Practicing Tips

Post date: Oct 31, 2011 11:30:27 PM

All middle school band students should be practicing an average of 20 minutes per day, 5 times per week.

Here are some tips for successful and productive practicing:

1. Find a quiet place to practice. Turn off the TV, close the door, and try to avoid potential distractions.

2. Posture is important! Sit in a straight-backed chair, or stand up while your practice. If you have a music stand, use it! If not, prop your music up on your instrument case- do not lay it flat on a table or desk.

3. Start with the proper warm-up for your instrument: long tones, lip slurs, rudiments, scales.

4. Plan out your practice session- what do you hope to accomplish today? Rather than playing your music from beginning to end, pick out a section that you need to work on. Practice it in small chunks- take one phrase, one measure, even one note at a time! Break down the difficult passages, then put them back together once you have worked on the difficult spots. If you do not know how to play a note, look it up on your fingering chart!

5. Circle any spots that you have questions about, and bring them to your teacher at your next lesson.

6. Have fun! Playing an instrument is not always easy. Take it slowly, and make practicing a part of your daily routine. You will start to see improvement, which is always fun! :)