The Complete Guide on How to Practice Effectively
Parents & Students: How to Practice Effectively Considerations regarding some instruments: 1. Piano, as much as it’s an easy instrument to start with, it does have its challenges to master. Many students feel like they progress so much in the beginning then they plateau, this is normal, it does take a lot more work to get from the beginner’s level to go up to the intermediate level then the the advanced level. A lot more detailed work and careful practice will need to be included in daily practice. Many piano students excel more when they have specific goals like doing the RCM exams, as there is curriculum and timeline that can be followed. 2. The violin/cello is a challenging instrument, just like any string instrument. Our own kids took violin and cello lessons, and the one on cello started when he was just So I sat with him daily for 10-15 min. A lot more listening is required to make the sound sound good. For very young children: A. APPROACH: Back when our son was 3 I would call it “Let’s play the cello now” instead of “practicing” in the very beginning, so that it was seen as a fun thing, which it can be! And simply go through the things that the teacher has done at the lessons too. B. BE ENCOURAGING: I always encourage by saying “that’s good, now let’s do that a couple more times”. Even if it’s not perfect, or even if it’s perfect, the repetition will build the skills. I find that kids really need encouraging words even for the little successes like the correct bow hold for a violin or cello student – those words go a long way. C. CONSISTENCY: The more consistent practicing is, the easier it will actually get. It’s best to set the same time each day (ex: 10 minutes before school, or right after school…etc) – just like brushing our teeth twice a day we simply do it – habits form by doing the same thing consistently, and practicing will eventually become a habit too. Bonus things:REWARD Chart: Some kids like having a practice chart and getting a star for each day of playing their instrument. The point is to build a good daily playing habit and encourage them. You can also ask the teacher (and/or the sub) to go through how to actually practice, so things are easy and clear. Again, this is very common and we are here to help. For children aged 7-10 years old: *Things to consider: Are they playing and doing the instrument they LOVE? What kind of music do they listen to? Would they rather sing or play the guitar or try another instrument? Do they have a good instrument at home? If it’s the piano, is the piano located in a good area of the house? Centralized but not full of distractions, yet they have a bit of privacy for them to focus. Building Blocks of Musical Training:Lessons, Daily practicing, Performance practicing, Performances:Success in Music and in Life! By Lusiana Lukman © 2008 L. Lukman(ABC) & Cheng-Feng Lin (DEFG) © 2008 C.F. Lin I. Essential Elements in Home Music practicing Sessions: A: Attention & Approach: Awareness and Focus are key to getting results in daily practice. The student can’t be practicing on auto-pilot. One needs to be aware of what the goal is that needs to be achieved. Most teachers will be writing down in your child’s dictation book (notebooks are given free here at CMC, because we want to make sure all students have them for this very purpose) what the expectations are of what can be achieved in that week. I highly recommend reading the book and showing it to the student, if they can read. Your child can read it to you even, as this empowers them and teaches them independence, which is a skill that can be applied to everything else they do in life. Approaching the practicing time as a habit and as play is always a good way to make it less of a chore for kids of any age. B: Be Encouraging: Every student works better when they are encouraged, and when they feel empowered and know that they are getting better. So this is again an element that MUST be present at every practice session. Just a simple, “That’s good dear!” and “That sounds better already!”, along with a smile does wonders, for both you and your child. Some kids even like doing a bit of a “competitive” thing either with themselves or with you. Perhaps if you can say something like, “I bet you can finish learning that bar, or those 2 bars, before I … (you can fill in the blank here)…” or it can be as simple as before the 5 minutes is up. C: Continuity & Consistency: Daily practice is very much a MUST. Here are the reasons: Not only will you get the benefit of the repetition, you need to see that musical instrument playing is an Art, Science and Sport. The student, especially very young ones, will not be able to comprehend this, but as you, the parent, start to help guide them daily to include practicing as much part of the daily routine as possible, it will become a habit that they will incorporate into their lives. Cheng-Feng will talk more about how to accomplish this without complaining and fighting. II. Beyond A, B, Cs: D: Delight: We propose mood regulation. Preparing oneself mentally, emotionally, and physically before coming to the instruments brings more pleasure for the musical tasks at hand. Observe the children, and prepare them at least about 15 min prior to practicing and restore them to a state of equilibrium (not under or overly stimulated.) Strategies would be different if a child came out of a nap, versus if a child just came back from a
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