Friday, June 19, 2015

5 Tips for More Effective Practicing

Practice Makes Perfect

So let's start practicing how we practice!


We all know that to be successful and make progress, we have to practice what we're working at.  However, many people struggle with how to make their practice effective.  Sitting down to play and simply repeating your piece over and over and over will help you get a little better here and there, but if we hone our "practicing" skills, we can make MUCH more progress MUCH more quickly.  Here are a few tips that I prioritize with my students.

1. Practice Every Day


Ok this one might seem obvious, and everyone SAYS they do it, but they really brush it off as something that isn't really necessary.  Heres how it usually goes down - ok I'll practice every day...but Tuesday I'm going to dinner, and Thursday my friends are coming over, and Friday I'm going swimming, and nobody practices on Saturday anyway....So I guess I'll practice a few days and I'll do extra time to make up...but not really cuz I'll get bored and rationalize that I've done enough.  Then when the next week rolls around and lesson time pops up - frustration abounds because they aren't as far along as they feel they should be. 

Here's the deal.  When you have a lesson - all sorts of information has been thrown at you, and all sorts of beneficial, guided practice has taken place.  When you practice that same day, you enforce that information.  If you then skip one or two or three days - you start losing that valuable info, and your practices become less effective.  Practicing for a little while every day is truly the key to moving forward at a steady and successful rate.  I'm not saying miss Grandma's birthday or anything....but even if you're super busy - playing through your piece even once before bed is better than skipping and getting out of your routine.  Set your alarm...and just do it.

2. Practice at the Same Time Every Day


So this is the natural step two from the above tip.  And I'll be honest, sometimes it doesn't work out because we've got SO many things planned for our very busy, very fun lives.  But JUST like doing homework before playtime and working out as soon as you wake up - if you set a GOAL time and STICK TO IT - practicing will become routine, and it will feel totally natural.  Push through it...do it for 21 days (or however long they say you need to repeat something to become a habit), and it will become an easy part of your every day life.

3. Make Goals and Write Them Down


Your piano teacher doesn't just write down what your "assignment" is for their own benefit.  We write down what you're supposed to work on because we want YOU to look at it.  Every week you should decide what you want to accomplish by the end of the 7 days. Decide what it will take to reach that goal - and WRITE IT DOWN.  Every time you sit down to practice - take out that notebook - look at your goals and your steps to reach those goals - and practice accordingly.  If you sit down with nothing but moving forward in mind, you'll go into auto pilot, make a little bit of progress, and get up without actually accomplishing much of anything. If you know when you sit down, that you aren't getting back up until you've mastered that crazy hard measure on page 3 - then you'll overcome an obstacle, and truly move forward with your piece.  BUST OUT THAT PAPER AND PEN KIDS!

4. Practice in Small Sections


This one is serious boys and girls. Everyone sits down trying to get through their practice, opens their music, starts on page 1 - ends on page 5, does it maybe once more, and hops up hoping they got a little better.  And everyone KNOWS that this is a total waste of time.  I tell my students every day - if you start at the top and fight ALLLLL the way to the end - by the time you reach that last note - you've forgotten anything you may have learned about page 1! What was the point?! Go back to tip number 3 - make your goals - sit down and plan to work on one page, one line, one measure at a time, and DON'T move forward until you've reached your goal and you feel CONFIDENT in the section you've dedicated your practice time to. Repetition is the key people.  Getting it right one time doesn't mean you've got it.  Repeat those small sections until you KNOW you've got it, and if you play fifteen other pieces and come back - you'll still have it.  Then you can move forward happily!

5.  Reward yourself!


Don't make your practice time feel like hard work that you HAVE to do! Do whatever you need to do to make it enjoyable! If that means you get to eat an m&m every time you finish a line - then bust out those m&ms! If it means you need to practice right before you go to bed so it's not interfering with time you want to be with your friends - then schedule accordingly (and stick to it).  You are working towards something and that is wonderful! Make it feel wonderful and be PROUD of yourself EVERY time you reach a goal! 




Get Out There and Practice your Practicing! It Truly Makes A Difference!

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