9 Summer Projects for Musicians

Endless days. Balmy temperatures. Barefoot weather. This is the season of road trips, lazy reads on the back patio, outdoor grilling, and boating. It’s an invitation to let go of schedules and routines and embrace slow, indulgent living. When perfect days and wam nights beckon, it can be difficult to stick to routines, even practicing the piano.

I’ve had times in the past when upcoming performance dates have kept me locked into a rigid practice routine in the summer and I admit without reservation that I resented not being able to embrace the indulgent spirit of the season. But I’ve also found that ignoring the piano completely during the summer months doesn’t appeal to me either. What I’ve learned is that when summer arrives, I need a change of pace, not a complete abandonment of routine. As with everything that marks the magic of summer, I keep my time at the piano light and flexible. I also look for creative ways to keep my musical interests fed away from the instrument. Conversations with fellow pianists has taught me that I’m not the only musician who craves a relaxed routine during the summer. If you’re one of these pianists, perhaps one or more of the following ideas will help you keep your love of music fresh while still enjoying the glories of the season.

Attend local music festivals

Check regional listings in your area. Make a list of every musical festival scheduled for this summer. Attend any or all of them. It doesn’t matter if the music isn’t what you usually listen to or play, the sheer energy of so many people making music together in one place is like a shot of encouragement.

Attend an outdoor concert

Indie artists, summer orchestras, or even ‘80s cover bands—there’s something about sitting around on lawn chairs on a summer evening listening to live music that builds community and brings joy to performers and listeners alike.

Seek out a community music event

Perhaps it’s a choir concert. Maybe the city band will be honking its way through patriotic tunes. Take the time to attend one or more of these. They’re always a reminder that music is a lifelong passion and that all ages and musical levels are welcome to participate.

Choose a composer of the summer and absorb all their music

Go ahead—throw balance to the summer winds and fall headlong into your love of your favorite composer’s music. Listen to everything they wrote. Study any biographical data that may be published about them. Learn any pieces that you’ve not yet attempted to play. Become an armchair expert on your chosen composer and find yourself changed by this immersion when autumn returns.

Host a musical soiree with other musicians

Plan an informal musical performance in your home with several of your musician friends. Throw open the window and the patio doors. Invite friends and family. Serve nibbles and drinks. Make some music together. Who knows? Maybe this will become an annual event?

Choose a short, lighthearted piece to learn

If it’s short, you know you’ll be able to finish it by September. If it’s lighthearted, it won’t clash with the fizzy energy of the season. If it brings you to the piano each day for the sheer joy of learning it, this piece will have been the motivation you need to keep growing as a musician.

Make a patio playlist for outside listening

This is outdoor music. It need not be piano. It need not be confined to one style of music. What it needs to be is fun and sun friendly. This playlist is for patio living. Construct it with an ear to listening to it while reading a good book in the shade, or while sipping a frosty drink outside on sultry evenings.

Go for a walk every morning without ear buds

Listen to real life. Listen to traffic, birds, wind, water, other people—whatever is around you on every step of your walk. This is the symphony of real life. This is the source from which all the music we play comes. Listen to it. Let it bring you out of whatever dialogue you’re rehearsing in your mind into the immediate present. This is where joy lives.

Embrace boredom

Put down the phone, limit access to the news, and let yourself be bored. Let your mind wander. Embrace silence. Refuse to multitask. In those moments when you simply drop out of everyone else’s narratives, you’re giving yourself the gift of dropping into the center of your own. Perhaps you’ll find you like your own story. And perhaps by the end of this summer you’ll have established a habit of silence that allows you to return to the routine of autumn without losing yourself in other people’s words.

Photo by Aranxa Esteve, courtesy of UpSplash