Keys to Good Practicing
Get in the Habit
With a busy family schedule, it’s not always possible to practice at the same time on the same days of the week. But getting into a practice habit does help practicing become part of a child’s routine instead of an extra chore to be remembered and squeezed in. Use Plan A if possible, otherwise go to Plan B:
Plan A: choose 4-6 days of the week that will be your child’s practice days and a regular time or at least time of day for practicing.
Plan B: The day after your child’s lesson, plan practice times that will work for the week. Write these on a calendar and post it where you and your child will see it each day.
Practice Time
I hesitate to recommend a number of minutes students should practice per day for 2 reasons:
• Quality is more important than quantity (though both are good!)
• You know your child and what he/she can handle better than I do
That said, here are some basic guidelines:
*Beginners and students about 7 yrs and under: 10-15 minutes each practice day
*Students older than about 7 yrs and no longer beginners: 20-30 minutes each practice day
*Students at the “late intermediate” level: 30-45 minutes each practice day
*Students at an “early advanced” to “advanced” level: 45-60 minutes each practice day
The specific amount of time spent should be adjusted to take into account:
• how well the child is able to concentrate that day
• the child’s physical state (fatigue & hunger can derail the best of us!)
• how efficiently the child is using his/her practice time
• time available on that day
If a student is concentrating, focusing on what needs the most practice, and using appropriate practice techniques, he/she may be able to complete a quality practice in 15 minutes, whereas another day the same work might take 25. Two shorter sessions can be more productive than one longer session. It’s all about focus and practicing smart. If frustration gets the best of your child (or you!), cut your losses & try again another time. (If this is happening frequently, let me know & we can try to come up with some solutions.) We want to keep piano playing as enjoyable as possible amidst the hard work that it entails. Don’t forget to allow time sometimes to just “play” the piano!
Practice Quality
The point of practicing is not merely to put in one’s required amount of time, but to improve one’s playing. Rather than putting on a timer and playing for x number of minutes, students need to spend time working on specific tasks such as: working on learning new notes; tricky rhythms; fingering; measures with frequent mistakes; increasing speed; etc. I will note in the weekly assignment notebook what I think needs work. Of course you and your child might also identify problem areas as the practice week progresses.
Practice Techniques
See "Troubleshooting" for a list of suggested techniques to use when encountering difficulties with a piece. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point. You and your child may come up with some of your own solutions…please pass them along!
With a busy family schedule, it’s not always possible to practice at the same time on the same days of the week. But getting into a practice habit does help practicing become part of a child’s routine instead of an extra chore to be remembered and squeezed in. Use Plan A if possible, otherwise go to Plan B:
Plan A: choose 4-6 days of the week that will be your child’s practice days and a regular time or at least time of day for practicing.
Plan B: The day after your child’s lesson, plan practice times that will work for the week. Write these on a calendar and post it where you and your child will see it each day.
Practice Time
I hesitate to recommend a number of minutes students should practice per day for 2 reasons:
• Quality is more important than quantity (though both are good!)
• You know your child and what he/she can handle better than I do
That said, here are some basic guidelines:
*Beginners and students about 7 yrs and under: 10-15 minutes each practice day
*Students older than about 7 yrs and no longer beginners: 20-30 minutes each practice day
*Students at the “late intermediate” level: 30-45 minutes each practice day
*Students at an “early advanced” to “advanced” level: 45-60 minutes each practice day
The specific amount of time spent should be adjusted to take into account:
• how well the child is able to concentrate that day
• the child’s physical state (fatigue & hunger can derail the best of us!)
• how efficiently the child is using his/her practice time
• time available on that day
If a student is concentrating, focusing on what needs the most practice, and using appropriate practice techniques, he/she may be able to complete a quality practice in 15 minutes, whereas another day the same work might take 25. Two shorter sessions can be more productive than one longer session. It’s all about focus and practicing smart. If frustration gets the best of your child (or you!), cut your losses & try again another time. (If this is happening frequently, let me know & we can try to come up with some solutions.) We want to keep piano playing as enjoyable as possible amidst the hard work that it entails. Don’t forget to allow time sometimes to just “play” the piano!
Practice Quality
The point of practicing is not merely to put in one’s required amount of time, but to improve one’s playing. Rather than putting on a timer and playing for x number of minutes, students need to spend time working on specific tasks such as: working on learning new notes; tricky rhythms; fingering; measures with frequent mistakes; increasing speed; etc. I will note in the weekly assignment notebook what I think needs work. Of course you and your child might also identify problem areas as the practice week progresses.
Practice Techniques
See "Troubleshooting" for a list of suggested techniques to use when encountering difficulties with a piece. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point. You and your child may come up with some of your own solutions…please pass them along!