It’s that time of the year where some of us start to contemplate life, habits (of the more nefarious variety), vegetable eating and such. While we ponder our resolutions for the new year, let’s put music at the forefront of 2019. And honestly, wouldn’t you rather think about music over spinach and smoothies?

So what are some attainable goals for 2019? If you’re just learning an instrument or are an experienced musician shredding it on stage Saturday nights, you know that practice is key. Take a little time out of your day to learn a new scale or fine tune a riff you’ve already learned. Get into the habit of daily practice – start with ten minutes a day and soon without you realizing it your practice sessions will get longer, more interesting and definitely more fun.

If you’ve been thinking about learning to play an instrument, or training your voice, now’s the time to make it happen!

Sign up for a music class, invest in an instrument and you’re good to go. Set goals for yourself through the year. And don’t give up, you can’t master an instrument in a few months. The magic of music is that you can study it your whole life, and when you have a passion for music you will always find something new to learn as you experiment.

Learn your instrument inside out. Not just how to play it, but how to take care of it. Maybe the intonation seems a bit off, or the mechanics a bit loose. Take the time to fix problems yourself. The better acquainted you are with the inner workings of your instrument, the more in tune and in sync you will be when you play it.

In 2019 work on your confidence and self esteem when you play. Put yourself out and jam with other musicians. If you’re not used to jamming, it’ll take a little while for you to build your confidence. But do it. It’s the best way to learn and build a network that will stand you in good stead when you become performance ready.

After you’ve settled into playing a particular instrument, you may feel you’ve hit a plateau creatively and are not progressing. Maybe it’s time to mix it up! Expand your musical horizons. Think about learning another instrument that will complement the one you already play. Or learn how to professionally produce and record your own music.

Not to elaborate on the phrase ‘make it a year full of music’, but if that’s what you want, strive to make it happen. Investing time and effort into doing something you love will give you sense of fulfillment in the new year. And by this time next year you’ll have learned and grown as a musician. Who knows, you could be on your way to being the next Anoushka Shankar?!