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What is considered effective practice?
At the beginning of each lesson, I ask the student to rate how effective they think their practice has been for the past week. They can rate their practice as. 1) "out to lunch". 2) avoided hard parts. 3) not bad. 4) Nailed it! or 5) Supercharged. This reinforces the idea that the student owns his/her practice. Some weeks are just too difficult--too much homework or other activities. Other weeks find them practicing more than usual. This is a good opportunity for a discussion about why some weeks are easier to practice and what effect that has on their playing proficiency. After the lesson, I give them my assessment of how effective their practice was based on the same scale., and we compare notes. The amount of time spent practicing is not a good measure when used alone. Often, 5 or 10 minutes here and there throughout the day is better than sitting for 30 minutes and either hating the practice time or just starting over every time we run into a snag. It's important for the students to know how to identify the trouble spots in their assigned pieces and to know how to untangle the snags. It's fun to play the things we like and the things that are easy -- there is value in that as well. But it's important to isolate the trouble spots and give them some additional attention - we have tricks for that!
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How do I get my child to practice?
1. Make sure that the piano is not in a space where the rest of the family is engaged in other activities such as watching TV, studying, having conversations. It is important for the student to be able to focus. 2. Show interest in what the child is playing but try to refrain from interrupting while he/she plays. Ask questions such as what he/she likes about the piece or what gives them trouble.. 3. Work with the child to find out what time of day is best for them to practice and encourage them to make it a routine. |
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