Times have changed since I was a child and so has the idea of music practice. So what does it really mean to “practice well?” Students have so many things on their plates these days. How can you utilize your time well? Here are a few thoughts and suggestions from my own personal experience as well as from other teachers…
The quality of your practice time is more valuable than the quantity. Use whatever time you have well. Focus on what needs the most work and what your goals are. Your time is precious: guard your work time and avoid distractions.
For beginners/early intermediate: perhaps playing the piece(s) a certain number of times (vs. playing for an amount of time) is sufficient. For everyone: focusing on the parts that need the most work would be enough for your practice time - highlight harder passages, sections, RH or LH need to practice separately? When you’ve mastered it, move on.
For those that need a time frame: *suggested daily practice times: 10-15min for beginners, 30-45 min for intermediate and advanced students. Again, see above^ Also, practice time/amount will change greatly if you’re preparing for a festival/competition/evaluation/recital.
“Practice makes permanent” … and it’s really the only way to get better at something.
“It’s ok to make a mistake as long as you know how to fix it.”
In performance… play your mistakes beautifully! Most of the time the audience won’t even know!
Grooming: Please keep your nails short and clean! If they’re too long, they will inhibit your ability to play with the right hand position. You’ll also notice an extra clicking sound that is probably not written into the music ;)
1) Know your GOALS and your WHY for choosing to study music. Think of both the short and long term. Most students won’t end up majoring in Music, but having a musical foundation can be beneficial in many ways.
2) Know what you are learning and what your goals for the next lesson are. The day after the lesson is one of the most important practice days of the week. You may be learning new notes in one piece, memorizing another or polishing others.
3) Schedule a regular practice time for yourself. It doesn’t have to be the same time every day, but there should be a designated “piano practice” slot in your daily routine. Join the “Breakfast Club” and practice every morning before school! More importantly, COMMIT to showing up.
4) Order of practice
Stretch, breathe, sit down and check your posture, distance from the piano, seat height and hand placement
Warmup with Technique/Scales and Sight Reading
Work on your repertoire - fingering, hand positions, tempo, dynamics, phrasing, articulation and expression
Do your theory
Work on ear training
Listen to and watch the best piano players out there - learn from them and get the right “sound” in your ears
5) Focus on the tough parts of a song and turn your fear into confidence! Practice with separate hands and focus on small phrases. Use a colored pencil/erasable highlighter to identify difficult sections or to highlight important things like tempo markings or dynamic changes.
6) Start with a slow “tempo de learno” then work your way up to the written tempo for the piece (if it’s faster than you can play at the start).
7) Break your music down into sections - you don’t always have to start from the beginning!
8) Use a metronome to help you keep the beat.
9) Count out loud or sing the words!
10) Record yourself playing and evaluate.
11) What is the story you are trying to tell? What colors/mood can you convey?
12) Take criticism, evaluations and feedback to heart without taking them personally. Grow and change! Take heart, forgive yourself for your mistakes, and try again another day.