Music Projects to Make Time Fly 

Nothing makes time fly faster than losing yourself in a creative project or hands-on craft.  Here are some ways you can engage your attention and make the most of your time at home.  

Short Composition Games and Exercises

Creating your own music doesn’t have to be a giant, long-term project, and you don’t need any special training to get started.  There are lots of fun exercises that will get your creative juices flowing in minutes.  Voice and guitar teacher Erica Braham recently shared her write-with-me challenge and several songwriting exercises.   If you take part, we’d love to hear how they go for you!  

Pianist, singer, and songwriter Hannah Christianson has shared two excellent videos on five ways to start writing and how to overcome writer’s block if you get stuck.  Young guitarists will enjoy these easy and inspiring composition prompts. And guitarists seeking a different sound, guitar instructor Yoel Genin walks you through five steps for composing a cool metal riff.  

Transcribe A Favorite Song or Solo

Transcribing means writing down music on staff paper using notation.  Many guitarists play primarily by ear and compose on their instrument rather than on paper.  Lessonface bass teacher Yonit Spiegelman explains the benefits of transcribing in this article.  Both transcribing your own music and compositions of others are great exercises.  If you don’t know how to start, guitar teacher Colin Sapp walks you through the steps in this video.  

If you don’t know music notation, you can always transcribe to tablature.  Even though writing out rhythms is messier in TAB, the very act of figuring out where the downbeats and new measures fall will deepen your understanding of what you’re playing.   

Plan an Online Recital

Live-streaming concerts are in right now, and there’s no reason you can’t plan and host your own.  Set a date for the near future, and use it as motivation to polish your current repertoire and share it with your family and friends.  Whether your online recital lasts five minutes or half an hour, you’ll enjoy the extra push and purpose in your practice, and your friends and family will have a great reason to get together online. 

Prepare a Piece to Share at Lessonface’s Open Mic Night

If a full recital sounds daunting, start with just one piece.  Lessonface’s next Open Mic Night is April 26th.  The vibe is very laid-back, and it’s open to students of all levels and teachers of all instruments and genres.  You’re welcome to share any sort of piece you’d like!  They can be completed pieces that you’re polishing to a performance level, works in progress, beginner’s studies, your own compositions, anything.  Sign up now to inspire you to use your practice time effectively.  

Train Your Ear

Many music students are surprised to find that ear training can be addictive and fun.  Some apps even make it seem like a game.  Explore the ear-training apps available for your devices, and find one that is fun and useful for you.  When you discover an app you like, please share your findings in the forum.  

A useful project for guitarists is to learn how to tune by ear.  Many beginner and intermediate players rely on electronic tuners, which have accuracy limitations in many situations. Both your ear and your confidence will benefit from learning to tune by ear and freeing yourself from dependence on a device.  

Perfect Your Playlists

A well-crafted playlist is one of those things that you’ll both enjoy creating in the moment and love listening to when normal routines and busy schedules resume in the future.  Think of an ideal playlist like a good concert.  It engages your ears and emotions at the start, develops and surprises with fresh sounds, transitions thoughtfully and smoothly, takes you energetic peaks and mellow valleys, and draws to a satisfying close.  

Build an Instrument

This is an absorbing and exciting project for any age.  School-age children (and their parents) will enjoy this video on how anything can be a musical instrument.  You can also get crafty and build simple instruments using materials you have around the house.  A quick YouTube search will lead you to instructional videos for making string instruments, percussion instruments, harmonicas, and flutes from scratch.  

Serious-minded adults with some workshop skills can research how their own instrument is made.  Making a guitar, for example, is within reach if you have access to the right resources and tools.  If you have experience building guitars (a few of my students do!), please tell us about it.

Learn How To Repair and Maintain Your Instrument 

Step up your instrument care habits and research how to properly clean, polish, maintain, and store your instrument. Your instrument will thank you! 

Odds are your local music store is closed right now, so if something minor breaks, it’s up to you to fix it.  There are plenty of resources and instructional videos online, and many basic instrument repairs require tools you already have around the house.  

If you usually bring your guitar to the shop to have it restrung, now is a great time to learn to take care of that yourself.  Stringing a guitar is a bit awkward the first few times, but it’s not that hard in the end.  You’ll save time and money in the future by not having to run to the store for string changes and replacements.  

Here are a few more resources for violin and guitar care:
Guitar Guide For Beginners
Musical Instrument Hygiene
Violin Care and Maintenance.  

Learn Something New at a Lessonface GO Class

Lessonface just kicked off a new series of relaxed drop-in group classes called GO (Group Online) Classes.  You can stop in for a single class in any subject, hop around to several topics that interest you, or subscribe to ongoing weekly classes.  Subjects range from academics like Italian and STEM to music topics like trombone, guitar, and song-writing.  If money is tight, the classes are offered on a sliding payment scale, and you can choose the option that best suits your situation.

If you have more ideas for creative ways to spend your time at home, we would love to hear about them in the comments below or in the forum.  Stay safe, and happy music-making!