7. Home Practice Information
Parental Support in Practicing
As students advance in musical study, the regularity and quality of their practice increases in importance. This can be promoted if parents see that students have favorable practice conditions.
Schedule regular practice times.
A quiet place with good lighting and ventilation aids concentrated practice.
Proper posture should always be used when practicing. A music stand is a necessity.
The instrument must be in first-rate mechanical condition. The higher the quality of the instrument, the higher the possibility of a quality sound.
Praise your child for work well done. A congratulatory remark may be interjected during a practice session, or a later time (at dinner?).
Remain positive. Refrain from making jokes about student results, especially at the beginning stages of the musical development. As humorous as a comment like �Hey Bud, are you killing a cat in there or something?� can be, negative comments can create poor self-esteem and make students hesitant to practice out of risk of being embarrassed.
Tips for Successful Practice Sessions
Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. If you make the same mistakes over and over, you will be able to play it wrong better than anybody else!
Don't practice until you get it right. Practice until you can't get it wrong!
Organize your practice sessions as follows:
Long-tones � hold notes as long as possible and at different dynamic levels.
Scales and exercises � review all learned scales and practice new scales and exercises every day.
Method book and private lesson music.
Sheet music for band.
Miscellaneous music�reserve some time for other music you might want to play.
Isolate the problem spots and work these out first. Do not always start at the beginning.
Identify the problems that you are having. If it is a note problem, practice fingerings before playing. If it is a rhythmic problem, practice clapping and counting the rhythms before playing.
New material should be practiced first. Students should not play through the same songs they have mastered every day. They will never progress.
Short sections of music, a few measures, should be completely worked out before playing the entire piece through. As the saying goes, �you eat an elephant one bite at a time.�
Avoid boredom. Though you need patience and determination in mastering skills, balance this with a variety of exercises and songs each day...don't stay on one thing too long.
Have fun. Approach each practice session with goals and a positive attitude. If it starts to drag down, stop and take a break.