Practice journal reflection ideas for musicians

Did someone say journaling?

Okay so maybe it’s journaling-lite.

Here are some reflection questions I like to use for myself, and the people I work with to think about how we practice. We observe what happened, celebrate the good, create a next-step process on what didn’t go as planned, take note of any surprises or inspiration that came up in the moment or afterwards, and purposely put in self care activities (could be stretching, doodling in between chunks, or ending a session with something super fun.)

The keys to this are to be detailed, and not judgemental. There’s no “bad” or “should” - what happened, it just is. We show up from where we are and we build from that.

So let’s get down to it:

🌸Name at least three things you liked about your playing today. - Go into detail as to why - not just “I liked my playing” - what about your playing? Was it your sound? What about that?

🌸Name three things that didn’t go so well. - Be specific, but be a neutral observer in your language. None of this “I played bad” or other generalizing or discouraging statements. Perhaps “sixteenth-note passage at B still uneven” or “didn’t feel secure on my entrances in development section” - they’re not judgemental statements, they just are the way they are.

🌸How can you approach these differently next time? - With these it’s like thinking of actionable tasks to pull from our bank of techniques we already know. Avoid things like “just play better” - these are discouraging - think more along the lines of specific practice techniques like switching up rhythms to x-rhythm, or metronome to the off-beats, etc.

🌸Were there any surprises? Revelations? Inspirations? - You never know what could come up! Write it down.

🌸How did you incorporate self care into your practice today? - Do it. Could be stretching, extra water break, making random doodles in between mini-sessions (I use a timer, there are a lot of mini-sessions), ending with playing something that’s super fun for you - you get the idea. Do it. Or don’t if you don’t want to (but really it can be super refreshing)

If any of this helps or lightning bolts your interest and you’re gonna try it, I’d love to hear about it.

If you’re looking for a comfy space to learn something new, maintain something not new, or really dig into the creativity that’s simmering consider my Got Flute? Summer Lessons bundle. Built with options for flexible scheduling. It’s not just lessons, but you get weekly drop in sessions for questions and practice with others, body doubling, custom resources, my practice planner (that has all these reflection questions in it! And is also available as a download in the shop!), and more! Click here for more info.