Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
You know what to practise. You know how to practise. So why is it still so hard to actually do it?
This is the third post in my series on practice: what really makes a difference when you want to make changes to your voice and build new vocal skills. In this one, we're looking at how to pull it all together, and the simple tool that I think makes the biggest difference of all.
What did Parts 1 and 2 cover?
If you're new to the series, here's a quick catch-up.
Part 1 looked at the why and the what of practice:
Why practise? For progress (nothing changes if nothing changes), for enjoyment, for the boost to your self-esteem that comes from investing in yourself, to prepare for performances, auditions or exams, to learn how you learn, and for those feel-good endorphins.
What to practise? A mindful start, warm ups, scales and arpeggios, body work, targeted technique, applying that technique to your songs, active listening, lyric and text work, and a cool down.
Part 2 looked at the how:
Set a specific intention for each session, slow things down, break material into small chunks, practise with full awareness, repeat what works, use a mirror and recordings, and try visualisation.
Plus how to get past the common pitfalls: no structure, procrastination, expecting progress to be fast and steady, practising at the wrong time, and lack of accountability.
You can read them in full here: Part 1 and Part 2.
So how do you actually get your practice done?
Knowing what, why and how to practise is only part of the story. The final part is the doing: turning up, week after week, and noticing what's changing.
That's where many of us come unstuck - not because we don't care, but because life is busy, and our attention is pulled in a hundred directions (more so nowadays than ever I feel!) But reality is that progress in singing is usually built from tiny, repeatable adjustments rather than one big breakthrough, and those tiny changes are very easy to miss from one day to the next.
My answer to this challenge? Use a planner.
When I was preparing for my Estill™ Master Trainer exams, the practical exam component was performing a long list of specific vocal tasks, and there were so many to master that I had to build myself a spreadsheet to practise them systematically (I do love a spreadsheet…) It kept me motivated, it got me through (I passed!), and to my surprise, I really enjoyed tracking it all. Most importantly of all though, I started to reap the benefits in my voice more broadly. I’d go to sing a song I hadn’t sung for a few months and it felt easier.
What is a singing practice planner?
A singing practice planner (or practice journal) is a place to plan your practice sessions and record what happens in them: what you worked on, how it felt and sounded, what went well, and what you want to try next.
It can be a notebook, an app or a printable sheet. The format matters far less than the habit of actually using it.
Why use a practice planner for singing?
Here are the benefits I see most often, plus a few borrowed from other fields.
You see your progress, and you can celebrate it. Your planner documents what's changing, so you can see clearly what's going well. Celebrating that really matters. It isn't self-indulgent: it's how you build the evidence that you're improving, and that evidence is what keeps you going. It also shows you which skills need a bit more attention.
It gives you space to reflect. Taking a couple of minutes at the end of each session to look back is where a lot of the learning settles in. In Part 2 I suggested noting three things you did well and one thing to work on next time, and your planner is the perfect home for that.
It helps you set goals and reach them. This is especially useful if there's a particular skill you want to master, like finding your mix or managing your breath over a long phrase, or a performance or audition you're working towards. You can break the big goal into small weekly steps and watch yourself tick them off.
It deepens your awareness of your voice. When you have to put into words what you're noticing about your voice (the written version of saying it out loud), you notice so much more. Over time you build a richer vocabulary for sound and sensation, and you become a more aware, deeper-thinking singer and voice user.
You start to spot patterns. Your voice is affected by sleep, stress, hydration, time of day, illness and, for many of us, hormones. A few quick notes on how you felt each day can show you what helps your voice and what doesn't, so you can plan around it.
Less time deciding, more time singing. If you jot down your plan for next time at the end of each session, you never start from a blank page. You know exactly what you're doing when you sit down, so the practice time goes on practising.
Your lessons and classes become more useful. Bring your planner along. Your teacher can see what's been happening between sessions, and you'll remember the questions you meant to ask instead of thinking of them on the way home.
It gives you a kinder voice in your head. That inner critic voice tends to remember the one cracked note and forget the three solid verses around it. Your planner remembers the whole picture. On the days you feel you're getting nowhere, it's the evidence that says otherwise.
It builds your independence. A planner turns you into your own detective. You learn how your voice works, what it needs and how you learn best, which means you can keep making progress between lessons, or on your own.
What should I write in my practice planner?
Keep it simple. A couple of minutes of notes is plenty. Here's a good starting point:
The date, time and how long you practised
Your intention for the session (one thing is enough)
What you practised: warm ups, exercises, songs
What you noticed, both how it sounded and how it felt
How you felt today: energy, sleep, mood, anything affecting your voice
Three things that went well and one thing to work on next
Your plan for next time
A quick, scruffy planner you actually use beats a beautiful one you don't.
Isn't a practice planner a bit serious for a hobby?
A planner is for when you want to get serious about your singing, but that doesn't mean it has to feel serious. In fact, it can make practice more fun.
For those of you into gamifying everything, this is your moment! Streaks can be a really effective motivator for lots of people (Duolingo fans, you know exactly what I mean). Tick off each session, colour code your weeks, add stickers if that makes you happy, and give yourself a little reward when you reach a milestone. Remembered all your lyrics? Small treat. Booked the audition? Something bigger.
And if you miss a day, or a week, that's fine. Just pick up where you left off.
Ultimately, though, the best motivator of all is hearing and feeling your voice change. Your planner is where you get to watch it happen.
Where can I get a free singing practice planner?
I only went and made one for you, didn’t I! Session Notes is a free practice planner, a printable and fillable A4 sheet (and an editable digital version) with space for your intention, what you practised, what you noticed, your wins and your next steps. Unlike general music practice planners, Session Notes is made specifically for singers: because your instrument lives in your body, there’s room to note how your voice feels as well as how it sounds, and how things like energy and hydration are showing up in it on the day.
Happy singing!
Laura x
