Guide to Home Practice
Home Practice ExpectationS
Stated simply, practice equals progress. As with any skill that we want to learn and improve, attending instrumental music lessons on a weekly basis alone is not sufficient to learn to play a musical instrument, develop musicianship and strengthen technical proficiency. Desire, consistent practice, and determination are all critical to success. When students are adequately prepared for their lessons, the time spent with the teacher is a much more positive experience for all involved. Below are some recommended times for home practice in order to support musical progress. Regardless of age, adept musicians will be required to practice more than the recommended minimum times below.
RECEPTION, YEAR 1 & YEAR 2
10-15 minutes / 2-3 times per week
YEAR 3 & YEAR 4
20-30 minutes / 4 times per week
YEAR 5 & YEAR 6
30+ minutes / 4 times per week
FIND SOMEWHERE QUIET
Make sure that you have a dedicated quiet space - it could be a certain room or the corner of a living room. Say goodbye to distractions such as laptops, tablets, and smart devices to help you prepare mentally for your dedicated practice time. Mindful intention is everything, and having the ritual of going to the same place every time can help set that intention.
TECHNOLOGY CAN BE AN AMAZING AID
As long as you donʼt spend a lot of time fussing with it, technology can be super helpful when practicing. All available as apps, a metronome, a tuner and a timer are all essential tools for practicing.
MAP A PRACTICE SESSION LIKE A WORKOUT
Lots of musicians start with a few actual stretches and breathing exercises before they pick up their instruments. Even if you don't go quite that far, a pretty common scenario is to start with scales as a warm-up, to loosen up your muscles and get your brain thinking about technique; move on to the "working" part where you analyze and try to solve problems; then cool down by improvising or revisiting some music you already know well.
DON'T ALWAYS START AT THE BEGINNING
It can feel really good to hear yourself playing the beginning of a piece beautifully, but you may wind up wasting the limited time and energy you have.
PRACTICE AWAY FROM YOUR INSTRUMENT
Many musicians use visualisation in the same way that athletes do: they run through their music without touching their instruments. Try bringing your music along with you (either on paper or a mobile device) when you know you'll have some downtime, such as during a car or train ride, and read through the piece silently.
HAVE YOUR SUPPLIES NEARBY
Keep a pencil sharpener and a very clean eraser within arm's reach, along with a pencil to mark up your music. Simple, right? But those little things are easy to forget, and if you have to go searching for them, add up to a big waste of time.
BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND
Just playing through your music isn't the same thing as practicing. Before you start, think: What do I want to accomplish today? If you're not sure what you need to focus on, ask your teacher for a few concrete goals to work toward before the next lesson — and write them down so that you can refer to them during your practice sessions.
PRACTICE SMARTER, NOT LONGER
You'll probably accomplish a whole lot more in a short amount of time if you have a very focused objective — and science tells us that we have a limited amount of willpower to draw upon anyway. So make the most of the time you have. Say you are having trouble with two very tricky measures. Set your timer for a short period (like 5 or 10 minutes), and then work just on one problem in as many ways as you can — break it down into even smaller and more manageable bits, go super slow, try to play the passage backwards, change the rhythm, whatever. If that trouble spot is still giving you agita, then make yourself a mental note to come back to that section again tomorrow. Chances are it will be much, much easier the next time around.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF PHYSICALLY
Especially if you're trying to wrestle down an element that you find problematic, scientific researchers say that if you add a physical challenge to the difficult task, such as trying to play that part while standing on one leg or while walking, your brain is likely to start carving out new neural pathways — and the original task will be easier when you return to just doing that.
REWARD HARD WORK
That sounds like out-and-out bribery, but again, science! Finding something that your brain likes helps it remember the "habit loop," writes Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit.