Tara ChiusanoOkay, so this is the number one issue for most of my guitar students - not being motivated or able to find time to practice guitar. If you are needing guidance on how to stick to a practice schedule than this is the post for you.

I'm going to break down the process for setting yourself or your child up for success in a way that is similar to Dave Ramsey's financial "Baby Steps" because there's a lot of behavior changes that need to take place. Yes, it's a process and it doesn't happen overnight. This behavior change involves restructuring your mindset about what practicing your instrument really means: practicing is a ritual, an important part of every single day. Even five minutes of concentrated study every day is better than one random hour session once every two weeks. 

A good practice session includes these elements:

• Careful and accurate practicing of the current lesson material
• A "run-through" of songs that you have mastered and are working on memorizing
• Music theory assignments, playing scales, chord tones, etc.

So as they say in The Sound of Music, "Let's start from the very beginning, a very good place to start." First, we have to set a scene that is conducive to practicing - an environment that inspires one to practice. I always tell my students to set up their guitar in the corner of a room that they frequent (not the closet or storage room!). Either keep their guitar on a guitar stand or hanging on the wall in full view - not hiding away in a guitar case. You have to cut out every obstacle between us and our instrument. Opening a case takes a minute and that is too big an obstacle for some people.

Then, keep a small binder of sheet music or lesson books on a music stand. Have all accessories like picks, capos, tuners, etc. within arms reach. Make sure the "guitar corner" is well-lit and there is a chair of appropriate size and also a footstool. I'm 4'11'' so I need to sit on a little block so my feet firmly touch the floor. Keep that in mind for little kids. Have a CD player or iPod nearby so you can jam along with a song.

Now that you have your guitar corner set up...you are ready for: 

Tara's 5 Practicing Baby Steps

• Baby Step #1:  Turn off the TV and the computer. Yes, I mean it. This is the most difficult baby step of all and unfortunately it's the first one. Try not watching TV for one week and observe how much free time opens up in your schedule. Plus, you'll notice that when the house is quieter (because there is no racket from the TV in the background), you'll actually want to fill that silence with music.  
• Baby Step #2:  Set a goal to practice at least five minutes EVERY day. Once you have successfully limited TV and internet usage, you are ready for this baby step. If you start practicing and five minutes goes by quickly, then by all means, up your goal to ten minutes, fifteen minutes, etc. The point here is to make what is called a "micro-movement" (a tiny little movement that is not overwhelming but accomplishes something) towards a goal of practicing every day. Practice at the time of day when your brain is the most fresh.
• Baby Step #3:  Incorporate all of the elements of good practicing into your practice sessions. So now that you have been practicing regularly every day, it is time to up the amount of time you're practicing and make sure that you are working on the new material, reviewing the repertoire, studying music theory, and so on. If you fit all that in you'll probably be around the thirty-minutes-a-day mark. It's unrealistic to think that you will never miss a day of practicing, so don't be too hard on yourself if you do - just pick back up where you left off and keep moving forward. Also, your practice doesn't have to be one long session a day - you can squeeze in smaller practice sessions throughout the day. Five minutes in the morning before school, ten to fifteen minutes while mom is making dinner, ten minutes before you go to bed and, voila! Your goal has been met.
• Baby Step #4:  Perform a song that you are comfortable with, in front of a live audience.  Whoa!  So soon? Here's the thing, when you perform your music, it gets you jazzed up about your accomplishments thus far and gets you motivated to learn new things. Most likely there will be other people performing at the recital or coffeehouse and you'll be inspired by their example. It's also important to give your music a context - it's not just about practicing. Try playing with other people and jam out to a familiar song together. Now you're having fun!
• Baby Step #5:  Make a long-term commitment to make practicing a fundamental part of every day, and reap the benefits.  At this point, you have mastered some songs, performed in front of people, and kept up with your daily practicing goal. Playing your instrument is now fun and totally rewarding. If you don't practice one day, you will miss doing it and will want to get back into it as soon as possible - it's now a part of your life, and that's where you want to be. 

I hope all of this helps. A lot of the above information can be applied to any instrument even though the post is geared toward guitar students. It's definitely helped me so I thought I'd pass it on to you.

Guitar is one of the easiest instruments to pick up but one of the most difficult to master. Please know that I would not tell you to do something that I don't already do myself - these are the techniques I follow to get better. The learning has never stopped for me so I am right there with you.

Tara Chiusano teaches guitar and voice at Eclectic Music in addition to developing curriculum and teaching our Early Birdies programs. Her personal website is http://www.musicwithmisstara.com.