Practice Tips
Practice tips will vary from musician to musician.
– I always say, dedicate some time throughout the day for devoted practice time. Some people like to sit at a piano to practice anything while some people like to go to an empty room so they have no distractions. Find out what suites you well and if you’re unsure then try multiple ways.
– Practice sessions do not have to be in one sitting. This is very important especially for newer students. You can practice something for 10-15 minutes straight through then move on to something else unrelated. Then come back again late and practice for another 10-15 minutes. This gives your brain a chance to breathe and come back refreshed with new ideas or thoughts of how to navigate what you’re practicing.
– Set goals for yourself. Make sure you know what you want to practice and actually do it. I’ve lost the number of times I’ve practiced without knowing what to practice and I end up sitting there for an hour just figuring out what to do. Make a list, mark your music, ask your teacher.
– Take it easy during your practice sessions. Know what you want to do and do it but you shouldn’t stress yourself out even more by practicing a hard section or song. Relax, things will come to you naturally the more you practice.
– Practice what your body and your face should be doing. It’s one thing to practice the music but your body and your face are also very important when it comes to preforming. People usually don’t want to see a bad performer no matter how good they sound.
– Practice does NOT make perfect. There is no such thing as perfect in the world. Musicians should never strive to be perfect because it’s impossible. Practice makes progress. I always tell students, “Don’t practice till you get it right, practice till you can’t get it wrong”