How to Warm-Up
RED: The Practice Rainbow, Pt. 2
Last week we started exploring How to Practice a Musical Instrument. We looked at the Practice Rainbow, an easy colorful way to organize practice and make it feel less overwhelming. This week we will get into the first color of our rainbow, Red, which is Warm-Up!
Debunking Myths Around Warm-Ups
Traditionally, warm-ups are for players to review fundamentals and physically get warmer before they get into the much harder music. While this is an option for you or your student during this time, this isn’t how I’m defining warm-up.
How I Encourage Students to Warm-Up
In warm-up, I want you to play the piece you love to play- the thing you sound good at without working hard- the little flashy lick that makes you feel like a pro. That’s what I want you to play. Noodle around, have some fun!
We are starting with having fun for a couple reasons:
If fun is at the beginning of something, we feel less resistance to starting it
Fun puts us in a more positive headspace for the rest of the lesson or practice time (which will actually boost our problem solving abilities)
It reminds many of us why we play and helps us connect with meaning even in practice
The goal of this structure isn’t to box you in but to help you know your options… and not be overwhelmed by them. Let’s make red the most fun and relaxed. Play that song you really like, that piece that makes you feel like a pro, that flashy line that reminds me of why you play, that fiddle line that makes you tap your toes.
What’s your happy line? Play that first when you warm-up. Here are some ideas for your warm-up:
