Kathryn Allen- 1,000 Days of Practice

Kathryn performs Fur Elise at CYM's Spring Solo Recital

A great big BRAVO! is in order for Kathryn Allen, a member of Ms. Sonia's piano studio here at CYM. A little over three years ago, Kathryn embarked on a journey- to practice the piano every day for 1,000 days- and she did it! What an incredible accomplishment!


Curious to hear her perspective after those 1,000 days? We are too...

Ms. Sonia: 1000 days is A LOT of days.  Were there days when you found it more challenging to get your practicing in?  (For example, if you were too tired, or had too much homework.)  What did you do to motivate yourself to get to the piano on those days?

Kathryn: Some days were harder than other days.  If I was tired, I just thought about wanting to get to 1,000 and not having to start over.  Holidays, like Christmas, were hard too, but I played carols so it felt like a concert and not practice.

Ms. Sonia:  Since the piano is not a portable instrument, what did you do when you were traveling, to make sure that you didn't miss a day of practicing?

Kathryn: I have an app on my ipad that is a piano so I took that with me all the time.  My Grammy has a keyboard so when we visited her I could use that.  When we were in Chautauqua, there were pianos all over the place.

Ms. Sonia:  After 1000 days of practicing, does practicing every day just feel like a normal part of your life now?

Kathryn:  Yes.

Ms. Sonia: Did you hear steady improvement in your playing over these past 1000 days? 

Kathryn: Yes I did.  

Ms. Sonia:  What would you say to your peers to encourage them to practice every day?  Is it worth it? 

Kathryn:  It is so worth it.  It felt so awesome when I got to 1,000 days and got my trophy.

Ms. Sonia:  What have been some of your favorite pieces to practice over the last 1000 days? 

Kathryn: Fur Elise, The Pumpkin Boogie and a lot of the songs from the classics book I have.

Ms. Sonia: Now that your 1000-day challenge is over, are you still practicing every single day? 

Kathryn:  Yes I am.  I am discussing with my mom and dad what I am going to get when I reach 2,000 days in a row!

Kathryn is all smiles with her 1,000 Day Practice Trophy!

 Want to get in on the fun? All students who take a private instrument or voice lesson can participate in Practice Challenges in October, February, and May- where, upon completing 30 days of practice, medals are awarded to honor those who completed the challenge at CYM's Ensemble Recital, Spring Solo Recital, and Summer Community Concerts. Some students like to use the 30 Day Practice Challenges to jump-start their 100 Day or even 1,000 Day challenges!