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Practice Mindfully For Faster Results

by Crystal

 

I know it seems obvious. It isn’t. Both children and adults are tempted to “save time” by jumping into their practice sessions without taking a moment to remember what they’re practicing to be able to DO. Make the most of your practice time by refusing to play a note until you clearly understand your immediate goal.

 

I had a student last year who was stuck on a particular piece which introduced eighth notes. During each lesson I would help her count out loud and feel the beat. We did exercises with flashcards. We tried every way I know of verbally and physically tracking rhythms. And at the end of each lesson, I’d write down her assignment in her homework folder – the name of the piece and the instruction to “Count out loud while playing.” She would appear each week, sit down to play and make the same rhythm mistake. After a few weeks of this, I asked her to show me what she’d practiced doing the week before. She looked confused. I said, “Just show me what you did when you were practicing at home.” She finally answered, “I just played the song.” I showed her the assignment note I’d written in her folder and she told me, “Oh, I never look at the stuff you write. I just play the song.” I explained that when we play a song without a specific goal in mind, we aren’t practicing. We’re just playing a song.

 

There’s a lot to be said for just playing a song. It’s an oasis of calm in a jam-packed day. But it won’t move a student forward in their studies and this lack of progress will eventually reduce the satisfaction gained by just playing. So if you’ve managed to make time for regular practice, congratulations. You’ve done the hard part. Now remember to protect your investment of time by taking a moment to review your practice objective before starting. If your child is the student, help them develop the habit of mindful practice by reviewing their assignment goals with them and making sure they understand what they’re working to accomplish before they begin playing. Fifteen minutes of mindful practice will do more to build musical skills and nourish a love of making music than hours of playing without a clear purpose. 

 

Now go make some music.