How to Create the Perfect Practice Session for your Child
1. Designate a quiet practice spot at home.
· Help eliminate distractions to allow your student to have complete focus on their practice
· No cell phones, computers, TVs, etc
2. Determine a consistent practice time.
· Encourage students to practice at the same time every day
· The more consistent the practice time is, the more likely it is to become a habit
3. Help students develop practice goals.
· Students should have a specific plan for their practice session
· Practicing without setting goals is like traveling to a foreign country without a map—your odds of getting where you want to go are significantly smaller
4. Use the 10 minute rule!
· 10 minutes of thoughtful practice is better than hours of playing on ‘auto pilot’
· Often times, 10 minutes will turn in to 20 minutes—encourage small chunks of practice often instead of large chunks once a week
5. Practice deliberately.
· Encourage your student to practice difficult spots slowly and repetitively until they have it right.
· Simply playing through a song will not make your student a better musician. Encourage them to work on trouble spots of their music at the beginning of their practicing. Allow them to play through ‘fun’ music at the end of their practice session.
6. Have quality materials necessary for good practice.
· Help to provide your student the materials necessary to succeed.
· A quality instrument in good working condition, pencil, music stand, and lesson book are all necessary for good practice sessions.
Practice tips provided by Mazzocchi, A. (2015). How to Create the Perfect Practice Session for your Child. Retrieved 12 April 2015 from http://www.musicparentsguide.com/2015/03/24/how-to-create-the-perfect-practice-session-for-your-child/.
1. Designate a quiet practice spot at home.
· Help eliminate distractions to allow your student to have complete focus on their practice
· No cell phones, computers, TVs, etc
2. Determine a consistent practice time.
· Encourage students to practice at the same time every day
· The more consistent the practice time is, the more likely it is to become a habit
3. Help students develop practice goals.
· Students should have a specific plan for their practice session
· Practicing without setting goals is like traveling to a foreign country without a map—your odds of getting where you want to go are significantly smaller
4. Use the 10 minute rule!
· 10 minutes of thoughtful practice is better than hours of playing on ‘auto pilot’
· Often times, 10 minutes will turn in to 20 minutes—encourage small chunks of practice often instead of large chunks once a week
5. Practice deliberately.
· Encourage your student to practice difficult spots slowly and repetitively until they have it right.
· Simply playing through a song will not make your student a better musician. Encourage them to work on trouble spots of their music at the beginning of their practicing. Allow them to play through ‘fun’ music at the end of their practice session.
6. Have quality materials necessary for good practice.
· Help to provide your student the materials necessary to succeed.
· A quality instrument in good working condition, pencil, music stand, and lesson book are all necessary for good practice sessions.
Practice tips provided by Mazzocchi, A. (2015). How to Create the Perfect Practice Session for your Child. Retrieved 12 April 2015 from http://www.musicparentsguide.com/2015/03/24/how-to-create-the-perfect-practice-session-for-your-child/.