Practice!
Practice is very important to the successful development of instrumental players and to successful concerts as well as enjoyment of playing the instrument. It is not always easy for students to find the time in their busy schedules but it is essential. Many students have been practicing their instruments and music consistently while others need support in this area. For those needing support practice charts will be issued for a designated period of time and students will need to record their practicing and have it signed by you and returned to me. I appreciate all your support and efforts in the area of practice! Also consistent attendance at morning band lessons is critical!! An incentive idea for students to practice might be receiving an iTunes card after so many minutes or weeks of practice.
Six Keys to Successful Practice
Practice is essential to learning music; the more you practice, the more quickly you will grow as a musician. We strongly recommend a minimum of twenty minutes of practice a day, five days a week.Please set aside a regularly scheduled practice time each day. Do not leave practicing to chance, or wait until you have some “free time.” Especially for beginners, several short practice periods per day may be more effective than one longer one. At times, the going may get rough, and you may get discouraged, but this is normal. If you will persevere through the tough times, you will experience the tremendous satisfaction that comes with achieving your goals.
- Practice slowly and carefully, thinking constantly of what you are trying to accomplish. Concentrate on the work at hand, and avoid automatic practice.
- Practice short sections of a song at a time. Keyboard players should practice hands separately first, then hands together. Wind players should practice fingering a difficult passage before actually playing it.
- Repeat each difficult part in the music until it can be played three times in a row correctly (once is accidental, twice is coincidental, three times is mastery). Merely playing one’s music through once does not constitute practicing.
- Incorporate the proper rhythm, fingering, phrasing, articulation and dynamics in your practice from the very first time you play a piece. Playing the correct notes is only a very small part of learning music.
- A few minutes of thorough practice are worth hours of haphazard, careless work. You’ve heard it said that “practice makes perfect;” the truth is that only perfect practice makes perfect.
- Remember, no question you might have is unimportant. That’s why you take lessons! Communication between student and instructor is essential to learning.
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