Joy-Driven Practice – Reignite Your Practice with Curiosity, Calm, and Creativity

Summer is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and come back to your practice with fresh eyes and renewed energy.

That’s exactly what this post—and this new podcast series—is about.

Welcome to Reset and Rise, a special summer transformation series on the Mind Over Finger Podcast.

Over 10 episodes, we’re taking a step-by-step journey to help you reconnect with your playing, reset your mindset, and rise into a more grounded, empowered version of yourself by the time fall rolls around.

We’re starting with something powerful in Episode 229 of the Mind Over Finger Podcast: Joy.

Joy is not a luxury. It’s a powerful strategy.

If your practice has felt heavy, stagnant, or filled with “shoulds,” this is your invitation to shift gears. In this first episode of the series, I walk you through the Joyful Practice Challenge—a 12-day experience that helped me rekindle my connection to music during a time of deep uncertainty.

It’s simple. For just 10 minutes a day, you focus on one prompt—something small, creative, and intentional—to bring more awareness, ease, and even playfulness into your practice space.

And here’s the thing: it works.

Why Joy Matters More Than You Think

Joy might not be the first thing you associate with disciplined practice.

But here's the truth: joy is not a reward for progress—it’s a driver of it.

When we approach practice with presence, curiosity, and yes, joy, we stop resisting. We open up. And that’s where real, lasting progress begins.

When your practice is infused with curiosity, pleasure, and calm, your brain is more engaged, your body is more relaxed, and you actually learn faster. You’re more resilient, less reactive, and way more open to finding creative solutions to challenges.

Joy helps you stay in the room longer. Joy helps you listen better. Joy keeps you coming back, day after day.

And when practice feels like something you want to do—not something you have to force—you build the kind of consistency that leads to real growth.

That’s what the Joyful Practice Challenge is about.

By the end of the challenge, you’ll have a new sense of what’s possible in your practice. You’ll feel lighter, more focused, and more in control—not because you pushed harder, but because you reconnected to what matters most.

Try it now:

The Joyful Practice Challenge

Each day, spend just 10 minutes focused on one of the prompts below. You can journal your thoughts, reflect on your experience, or simply notice what shifts. Don’t overthink it, just explore. (Visit www.mindoverfinger.com/resources to download the Joyful Practice Challenge Guide)

Day 1: Ease Into Joy

Pick up your instrument and play anything you want. Long tones, an etude, your favorite piece, or total improvisation. Choose something that feels good and make it feel delicious.

Day 2: Childlike Curiosity

Drop the judgment. For 10 minutes, play with total openness. Ask: What am I curious about today? What do I hear? What happens if I try it like this?

Day 3: Breath Awareness

Start your session with deep breathing. Then play something slowly and focus on your breath as you play. What do you notice?

Day 4: One Tiny Thing

Choose one very small detail—a shift, a bow change, an articulation. Explore it with patience and positive language. Don’t try to fix it. Just explore.

Day 5: Body Scan

Play something familiar and gently scan your body. Where is there tension? What sensations or emotions come up? Just notice.

Day 6: The Power of Gaze

Experiment with where you place your gaze. Look at your hands, the music, the ceiling, or close your eyes. See how your focus shifts.

Day 7: Get Creative

Pick a tricky passage and come up with five new ways to practice it. Change the rhythm, articulation, key, speed, or even the story behind it.

Day 8: Observe Fear

Play a passage that brings up fear. Just notice what comes up. Where do you feel it? What thoughts are present? No fixing—just awareness.

Day 9: Tame Fear

Return to a challenging spot. Accept fear fully. Focus your attention on something specific (a process cue like bow flow or breath) and observe what changes.

Day 10: Sing It Out

Pick your favorite phrase and sing it. Then play it. Explore phrasing, emotion, and freedom. What comes through when you focus on expression?

Day 11: Record with Joy

Record a short passage and listen non-judgmentally. Name three things you liked. Choose one thing to try differently, and record again.

Day 12: No Shoulds, No Shame

Just play. No expectations. No pressure. Just you, your instrument, and whatever feels good in the moment. Let it be peaceful and yours.

This challenge isn’t about avoiding hard work—it’s about aligning your mindset so the work becomes more powerful and effective.

If you do this with intention, you’ll walk away with more insight, more momentum, and more motivation to keep growing.

Ready to Level Up?

If you're ready to hit the ground running come September, Practicing for Peak Performance is your blueprint. This step-by-step course gives you the exact system to practice smarter, perform with confidence, and build unstoppable momentum.

Enroll this summer and get bonus access to The Performance Anxiety Solution—free.

Start now at www.mindoverfinger.com/ppp.