what is practicing? How do i practice? how long and often should i practice?
practicing tips and tricks can be found below! parents can find ways to help motivate and monitor practicing at home!
practice help
We all know that if you want to learn to play an instrument, you have to practice. But it’s important to know how to practice effectively. Your practice time will be twice as useful if you do it right.
First, here are some basic principles that apply to all levels:
Here are some simple guidelines for a 30-minute practice session:
*Invent exercises.*
Always think about your tone when you practice. Even when you are just playing scales, try to play with a good tone. When you are reading music, look ahead. Don't just look at the notes you are playing - try to see one or two measures at a time. Spend part of your practice time just making up your own music (improvising).
First, here are some basic principles that apply to all levels:
- You are your own best teacher. Only you can make yourself into a better and better player. You absolutely must understand this!
- Practicing should be fun. It’s fun to be good at something, and it’s fun to be constantly improving your skills.
- Practice with your brain turned on and you will learn twice as fast.
- Part of good practicing is developing your ability to concentrate. If you always try to focus to the best of your ability, you will actually get better at focusing!
- When you identify a problem spot in a piece, turn that spot into an exercise. Play it as slowly as necessary to eliminate the mistake, then gradually increase the tempo. A metronome can be useful for this.
- Practice being correct. When you are working on a difficult piece or section, don't try for a fast tempo until you are ready. If you try to play it too fast, you will make the same mistakes over and over, and you will get better at making those mistakes. You don’t want that!
- Try to practice every day, or nearly every day. Find a time of day that works for you, and stick to it.
- Find a place to practice where you can concentrate - no TV, or anything else bothering or distracting you.
- Be patient with yourself. Learning to play an instrument is a long-term project.
Here are some simple guidelines for a 30-minute practice session:
- First, warm up with something easy (5-10 minutes)
- Next, get down to business while you are fresh - learn something new - REALLY learn it. Take as much time as necessary.
- When you are satisfied that you have achieved your goal for the day, don’t stop just yet. Play fun stuff, easy stuff, old stuff, or do some sight reading, for 10 or 15 more minutes.
*Invent exercises.*
Always think about your tone when you practice. Even when you are just playing scales, try to play with a good tone. When you are reading music, look ahead. Don't just look at the notes you are playing - try to see one or two measures at a time. Spend part of your practice time just making up your own music (improvising).
Practicing Essentials
devices & technology
- Metronomes- help keep tempo for the music. It is important to use a metronome to help keep your tempo for exercises or songs that you practice at home. Keeping the tempo and pacing your music will help line up your fingering technique, articulation and tonguing, and music notation reading skills so that this way one of them is not moving faster or slower than the other. Practicing exercises and songs slowly and then gradually raising the tempos from one attempt to the next is the best way to practice. REMEMBER! SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE! Start your metronome at 60-80 bpm (beats per minute)
- Tuners- helps keep your pitch/intonation lined up correctly. It is important to use a tuner to make sure we aren't playing out of tune from one another. When in a lesson or rehearsal, we need to make sure that all of our notes are played and sounded the same way. Practicing with a tuner can help center out pitch and allow us to become more familiar with the correct sound for each note. Play any random note and match it up to the tuner until the lights indicate that you are in tune. If the lights on the tuner show that you are flat (usually moves to the left of the center) then we need to adjust our instruments and make them more sharp (usually we have to push our slides or mouthpieces in more). If the lights on the tuner show that you are sharp (usually moves to the right of the center) then we need to adjust our instruments and make them more flat (usually we have to pull our slides or mouthpieces out more). Matching pitches with a friend or another instrument such as a piano is a very good way to help train your ears and sound of your instrument.
- Standard of Excellence DVD- this DVD comes with your lesson book "Standard of Excellence" and it can be found all the way in the back on the inside cover. You can use this DVD while you practice at home! There are pictures of little video cameras next to certain exercises in the lesson book that can be played along with the DVD and the DVD can demonstrate and assist you while learning these exercises. Take advantage of this special feature that comes with your lesson book!
- Fingering Chart- every lesson book comes with a large fingering chart on the inside of the front cover of the book and a smaller cut-out copy of the fingering chart in the back of the book, on the inside cover under the DVD. You can use the fingering chart two ways. The first way is, you can practice with the smaller cut-out fingering chart along side of anything you are working on and match-up and identify certain notes that you are having trouble playing. Another way is, you can practice the larger fingering chart just by itself. Practicing and memorizing the larger fingering chart allows you to learn all the notes on your instrument and it also extends you playing range on your instrument in both directions, high and low. This was one of Mr. D'Angelo's favorite things to practice when he first learned all the instruments he knows how to play.
- SMART MUSIC- SMART MUSIC is an online program that turns your home practice space into an interactive learning classroom. SMART MUSIC is not free, and it can be purchased as a student subscription. If you are interested in taking your music lessons to the next level, get SMART MUSIC! Go to the "Links and Resources" tab for a direct link to the SMART MUSIC website for more information and purchasing.
- Books and Sheet Music- one of the best things any new musician can do for themselves is play their instrument ALL THE TIME! Students looking to challenge themselves beyond the material that Mr. D'Angelo provides them in lessons, can always go to a local music shop and purchase new playing material for their instrument, whether it would be a new song book or random pieces of sheet music. If going to a store is too much to do, you can always find free sheet music on the internet. Be sure to visit the "Links and Resources" tab for links to specific websites that allow access to free sheet music for your instrument. Remember, a good musician is always playing!
- Music Stand- these hold your music up so that you are not looking down on your bed, couch, floor, or table to read your music. Music stands are cheap and can be purchased at a local music shop or on the internet. Be sure to visit the "Links and Resources" tab for links to websites that sell music stands.
- Scales and Arpeggios- these are certain technical exercises that help build great musicianship in beginner musicians. Some of the most important things a new musician can learn to play on their instruments are the major scales and arpeggios. Mr. D'Angelo has provided students with a list of scales and arpeggios in the 2nd and 3rd marking period for the students to learn. Practicing your scales and arpeggios daily will really launch you into the next level of becoming an outstanding musician. Start slow and gradually build up the speed on these exercises to "WOW" your listeners. Be sure to check out the "Links and Resources" tab for scale and arpeggio sheets for your instrument.
- Valve oil, Slide oil, Cork Grease, Reeds, Cleaning Rag, Pad Savers, Neck Straps, Mouthpiece and mouthpiece brushes, etc.- it is important to always have the correct playing and cleaning supplies for your instrument. A well taken care of instrument will always allow a musician to perform at their best. If you choose not to take care of your instrument, then you are choosing not to try your best. Take care of your instrument every time you play it.
Practicing Games
"20 Minute Consequence" (solo or partner)
Student gets ONE attempt to play the section. If it is perfect, he is done with practice for the day. If there is even one small mistake, he must pay the consequence: 20 minutes of practice on the spot. This is a great game for parents to challenge students with throughout the week. It can be a way to earn a day off of practice.
The Ledger System: (solo)
Your goal here is to play through a section more times correctly than incorrectly. Sounds simple right? It can really be a challenge! Grab a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side write or draw CORRECT, or RIGHT, or a check, or a smiley face, or anything that is good and happy. On the other side write or draw INCORRECT, or WRONG, or an X, or a sad face, or anything that reminds you that you played it incorrectly.
You need to play through your section 12 times (If it is a very long section or you or attempting to play the entire piece you can use a smaller number, like 6 or 8). Each time you play it correctly mark it down in the CORRECT column. Each time you make a mistake (no matter how small!) mark it down in the INCORRECT column. Your goal is to have more checks in the CORRECT column that INCORRECT column. If you don't get it the first time, try again!
This game is also great for percentages so you can see how you may do in a recital or in your lesson. Let's say that you beat the game with 8 correct attempts and 4 incorrect attempts. Great! Now let's let at what this means. You have played it correctly 8 out of 12 times. Or to simplify, you played correctly 3 out of 4 times (somewhere my math teacher is proud). Is that good enough? Do you want to chance the night of your recital being the one time out of four that you play it incorrectly? Better play again and improve those odds! Can you get a higher score today than you did yesterday?
Music Racer
Check this site out! This is a fun music game that challenges you with your note reading. Compete against students in schools all over the world!
Student gets ONE attempt to play the section. If it is perfect, he is done with practice for the day. If there is even one small mistake, he must pay the consequence: 20 minutes of practice on the spot. This is a great game for parents to challenge students with throughout the week. It can be a way to earn a day off of practice.
The Ledger System: (solo)
Your goal here is to play through a section more times correctly than incorrectly. Sounds simple right? It can really be a challenge! Grab a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side write or draw CORRECT, or RIGHT, or a check, or a smiley face, or anything that is good and happy. On the other side write or draw INCORRECT, or WRONG, or an X, or a sad face, or anything that reminds you that you played it incorrectly.
You need to play through your section 12 times (If it is a very long section or you or attempting to play the entire piece you can use a smaller number, like 6 or 8). Each time you play it correctly mark it down in the CORRECT column. Each time you make a mistake (no matter how small!) mark it down in the INCORRECT column. Your goal is to have more checks in the CORRECT column that INCORRECT column. If you don't get it the first time, try again!
This game is also great for percentages so you can see how you may do in a recital or in your lesson. Let's say that you beat the game with 8 correct attempts and 4 incorrect attempts. Great! Now let's let at what this means. You have played it correctly 8 out of 12 times. Or to simplify, you played correctly 3 out of 4 times (somewhere my math teacher is proud). Is that good enough? Do you want to chance the night of your recital being the one time out of four that you play it incorrectly? Better play again and improve those odds! Can you get a higher score today than you did yesterday?
Music Racer
Check this site out! This is a fun music game that challenges you with your note reading. Compete against students in schools all over the world!