How to Set Music Goals Systematically
Setting Music Goals: A Guide to Achieving Your Goals
9 Jan 2024
Usually, people (including Musicians) set goals during the new year. But most of their resolutions fail. This is because, during holiday mood, we tend to forget our general life patterns and set goals. After all, everyone has some resolutions.
Here are some tips you can follow to set goals, as a musician
Looking at what you have done for the past year
You might have a lot of interests to pursue. In planning, a good place to start is to look back at what you’ve accomplished in the last year.
Ask these questions to yourselves and write the answers down on a piece of paper.
What skills did you develop last year that you can build on?
Which tasks made you the most excited and which ones were draining?
Which projects earned the best income?
Take your time to write down all the projects and activities you did in the past year.
Go through your list, cross out the ones that give you lukewarm vibes, and pick 3 that excite your interest. Prioritisation is key.
Break down your goal into smaller pieces
Remember this rule: “Smaller tasks are easier to accomplish”. Even though your project gives a good overview, it is important to break it down into smaller chunks.
For example, suppose you are an independent musician and you have a song in your mind. Break it into smaller chunks.
Song Writing Part
Instrumentation
Whether you need to hire separate instrument players
Finalising the song structure
Chord Sheets and Score Sheets
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Recording
Mixing
Mastering
All you are doing is dividing your larger goals into manageable parts. Then, allocate time for each task. It is important to complete the first tasks fully before going to the second. Remember, Quality is better than Quantity.
In the above example, focus on Songwriting before you even think about Recording Studio and Mixing. Polish your Songwriting skills. Focus on Mastering the Basics. Great songwriters master the art of melody. There is usually no way around a good foundation, and you surely won’t want to build a house on unstable ground. Without this, the rest of the process becomes an uphill battle.