Adam Osmianski, drum-kit and jazz ensembles teacher at the Junior Guildhall School of Music & Drama, shares advice on effective practice.
Pedro Velasco

Create a space. A fancy music studio isn't necessary, but try to carve out a space where you can leave some kind of kit set up with anything else you might need – be it a music stand, headphones or a metronome – to minimise barriers. If you have to set up your drums every time you want to practise, or move boxes or dirty laundry from around your kit, it's going to be harder on the days you feel less motivated.

Be consistent. Practise every day, or at least most days, even if only for a short time. Frequent repetition is key, so practising more often with breaks is preferable to one marathon session. It may sound odd, but by practising for just 15 minutes a day, Monday to Friday, for a total of 75 minutes a week, you'll see better results than practising for two hours once a week.

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