Creating a Music Journal for your Practice

Hi everyone,

In todays post I will be talking about creating a music journal for your own music practice.

My own personal music journals

Music journals are a great way for you to be able to keep track of your practice sessions, and to see how far you have come along from when you first started either working on a grade, a new piece or just starting out learning a musical instrument.

Because I'm working through my grades I want a copy of my practice sessions as a personal 'keep sake' for me to be able look at further down the line. Your more than welcome to use this idea, if you fancy keeping something to show your own personal music development throughout your grades.

Do a Rough Version First

To do this, I make notes throughout my practice session just so then I have a record of that practice session. I do this every time that I practice, and across multiple practice sessions.

Use a Nice Notebook for Your Keep Sakes

I personally like to use the notebooks from a company called Papier, as you can choose the design of the notebook and then personalise it. All of the notebooks in the above photograph are from Papier. I also really like the paper quality that they offer within their notebooks. You don't have to use Papier for your own personal 'keep sake'; you could just treat yourself to one that you really like from another company and use that. I also like use blue gel pens to transfer my notes from the rough into the Papier notebooks.

Reflective Post Talking about Your Journey on the Grade that you Have Been Working Through

This is essentially a piece of writing looking back on the Grade that you have just undertaken, and the journey that you have been on with that grade. You might want to talk about the skills that you have developed while working through the grade, the pieces that have been working on and did you enjoying learning and playing them, any syllabus changes, changes in the pieces that you where learning, and technical development. Where there any bumps along the way?

These are just a few ideas that I have come up with for creating a personal music journal.