Whether you pursue learning an instrument at home or play in the school band or orchestra, it’s important to “stay in shape” musically over the summer! Worry less about what you’re playing, and just keep playing. Staying engaged with music during the summer months will help you avoid the notorious “summer slide” while also expanding your repertoire and interests!
The summer is the perfect time to find new inspiration for music and creativity and have fun! You have more time on your hands and room to explore. Take advantage of the looser schedule, outdoor events, and time with friends to broaden your musical interests and hone your craft.
Here are a few ways to tap into summer time inspiration!
Learn Something Just for Fun
Try learning a pop tune, movie theme or even video game music. Sheet music for many popular songs can be found online. Or even better, try to figure out a melody by ear. It may take longer to learn, but developing those aural skills will be a huge asset to your playing, and overall musicianship.
See Live Music
The summer brings a ton of opportunities to see great live and local music. You might get to see an artist you love or someone entirely new! This can open up doors to music outside of your current interests. Options for live music abound from free concerts in the park to big summer tours, amphitheater events, local theater events, and more! Plus, your teacher might just be performing - a great way to get inspiration from the pros!
Mix Up Your Practice Routine
Use your free time to practice in new ways and new places! Sight read new pages in your method book or go back to an old exercise that you didn’t have time to master during the school year. You might wish to try playing the same song in a new style or at a different tempo.
Mix up your warm-up routine! Try your scales and arpeggios in new keys and aim for all twelve.
Try practicing outside or at the park! If possible, bring your instrument on vacation with you and jam out.
Compose & Improvise
You’ve learned many skills and fundamentals through your lessons - now try to play freely off the page and see what happens! You can make variations of something you already know or create something entirely new! New music can come from improvising and experimenting freely.
Allow yourself to be spontaneous and take some chances. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! You might find a chord progression or melody that feels worth keeping… or you might not! A session of experimentation that produces nothing is not time wasted. The process itself only makes you better as an improviser, composer, and musician. Allow yourself to step into the unknown - you might be amazed at what you find!
Try Out a New Instrument
Get inspired by trying out another instrument. Maybe tinker with a dormant instrument in your house like a keyboard or ukulele. Ask a parent or sibling if you can take their instrument for a spin. Think about the ways it’s similar and different to your own instrument. You might find out something that inspires your expression, helps you improve as a musician, or helps you better understand your own instrument!
Listen to New Music
Exposure to new artists and albums can be a great source of inspiration.
Try a new station on the radio, noticing which songs jump out at you. Swap recommendations with friends, family, and your teacher. Ask for their “desert island” picks or artists they’re really excited about. Swap playlists and utilize streaming service recommendations to find new music that’s similar to your current preferences. Treasure hunt through your parents’ cd and vinyl collections and see what you find.
After exploring, try contrasting the new music from your own. Incorporate some different approaches. Consider how sounds, styles,and technique differ across genres - and what the music has in common! Listen to how different the bowing sounds on classical string music vs. a country fiddle tune. Folk style fingerpicking on an acoustic guitar has a completely different vibe than strumming full chords on an electric guitar. Can you play hop hop beats on your drum set that were originally programmed on a drum machine?
By listening to new artists and songs and styles, you’ll broaden your musical horizons and push your ear and playing to new levels!
Draw From Arts & Nature
Find musical inspiration in “non-musical” places! You may find inspiration for performance, songwriting, and lyrics from poetry, books, shows, and film. Notice the emotional impact of good storytelling, the lilt and cadence of a poem, and the ways artists communicate moods and messages indirectly. Try transferring this to your playing and even songwriting! How can you convey an emotion or a story with music?
Or seek out visual arts. Look deeply into a favorite painting and try creating a melody following the lines and shapes.
Nature is another great source for inspiration. Take a walk outside and notice the patterns and notes in animal songs and calls, the ocean waves, or the creak of swaying trees.
Perform
Create a performance opportunity! Prepare and put on a performance during the summer. You can perform old favorites or learn something new!
Working towards a performance gives you concrete playing goals, keeping you motivated even when you are out of the routines and opportunity that the school year provides.
Putting on your show can be as simple as making a recording of yourself, playing a song or two live for your family, or even setting up in the park or on your block and playing for passers by!
Performing keeps you tied to musical goals and gives you a rewarding, inspiring experience! Share your gift with others.
Just Keep Playing
The most important thing you can do during the summer months (and any time of year) is to just keep playing! This allows you to always move forward, bit by bit, rather than sliding backwards and regressing in your development.
Create a routine where you find a little time to play every day. Keep your instrument out and easily accessible. Focus on growth over perfection. Make it fun and get inspired by your own progress!!
