Managing Long Days of Practice

[shakesbeare]

I’m working on my MM right now for bass trombone and am practicing much more than I ever have at 3 hours daily (more consistent, too!). After rehearsals, this often puts me at between 5 and 7 hours of playing throughout the day.

That said, I still have plenty of free time (and extra energy) throughout most days. Sometimes a handful of hours in a row where I’m just waiting for rehearsal to start with not much else to do. Naturally, I’d love to fill this time with more practicing, but I want to make sure I’m setting myself up for success. So I have a few questions:

1) What sort of health risks are there, if any, to playing a bunch per day? What are the signs you use to know when you’re overworking yourself physically?

2) For those that practice (or have practiced) more than 3 hours per day, did continue to notice benefit from spending that time? How did you maintain focus across so many hours, even in multiple sessions?

3) What are some ideas about organizing such a lengthy day? High range early or late? How much practice before vs after rehearsals? How much rest time before rehearsals/lessons?

4) How do you personally manage rest days (if you do)?