Practice by Susan Younghans
The majority of our students have many outside activities. The time they have available for practice, is very limited and often scattered. Students need to know how to use their time efficiently, successfully and productively. We need to teach them how to practice by modeling and teaching valuable practice skills which are necessary at all levels, much like study skills for academic success.
Practice by Susan Younghans
The majority of our students have many outside activities. The time they have available for practice, is very limited and often scattered. Students need to know how to use their time efficiently, successfully and productively. We need to teach them how to practice by modeling and teaching valuable practice skills which are necessary at all levels, much like study skills for academic success.
I. Provide a Proper Environment
· Inform parents and students of the necessity of a definite practice location and time. This needs to be a quiet time and place in which the student in uninterrupted.
· Encourage parents at concerts/meetings to positively impact their students’ practice time by praising their efforts and respecting their need to have time specifically designated for focused practice.
· Require that students have adequate practice supplies: music stands, metronomes, pencils, and their own music to write on. This seems obvious, but some teachers encourage students to share folders of music or to sign our books that can’t be written in.
· Have the students keep their instruments in an easily accessible place at home. Sometimes younger students practice more if their instrument is out most of the time.
· Provide students practice charts showing what skill or technique they were working on that day. This can be in any format you choose. Students can be more successful when they can measure their progress.
II. Teach Practice Time Concepts
· Any amount of practice time can be useful. If we tell our students to practice thirty minutes daily and they have only fifteen minutes they won’t practice. Students can solve a finger pattern, a shift, or a small technical spot in that amount of time if they have been taught how to do it. Remember that every student needs a different amount of time to master a skill. Some students need to practice 10 minutes and some need an hour. Let their mastery in class be your guide as to whether they are practicing a sufficient amount of time.
· Set realistic goals regarding the number of days to practice. How many of us can do anything consistently seven days a week? Let’s not ask our students to do that – five days a week is sufficient. The students get discouraged if they don’t meet their practice goals. Make it possible for them to reach them.
· Help the students by setting specific goals for them and encourage them to set their own specific goals based on their technical needs. Give measure numbers or particular skills to be mastered. For example, putting 3rd finger down (violin/viola) alone before a low 2nd finger in a descending patter. Encourage the students to create their own little etudes to solve a problem. They can share them later with the class!
· When teaching beginners, have them keep their instruments at school for the first several weeks in order to develop correct habits, posture and practice techniques. Why send them home to undo everything they are doing at school?
III. Provide Teacher Direction
· Modeling Here is where it all takes place. You teach your students how to practice when you practice with them in rehearsal time. Are you a good example? I find that sometimes, when students execute a passage the way I want it, I get so excited that I don’t have them repeat or solidify it. We all know that correct repetition is the key to successful practice! We must model that in our rehearsals. As you work with your students, inform them when you are using good practice techniques so that they can apply them at home. Spend some time giving them lessons on how to practice.
· State the goal of each passage you rehearse, such as “We’re beginning at measure 35 and stopping at 42. Our goal is to start the crescendo soft and grow to fortissimo in four measures.”
· When the students make a mistake, have them stop, go back and correct, then repeat correctly until they have accomplished that goal several times. Then put it together with a previous section to see if they remember it.
· Show students how to break the music up into small section before putting it together.Practice with your students in rehearsal just as you would practice yourself. There is the need to experience it at school first.
· Supervised practice. Have students who are successful practicers help other students learn how to practice by coaching them through some practice time. What a tremendous opportunity for both students and what a benefit to your program!
· Teach tuning ability as early as they can do it. How can anyone practice successfully on an out-of-tune instrument?
· Use analogies and stories to engage students actively in practice. Here are two of my favorites to use in class: “There is a basketball player who just received a big contract for 1 million dollars to play guard and shoot successfully from the 3 point areas. How should he practice so that he is successful? If he shoots from a 3 point spot, misses and gets the rebound to score a basket, has he been successful at his job? I’m glad you are beginning to understand my opposition to “fixing and going on” in your practice time. If he misses the basket 4 times, how many times does he need to make it in order to better his odds that he will make it the next time? How many times do you repeat your correct attempts at a passage after several missed tries? What are your odds of playing the passage correctly the next time?”
“Practicing is sometimes like washing stained clothes. What does your
mother do what you spill something, staining your favorite clothing? What would happen if she just tossed it in the wash? Don’t you want her to spot treat it first? The stain will fade if the clothes are just thrown in the wash but it won’t truly go away unless it is spot treated FIRST. Are you spot treating the measures that aren’t working for you or are you just throwing them in the wash by playing though them with all the other measures?”
You can see how this type of questioning activates a great brainstorming
session. The students can then transfer this type of thinking to their own practice.
Do we teach our students how to practice? Yes, we do by our example (be it ideal or not) and by allowing them the opportunity to learn successful practice skills and experience real practice through and with us.
Originally from Buffalo, NY, Susan Younghans went to Texas in 1984 and found her niche in the musical community. She is recognized as an accomplished teacher and performer and remains an avid supporter of the fine arts and fine arts education in the Dallas area. Susan received her Bachelor of Music Performance Degree form the State University of New York at Fredonia and a Master of Music Education Degree from the University of North Texas where she is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Education.
She performs regularly with the Camber Symphony of the Metrocrest and serves as an adjudicator at many area festivals and competitions. Susan is Director of Orchestras at Lakeview Middle School where the program she began 6 years ago with 15 students has grown to 150. She also maintains a private teaching studio. Her students have won at the Texas Music Teachers’ State Competition, and Susan is excited that many have pursued music performance and education degrees.
