Many of us believe that if we set aside time, take out our instrument, and choose what to focus on, that the rest of our practice will take care of itself. Unfortunately, the quality of our practice dictates how we will perform, and our disappointment with our results in lessons, recitals, competitions, or performances can often be traced back to how we prepare ourselves on a daily basis in the practice room.
Setting intentions for our practice sessions can lead to results which come much closer to what we want our actual performances to be like. While choosing an efficient time of day when our attention and focus are sure to be high and having a plan for how we will divide our time among all the pieces we will be working on are certainly important decisions, perhaps the most important thing we can do is to set our intention for the work we are about to do.
Mindfulness - When we take the time to practice, we should do so with the intent that doing so is the most important thing in our lives at that moment. To treat practice as a rite or a ceremony gives us the awareness needed to take the necessary time that is required to think through problems, generate and experiment with solutions, and to be gentle and constructive with ourselves.
Technique - Often, we get bound by fingerings or bowings which don't work for us. Set the intention to be flexible in finding answers that work for you, while respecting the composer's intentions. You may find that you have particular strengths and weaknesses, and you should capitalize on what you already know how to do well and encourage yourself to strengthen areas in which you're lacking.
Musicality - Performances full of imagination and character start with practice which ask a few simple questions: "How do I feel about this piece?" "What is the composer trying to communicate through this work?" "Are there any historical or culturally-relevant details I should be considering in my interpretation?" "What technical tools can I use to strengthen my interpretation?"
Performance - Perhaps the most valuable use of intention is in improving performances. Often, we practice with the mindset that we have unlimited re-tries. However, we only get one chance to play a performance, and if we're not acclimated to the psychological demands that come with a command performance, we may be thrown off by the sudden pressure. Use a recording device (or an audience of inanimate objects) to simulate a performance mindset.