The WOW Guide to a Stress-free, Nag-free (almost) Practice Routine
Every person is naturally and profoundly musical! No rhythm? We couldn't walk a steady pace without it. Tone deaf? Nope! Hearing tone is how we hear speaking accents, or can tell if someone is happy or upset just by the sound of their voice.
So, because we're naturally wired for music, successfully learning to play music is actually pretty easy. It just about the 3 R's: Reps, Routine & Reinforcement. Here's our not-so-secret approach that's easy to manage with great results!
Learning to do anything is all about reps: The more reps, the faster we learn! The "3 to 5" Practice Plan makes it easy to get your reps in:
3 to 5 minutes a day, 3 to 5 days a week
IMPORTANT:
3 days of 3 min sessions is 3x more effective than 1 day of 9 mins;
5 days of 5 min sessions is 5x more effective than 1 day of 25 mins
Several short practice sessions a week is WAY better than one long day of cramming! Of course, no harm if you want to play longer.
Pro Tip: Adults, set a timer for how long you want to play in a given session. You'll be shocked how fast time flies when you're playing!
Learning to play music is a long-term endeavor, a journey full of highs & lows along the way. Even the most dedicated, passionate student encounters valleys and/or plateaus, but these are usually followed shortly by a swing back to a peak. The key is not to expect all peaks all the time, and not give up when in a valley, throwing away all the progress and hard work to date!
Here are some simple, highly effective ways to help coach for your child student (or you) through the highs and low, all the way to success:
Show Interest - It send the message that you think this is important (and they'll think it is, too)
Whatcha playing?
Ask what songs they're working on
Get excited if it's one you know, or if you don't, listen to it together on Spotify or YouTube
Suggest favorite songs of yours as future learning ideas
It's Showtime!
Have impromptu family "performances" of songs that have been nailed
Or video a short performance for distant relatives
It's All About You
Instead of talking about how proud you are them, talk about how proud of THEMSELVES they must be for their accomplishment. It's more impactful, and their confidence is supported internally vs externally
Game the System - a little competition, done correctly, can yield great results
Beat your Personal Best
Set up simple, easily quantifiable goals to beat
Ex: Consecutive days of playing, number of songs played by heart, how slow or fast you can play a song, etc
See if you can beat your own best record, or how long a streak you can keep going
Put a chart tracking the progress on the fridge or wall, someplace public for the family to see
Set up a small reward for achieving a goal, like a special treat or going to a favorite place
Managing through...Popsicle Sticks!
Two jars, and bunch of colorful popsicle sticks or strips of paper
Write names of songs, exercises, projects, etc on the sticks and put them all in one jar ("Jar 1")
Each day, the student picks 3-5 sticks, plays whatever is on them, then deposits them into Jar 2
Once you've gone through all Jar 1 sticks, reverse: Start drawing from Jar 2 and dropping into Jar 1
Pick Your Battles - None, ideally!
Good cop, bad cop
If you have a disagreement or there's something incorrect, let your teacher fight that battle for you!
Just continue to be the supportive "Good Cop" and ask the teacher about the issue at the next lesson
Kids are more comfortable pushing back on parents, but not their teachers
Your lesson is NOT where the real learning occurs! It's the 6 days between the lessons where the learning actually happens, so a good routine is key.
The common mistake is trying to force a practice in every day, and settling for any that actually happen (often none!). Better plan:
Set a schedule based only the best days of the week, ones with the best chances of happening
Avoid busy days (soccer practice, tutoring, etc)
The two most important, effective practice days are:
1. The day of the lesson (after the lesson), and
2. The morning after the lesson day
Connect practicing to something that definitely happens regularly
Around dinner or breakfast, nightly teeth brushing, before dessert, etc.
Remember that music is more than just a rec activity like soccer, it's a formally taught subject in school.
Just like school nightly reading requirements, playing music consistently is key