Practice at Home

Why You MUST Practice/10,000 Hour Rule

Mastering a musical instrument, despite the common misnomer, has little to do with talent.  Mastering an instrument is about hard work and discipline, both traits that will get you far in life.  Noted author Norton Gladwell writes in his book “Outliers: The Story of Success”, that the key to success in any field, is “a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours”.  At home practice is the number one indicator of success in band.  Without practice at home, classroom time is wasted working on individual parts instead of working on full ensemble blend, balance, intonation, dynamics, emotion, etc . 

Practice Expectation

You are expected to practice at home a minimum of 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes per practice session. If at home practice is not possible, the student will need to discuss with Mr. Kane to ensure you are adequately prepared for all performance assessments.

Performance Assessments

Students will have monthly playing assessments to track their progress. Playing assessments are designed to be turned in via Canvas. Failure to turn in your practice journal will result in a zero for the month.