastera)

When I first learned Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas for my ARCT programme, it took me one day to learn Danza del viejo boyero ("Dance of the Old Herdsman") and two days to learn Danza de la moza donosa ("Dance of the Beautiful Maiden"). This one, the third dance, took me over two months to learn and then at least another two to bring up to speed. Since I’ve already relearned the first two earlier this school year, it’s time to finish the set.

2 - Papillons, op. 2 (Robert Schumann)

When Irina Ginzburg, one of my most influential teachers, passed away, I inherited her score of Papillons. I dutifully kept it in my music library - untouched - till now. I can’t help but wonder whether there is a lesson in this work that Mrs. G would like me to learn.

3 - Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s version)

What better way to ensure that my non-primary instruments get regular practice than by choosing a song and learning it on all of them? I am thinking of doing a virtual ensemble performance on voice, ukulele, melodica, and cajón.

Join the #100daysofpractice Challenge!

Whether you are a musician or photographer, writer or athlete, consider taking the 100 Days of Practice Challenge. You may start the challenge at any time and set up your parameters anyhow you wish. As a guide, here’s what I set for my first round:

1. Practice for 100 consecutive days, unless I was too sick. Restart the count if any healthy days are missed.

2. No time limit. Focus on quality, mindful practice versus quantity.

3. All instruments counted (piano, voice, cajón, melodica, ukulele, playing & singing, conducting).

4. Practice away from one’s instrument counted. That means: theory, tap practice, scorestudy, record and review, studying recordings, ear training apps, and my students’ fave: The Most Amazing Sheep Game.

5. Keep a daily log. After seeing what other musicians and music teachers did, I opted for sharing my posts on Instagram. If your log is online, don’t forget to use the #100daysofpractice and #100daysofpracticechallenge hashtags. Of course, it doesn’t need to be online, but I must say that I’ve enjoyed interacting with others who have been doing the challenge.

6. Reward yourself once you complete the challenge! Here’s my victory dinner:

Chorizo Carbonara

I enjoyed this flavourful dish at Elbow Room in Britannia. (Credit: R-M Arca)

Lollipops

The peanut butter cheesecake lollipop with dark chocolate coating and hazelnuts was delicious. However, it was the raspberry cheescake lollipop in white chocolate coating and pop rock candy that made me giggle after every bite. Elbow Room in Britannia scored a home run with this treat. (Credit: R-M Arca)

I’m actually planning on taking the challenge with my budo practice as well. Although I’m not grading this year, I have over 120 kata and techniques that I’m trying to keep straight in my head and lock securely into muscle memory. Not sure if I’ll start that tomorrow as well.

You can check out what Hilary Hahn, the originator of the challenge did for hers. Here’s her interview for Strings Magazine and her Instagram. You can also follow other artists and athletes on Instagram by following one of the aforementioned hashtags.

If 100 days seems too daunting, you could start with a smaller number, such as 30 or 60 days.

If you do participate, let me know so we can keep in touch and cheer each other on.

January 22, 2019 update

I forgot to share my challenge parameters for the budo portion of my #100daysofpracticechallenge. They are:

1. Study/train for 100 consecutive days (at the dojo or at home), unless I am too sick. For each healthy day that I skip, I must restart the count.

2. No time limit. Focus on quality, mindful practice versus quantity.

3. All disciplines that I study (Iaido, Jodo, Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu, and Choken Battojutsu Kagéryu). Kata, kihon, waza, and other related drills.

4. Studying the training manuals, notes, photos and training related videos count.

5. Martial arts demonstrations count (they are usually on less than ideal conditions, so as sensei says, “Epic training conditions!”).

6. Keep a daily log.

7. Reward: Dinner most likely at a Japanese restaurant. Japanese martial arts, after all.