Practice Tips (PDF)
Shouldn’t you be practicing?
Practice Tips
1. Set up a regular time and location for practice.
2. Establish a routine.
2. Establish a routine.
A Typical Middle School Musician’s 25 Minute Practice Routine Might Include:
Warm-up — 3 minutes
Try to duplicate the way we warm-up in class.
Woodwinds should play long tones to help improve tone quality and endurance.
Brass players at all levels can benefit from buzzing on the mouthpiece.
Percussion can play single-handed patterns to focus on their grip and stroke.
Work on a new or difficult piece – 12 minutes
Work on technical requirements, such as scales or technique builders — 5 minutes
Play a fun, familiar piece to conclude the session — 5 minutes
3. Playing only easy familiar songs will NOT lead to improvement.
4. Set goals for practicing. Specific goals can help musicians see improvement more easily.
5. Learning an instrument requires lots of squeaks, scratches, and wrong notes. Try not to make judgments about the musical quality too soon.
6. Learning happens in stages. Sometimes a student will work on something for a long time with no apparent improvement, and then discover a sudden leap in ability. Other times, learning happens very quickly. The important thing to remember is that consistent practice will yield results.
4. Set goals for practicing. Specific goals can help musicians see improvement more easily.
5. Learning an instrument requires lots of squeaks, scratches, and wrong notes. Try not to make judgments about the musical quality too soon.
6. Learning happens in stages. Sometimes a student will work on something for a long time with no apparent improvement, and then discover a sudden leap in ability. Other times, learning happens very quickly. The important thing to remember is that consistent practice will yield results.
Practice Tools
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