1. Score goals on the other team.

2. Block the other team from scoring goals.

The combination of those two ideas will cause your team to win a match!

So simple, right?

Sometimes on saxophone, we think in terms of ‘getting better’.

But vague goals do not effectively drive our practice of music.

To score a point, the ball needs to be passed effectively between teammates moving in a formation and responding to the opposing team.  There are thousands of variables in the situation.  And some of them may include capoeira antics of the other team!

Likewise, you learn saxophone one step at a time.  You might learn the E major scale, then you might increase the speed at which you play it proficiently.

You can learn a song, you can’t learn a thousand songs at once.  And really, you just learn a small piece at a time.  The speed at which you do so depends on your ear, how long you have played, and some other things.

In sports, an athlete practices specific exercises, scrimmages to simulate the actual gameplay, and thinks about the tactics a specific team might work among other preparations.

One at a time.  You don’t see athletes scrimmaging while holding barbells and doing curls (well, at least I haven’t).

In music, focus is fundamental.

Think about what you want to learn.  If you play in a band the music you play with the other musicians may be a big priority.  If you’re playing on your own, pick something you want to learn and put some time in on it.  The results will be much greater with some focus instead of scattering your practice time all over the place.

You ought to practice the different elements of music, I’m not saying to only work on rhythm and forget about tone all day.

A little focus goes a long way.  And learning songs one at a time instead of reading through them for a few minutes will make you really learn the songs you work on.