Helpful practice hints and more! Every student has the potential to learn and do well in music. How quickly you will progress, however, depends on how and how often you practice! Tips for successful home practice: - Find a consistent time every day to practice. - Practice in a quiet place with no distractions. - Start every practice session with a goal in mind. What do you want to accomplish today? - If you encounter something difficult, break it down into smaller pieces. Play one phrase, one measure, or even a few notes at a time until correct. If you get frustrated, take a mental break - play something else or set your instrument down and come back to it in a few minutes. - Check in with yourself at the end of each practice session. Did you accomplish what you wanted to accomplish? What do you think you should focus on next time? - Use your CD and the Listening Lab on this site! Knowing what a song is supposed to sound like will help you determine whether or not you're playing it correctly. Learning to play an instrument is about training our ears as well as our fingers and bow arms! Remember this: Playing the same thing over and over with no improvement is not practicing. Play to improve! Practicing 15 minutes every day is better than 2 hours on only one day. Consistency will help train your bow arm, fingers, and brain! Everyone has "off days" when it comes to playing, days when nothing seems to sound good or work the way it's supposed to. What really matters is how you handle those days - do you pick up your instrument again later that day or the next day and try even harder or do you just give up until the next lesson? When the great cellist Pablo Casals was 95 years old, a young reporter asked him: “Mr. Casals, you are 95 and the greatest cellist that ever lived. Why do you still practice six hours a day?” Mr. Casals answered, “Because I think I’m making progress.” Make progress every day! |
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