Intentional summer practice

Summer is finally here!

School is out, those highly-anticipated trips are on the horizon, work slows down, and many people find themselves with some extra time.

It’s also an excellent time to check in with your piano goals and begin some new projects.

Don’t worry, this isn’t my way of telling you to do more! In fact, I will suggest you do less. It might seem counterintuitive given that everything in our world is speeding up, and along with that, the goals set by people around us are increasingly grandiose.

If you stick with me, I think you’ll find a lot of value in the opposite: holding space for fewer things will allow you to go so much deeper, and the whole experience will be that much more rewarding.

Let’s take reading, for example

If you’re a reader who consumes any amount of “book content” online, you probably see how saturated platforms like youtube and instragram are with statistics-based goals. Things like “100 book challenge” or “24 hour reading challenge” are algorithmically desirable (they get lots of clicks), and if you’re at all susceptible to peer-pressure or FOMO (which, I think we all are), you might find yourself feeling obligated to set similarly lofty goals.

For me, this always leads to disappointment. I either frantically try to meet these goals (and in turn sacrifice other things I want to prioritize in my life), or I eventually give up and feel like a bit of a failure.

So, what if we did the opposite? What if instead of aiming for maximumly braggable metrics, we instead leaned in to fewer things but went even deeper with them?

What if we take this summer as an opportunity to slow down?

My experience with The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson

I decided to try this very thing with reading and chose to tackle one of my “Mt. Everest series” this summer – The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. (Have you read it? If so please send me a message so we can discuss!)

This 3,000 page epic of historical fiction has been on my shelf for a decade now, as I never could seem to find the time to dedicate to it. The time has finally arrived, and instead of setting my sights impossibly high with my reading goals (“I’ll read 12 books this summer” or “I’ll read 100 pages a day”), I’m choosing to just prioritize this one series – and really dive in.

And so far, I love it.

I’m taking the time to research the many historical figures who pop up, I’m slowing my reading pace down to clock as many of the twisting plot points as I can, and I’m not setting any metrics-based goals.

Not only am I enjoying my time reading more, but I feel like I’m getting more out of it. And I just know that my memories of this summer will be enriched by the quality of time I spend reading this book.

Bringing this back to piano studies, I have a few suggestions for how to slow down this summer and practice with intention.

1. Strive to work on fewer pieces (but go deeper with them)

Rather than trying to fly through a ton of new pieces, I encourage you to pare it down to just the few that deserve your entire focus. Question whether the goals you have set are truly for you or if they were based on something you saw online, or something you heard someone else was doing.

Free yourself from metrics-based goals at the piano and take the time to truly grow into your chosen piece.

Really live with it and let it become a core memory for summer 2025.

2. Keep practice time phone-free (the doomscrolling can wait)

A huge part of slowing down for me has involved setting boundaries with my phone, and one easy way to do that is to just not invite your phone into your practice time.

Just by setting this intention, you’ll be amazed at how much more present you are during practice. I would recommend starting with 30 minutes of time at the piano without your phone.

If you absolutely can’t get away from your device due to work or family obligations, try turning it face down with notifications for only the necessary apps on.

3. Start a practice journal (your analog practice companion)

Grab a blank notebook or even some loose paper to keep at the piano. I’d like to introduce you to your new practice journal!

Since you don’t have your phone with you during practice (right?), this practice journal will become a helpful place to jot down reflections, track microgoals, and write down any other thoughts about the pieces you are currently practicing.

I’ve found another dimension to slowing down and acting with intention involves active reflection. The more time we take to simply observe and reflect, the richer our experiences become.

There are no hard and fast rules about how to use this practice journal. It’s your space to design and use how you best see fit.

Have I sold you on this yet?

Summer is a great time to try new things, rest and recuperate, and take a break from our normal lives.

I hope that some of these ideas about summer piano practice inspire you to slow down and make it a season that is both memorable and meaningful.

If you do try any of these out, or have some of your own methods of slowing down to share, please reach out! I’d love to hear from you anytime.