Practicing is a key component to becoming successful in any skill. As a young musician, the teacher will often specify an amount of time to be achieved as a way of marking progress and/or developing proper practicing habits. As we get older, we are expected to take responsibility over our abilities in a more meaningful and customized way. This often means prioritizing our time to meet our goals. The following are the guidelines/expectations for practice in the MW Orchestra Program.
1. Students must set aside time outside of class for the development of their instrumental skills; even if this means reorganizing extracurricular and work schedules.
a. If you would take time off of work in order to prepare for a test or complete an assignment, I expect the same for orchestra work, including practice.
2. Students will practice for a reasonable amount of time to successfully play their part each day in class and complete tests and assignments.
a. Weekly practice will be monitored by out of class assignments, and quizzes.
3. There is no time requirement for high school musicians, however, it is generally expected that they should be playing at least 3 or more days a week to adequately develop their skills.
a. Playing an instrument is a physical activity the same as running or shooting a ball in a hoop. In order to train the muscles to work properly regular exposure to the skill must be maintained.
4. A student should use the following rule to guide their practice. Practice until it sounds good, and then practice a little more. If you don’t like it, neither will your audience.
a. Parents, help your high school student to know when it’s good by acting as an audience from time-to-time. Not only do you get to hear your child playing, but you can help them become better by simply stating something like “that was good, but a little squeaky, could you go work that out?”