12 Practice Tips for Students and Parents
Sometimes practice is not fun. I will agree with that. To make the most out of practice time and get the most out of your time practicing, I have 12 practice tips that have proven to work with young musicians. These practice tips should assist students and parent facilitation of student practice. Keep in mind, most of the tips are worthy of their own blog article because they are all important. I have only briefly discussed the ideas in this article.
Quiet Place free of distractions
Choose a quiet place that is free from distraction to practice, away from noise, TV, your pets, radio, siblings, etc. It can be downstairs in the basement, in your bedroom – wherever. The quieter, the better. Find a comfortable chair (without wheels), set your music stand up, grab a pencil and everything you will need for that practice session, such as music and valve oil and a good attitude. Once you have found that place and it is set up, you are ready to sit down and practice what you need to do.
Schedule your practice time
In my observations over many years of teaching, the students that schedule their practice time into their weekly routine are more successful than those who do not schedule their practice time. Set a time during the day where you have a dedicated practice time. It can be right after school, right after dinner, whatever works for you. Schedule it at the same time every day if possible so that you know at “4:30 is practice time”. I understand that this may not be possible with some students schedules because of other activities like soccer, softball, or dance. Schedule it in when you have that free time, just like you would for school homework. Once it is scheduled, don’t miss that appointment with your instrument.
Have a goal
Every time you sit down to practice, you should have a specific, deliberate goal. Write your goals down, look at them every day, plan what you are going to do and do it. Start with a large goal, like playing 1st chair in your band or orchestra. It begins with breaking things down into smaller and smaller steps until you have something that can be realistically accomplished in a practice session (or a few practice sessions.) For example, playing a difficult passage 5 times in a row without any mistakes. It does not matter what that goal is, just make some that you will be most likely to obtain with a little work. It should not be overly difficult, but at the same time, not so easy that you do not have to work for it. Never practice with the goal of just getting the right notes. There is music in every note no matter what tempo you are using. Find the tempo that works for you.
Be realistic
When setting your goals, be realistic. If you are a beginner, chances are you are not going to play as well as someone who has been playing for several years. That is not going to happen. You may not play something correctly the first or second time. That is okay. Now you have something to work at. Make it one of your goals to achieve next time you sit down to practice.
Quality versus quantity
Many younger students and parents alike think that the quantity of playing matters. “Johnny must play an hour a day or else we’re taking his instrument back” I say quality is better than the quantity of practice. While time on the instrument IS important for building muscle development and endurance, if a student is making progress with their practice routine, then it was time well spent. Keep in mind that wrong reps create wrong results. DO NOT play fast and wrong. Practice as slowly as you need to avoid wrong notes and don’t slow down in difficult spots and speed up at the easier ones. This is very important.
Practice versus playing
Part of the joy of learning an instrument is performing. It is just fun to pick up your instrument and play it, as opposed to practice. There is a time to practice and a time to play. Make sure you make time for both and play music that you enjoy outside of practice time. My 10-year old daughter loves to play the piano and she will just walk up to it and start playing music that interests her. She will do it for 15-20 minutes at a time and has a lot of fun doing so. Getting her to practice sometimes is not a lot of fun, but once she is seated at the piano, she does what she must. Again, make time to just play for the sake of playing.
Private teachers
Private teachers can make such a huge difference in a students’ music education, life skills, and personal development. One-on-one teaching is the most efficient way to help students excel and are about finding ways to help your child learn in the way that works best for them. Check back next month (November 2020) for a discussion on the benefits of private lessons.
Write on your music
It is okay to write on your music with a pencil (NOT a pen). Make notes on your music to remind yourself about fingerings, dynamics, phrasing, repeats, accidentals, etc. I know a trumpet player on Broadway who writes in every accidental in his music with whatever show he is playing. It may seem extreme, but I have never heard him miss a note, ever. If the professionals do it and it works for them, it will work for you too.
Identify and conquer problems
The first step to improving is being able to identify where the tricky spots are and why they are tricky. Recording yourself is a great way to analyze your playing (see below, “Record Yourself”.) Once you have determined why a passage is tricky (fingerings, tempo, range, etc.) then you can come up with a game plan to fix the problem. Take things slow at first, using a metronome if you have one. Once you can play the passage at a slower tempo 10 times in a row without any mistakes, increase the tempo a little faster and do it all over again. The best way in helping you identify your problem areas in music is find a good private teacher. You will improve dramatically.
Record yourself
Do you know what you really sound like while playing your instrument? Most people do not. A recording does not lie on how you sound and can be a very useful practice tool in helping to identify problems. If you are not sure what you are doing wrong, or want to check other aspects of your playing, record yourself. You do not need anything fancy. A cell phone will do the trick in a pinch (although you might not be able to hear your tone as well.) If you want something that is a step up, you can purchase a handheld recorder such as the Tascam DR-05X Stereo Handheld Recorder for under $100.00. There are other portable recorders out there that range in price from around $100.00 up to $1200.00. If you are not sure what to purchase, ask your private teacher to assist in choosing a recorder that would best suit your needs.
Parents, don’t nag!
Parents should be involved in their child’s music education, however, the role of the parent will vary with the student’s age and ability of each student. A parent’s primary role is to ensure that the student practices and to be supportive of the student’s development as a musician. The parent does not have to be directly involved in the practice. The student’s goals should be well defined by the teacher for the student to accomplish them without direct supervision. Some students, however, may need more encouragement to practice.
Reward yourself
At the end of each practice session, remind yourself that you can do this and how amazing it is to play your instrument!
