Let's Talk About Practice
There are few things in life we can do that didn’t require a bit of practice first. Even babies practice breathing before they are born. When we study music, we need to practice, too! It is unreasonable to expect ourselves to perform a song perfectly the first time. Would you be upset with a young child for being unable to run if they can’t even walk?
There is a process to learning any skill and it involves practice.
Practice Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I practice?
Practicing is what allows you to achieve your goals in music and be well prepared for your next lesson. By practicing you are giving yourself the chance to work out any rhythms, bowings, notes and more that are giving you difficulty. Practice time will often raise some questions, too! Write them down and remember to bring them up in your next lesson.
What exactly do you mean by “well prepared”?
Being well prepared is done by planning ahead and making sure to complete each assignment you’re your previous lesson with accuracy and consistency. These tasks may include anything from your scales, method books, rhythm studies, terms and other areas relating to your individual lesson. Assignments are also meant to be worked with as many times as necessary until it can be done correctly on a consistent basis.
But am I supposed to practice a certain number of minutes a day?
Practicing should not be determined by a number of minutes on a clock, but rather by the goal of being prepared for our next lesson. All teachers recognize you have other responsibilities and obligations on your time, including school, homework, sports, faith groups and more. But we also know working on your lesson material will help you achieve more in music and that some students need more structure than others.
For those of you do better with concrete times, these are some general guidelines which you can use while conducting your practice time:
Beginner 15-30 minutes at least 5 times a week
Intermediate 30-45 minutes at least 5 times a week
Advanced 45+ minutes every day
Another way to look at it is aiming for a practice session to be at least as long as your lesson time. Please keep in mind that the more your practice, the more comfortable you become with your material and the quicker you will progress. This means if you don’t like the song you are currently on, work on it the most! This will help you move past it faster.
Can practice time be split up throughout the day?
Yes! Practicing can occur all at once or a couple of times through the day. For example, if you would like to practice 15 minutes right after school and 15 minutes later that evening you have still practiced 30 minutes a day!
Does practice time need a makeover at your home?
As Shinichi Suzuki states in “Nurtured by Love”, “if some skill is easy for you, that is evidence that it has been developed through training to such an extent that it has become a part of you”. Since our ultimate goal of practicing is allowing the violin to feel like an extension of ourselves, practicing is when we allow time for the required training. Luckily for you, I have some fresh new ideas for practicing at home to keep those fingers on the violin’s strings.
Violin Tour- Take the violin on a tour of the house by playing different pieces in different rooms! The bathroom can be a particularly exciting practice area due to the big sound produced there.
Role Reversal- Allow the student to teach the parent for one day of practice. This can be particularly effective immediately following a lesson when the new skills are fresh in a student’s mind.
Record Practice Time- Recording a practice session can help simulate the pressure of a recital and increase the student’s focus during their practice time. It also serves as an excellent tool to measure progress over time!
Happy Birthday!- This is a tactic for younger students. Light a birthday candle and place it in a holder where your student can see it. The time it takes for the candle to burn out is how long the practice session for the day will take!
Practice Raffle- Write each practice item from the practice chart on slips of paper and place them inside a hat. Draw each item one at a time and practice accordingly.
Silly Repetition- For each repetition of an item on the practice chart, add a silly action such as sticking out your tongue, standing on one leg or standing on your tippy toes. Be creative in this exercise!
Consistency Calendar- Create a calendar for your child to mark each day of practice. Determine prizes or awards for practicing five, six and seven days in a row. Each time they achieve these goals, be sure to follow through with your end of the bargain.
This is just a starting point for new ideas to get your children to pick up their instrument and practice! Do not hesitate to evaluate your student’s interests and create their own individual practice variations! The more personal, the better. By making it fun and different, you can help your child to achieve their practice goals!
Final Notes
Practicing is determined by your own personal goals. Do you want to be prepared enough that you want to progress and move quickly? Then more practicing time is in order. If music is one of many activities you are involved with, maybe you will be content to take music at a more leisurely pace.
But most importantly, this is music, so make sure to have fun with it! Below you will find a hand out to help guide your practice time at home. Feel free to use with any young musicians you know. These questions are meant to guide practice and get you going in the right direction. Keep these questions with your lesson materials or in the room you practice for easy reference.
Happy Practicing!