Thoughts on Practicing

As we settle into the new year, I have some thoughts and strategies on practice. After the break, I know everyone, including myself, needs some motivation to get back into a regular routine. I'll be returning to a lot of these topics later in and exploring them in more depth but here's a start.

I've noticed a theme lately in my teaching and my thinking - I'm stressing practice, practice techniques and strategies more in the lessons. At the start of November, I feel like we've all settled into a practicing groove and now may be a good time to address ways to make practicing easier, more efficient and more productive.

"Only practice on the days that you eat" - Shinichi Suzuki
Your child will feel the difference in their playing and you will notice a difference in their ability with daily practice. I even notice this in myself - in my 100 Days of Practice last year, I noticed a HUGE change in my ability and overall ease of playing. And it just felt good. Daily practice also helps improve memory and the ability to learn new things at a quicker pace. 

Practicing regularly also leads to motivation to practice even more. Again, as I got into the practicing 'groove' during my 100 Days, I was increasingly motivated to keep going. I even kept going after I achieved my 100 Days. If you are feeling unmotivated, the best cure is to just start somewhere and practice, even if just for a little bit. Also, stick to a regular practice time and do it every day for two weeks - this will end so many of the arguments and establish the habit of daily practice.

Routine - find one that works
This may take some time but find a routine that works. Every student/parent duo is different and try different times of the day - in the morning, before dinner, right after school, etc. I've had students have a lot of success practicing in the morning before school but others were more successful with a practice that take place later in the evening just before bath-time and bed. Everyone is a little different so take some time to experiment with your practice schedule. Also, no need to limit it to one long practice a day. I know a number of students who practice for 10-15 minutes a couple of times a day. 

Practice to make it easier, rather than perfect
This requires many, many correct repetitions. In other words, don't play it wrong 7 times and then right just once. It's just been practiced and learned wrong! One correct repetition does not wipe out 7 incorrect ones. 

Practice slowly for accuracy and skill building
Playing a new thing fast usually just results in messing up over and over again. Which leads to the above problem. Instead, practice slowly and never make a mistake. This helps ensure the skill is learned correctly the first time. Also, though this seems tedious, it's far less tedious than trying to relearn a skill that was learned incorrectly the first time. 

Have a goal determined from the beginning
I always have a goal in mind for the lessons though I don't always explicitly say it. Practice should be structured this way, too. And write it down! At first, writing down your child's (and your) goals for the practice will greatly help focus the practice. It also shows you and your child exactly what needs to be accomplished - there is no guessing, arguing, stalling or having to make a decision - and then you can check each item off the list. But involve your child in the planning process - let them make choices over what to do first or next. Over time, this super structured practice plan can diminish but for many, many years I wrote down my practice plan daily in a notebook to help structure my practice. At any level, having a game plan will also help make good use of your time. It will make the practice more efficient, especially when you can recycle the same plan with subtle changes. Also determine upfront how much time to spend on one task - and then use a timer! This gives both you and your child a clear idea of where the endpoint is. There is light at the end of the practice tunnel! 

Strategies
Break it down: don't always start at the beginning - isolate the problem and tackle it first. Starting at the beginning often just wastes time. Start with the 'meat' of the practice first. Take a small section, even a few notes, and repeat it many times, like, a zillion times.

Rhythms: use rhythms to deeply learn a challenging passage (older students know about this). Even using the Twinkle rhythms to work on tricky notes helps correctly learn a skill.

Muddle through it: “Learning is most significant when students discover for themselves rather than simply being told what to do” -Cornelia Watkins. Allow your child to struggle a little bit. I know it's hard to watch without intervening but we learn much more deeply when we have to discover things on our own. This also leads to more independent learners.

Review! Don't forget about review pieces. The skills in the Suzuki repertoire are scaffolded so everything that was previously learned is built on later, upgraded and made more challenging. When reviewing an old piece, ask your child to think about something specific so it is not mindless repetition of an old song. For example, if your child is working on fixing some bow hold issues, have them play Twinkle and really focus on the bow. The left hand will practically play itself and the additional focus on the bow with reinforce bow hold maintenance.

Listening is magic: Without it, learning a new piece is like recognizing a color you've never seen.  Dr. Suzuki recommended 5 hours of listening each day.  Car, living room, kitchen, bedroom - listening is the parent's responsibility and is also for their benefit. I recommend at least listening twice as long as you practice.