The How, Why, When and What of Practicing
From Mr. Steve Raisley, Director of the Steelton Highspire School Band
This information is for all the parents/guardians of Chain of Lakes Middle School Orchestra students to help you better understand all that goes into practicing an instrument while at home.
It would be naïve of Mr. Olsen to think that all parents of music students have substantial musical training to truly know if their child is practicing a lesson assignment or a piece of music well.
Mr. Olsen has included some information here to help out those parents who might not have played a musical instrument or been exposed to much musical activity. This information might also be a good “refresher” for those parents who do have some musical ability but might not have been involved in music for awhile.
We will begin with, Why.
Your child should practice because without daily, consistent practice, they will not improve in a manner that will allow them to progress in their individual musicianship. They will not be able to “keep up” with the other students and it will be clearly obvious too. This will discourage them from wanting to get better and sooner or later, they will quit which is something none of us want to see happen. Also, as it is with all things in life, if you want to get better at something, you must put the time into it. Professional athletes aren’t born with the skills they have. They put in countless hours of practice time, which nobody ever sees, to become the player they are that we see on television. The same goes for your child. Your support in this matter is extremely important. They need your support so they know that what they are doing is worthwhile.
When
Daily practice time is essential. It is best to get into a routine by having your child practice at the same time, same place every day. It doesn’t have to be for very long either. Twenty minutes a day is more than enough. This time will fly right by as well. Of course there will be days when this simply is not possible. We all have busy schedules and sometimes activities overlap. There are also unexpected events that will pop up from time to time. As long as your child makes the effort to practice on a daily basis, they will improve.
What
Lesson exercises
Students are supposed to practice the exercises that are assigned in their contract and/or their assigned method book. Once they have played them for Mr. Olsen he will give them a grade based on their preparation. Students that are not happy with this grade can play the exercises again and again until they get the grade that they want.
Class/Concert music
All Students are in at least one ensemble. They will get music for class at different intervals throughout the year. This music will consist of etudes, concert selections, and pieces to study due to their musical merit. They are expected to practice this music all year long. There is usually a minimum of four pieces of music in their folder.
How
This is the most important part of practicing!
Assembly of the instrument does not count as practice time. Practicing is the individual act of playing technical exercises, small technical tunes (called etudes) as well as repeatedly playing difficult passages of music. Playing in an ensemble setting is not practicing, that is called Rehearsing. Practicing is diligent, individual work on self-improvement. Rehearsing is playing music with others to improve the sound of the total ensemble, which could be a full orchestra or just two people. Performing is the end result of practicing and rehearsing. Performing is done in front of an audience.
The following is a time-table of what should be happening during a student’s practice time. As stated earlier, twenty minutes is more than enough of practice time every day and is the model for this example. If your child practices longer than twenty minutes, adjust the time in each section accordingly.
ALL BEGINNING STUDENTS
2 minutes – warm up time
· All string instrument students should warm up using finger and bowing exercises consisting of a series of notes going up and down in pitch.
15 minutes – technical work
· Students should be playing out of their method book working on different lines, working ahead of the class is encouraged! Repetition is important here. In order to improve, a musician’s skills must be honed by repeating exercises so they are perfect. In music, 100% is the standard. There is no exception.
3 minutes – fun time
· The last couple of minutes should be spent playing something just for fun. It can be a tune they know or have in their method book. This is a good reminder what all that hard work is really for! Music is supposed to be fun. After those three minutes, the 20 minutes of practice time is over. It truly will go by quickly if the student can get into a routine.
ALL NON-BEGINNING STUDENTS
2 minutes – warm up time
· All string instrument students should warm up using finger and bowing exercises consisting of a series of notes going up and down in pitch.
10 minutes – technical work
· Music students should be playing out of their method book working on assigned exercises. Repetition is important here. In order to improve, a musician’s skills must be honed by repeating exercises so they are perfect. In music, 100% is the standard. There is no exception.
5 minutes – Class/Concert music
· Students should pull out class/concert music that has difficult passages that they have not mastered yet and play through these passages. Again, repetition is important. By playing the difficult section of the music repeatedly, they are training their body to handle the physical aspect of that part in the music. It’s not always fun but it is necessary in order to become a better musician.
3 minutes – fun time
· The last five minutes should be spent playing something just for fun. It can be a class tune or some other tune they know or have with their practice music. This is a good reminder what all that hard work is really for! Music is supposed to be fun. After those five minutes, the 20 minutes of practice time is over. It truly will go by quickly if the student can get into a routine.
What should I listen for when my child is practicing?
Again, this information is more for those parents who don’t have any musical training but Mr. Olsen encourages all parents to read through this section as well. Here’s what you should be listening for during each section of their practice time.
Warm Up
For String Instrument Students
· Finger exercises that consist of a series of notes getting higher in pitch and lower in pitch
Technical Work
· Short passages that may not sound like real songs, called etudes
· You should be able to tap your foot at a steady speed to the music - if this isn’t happening, then we have a problem!
· Repeated notes or repeated patterns of notes, these are the technical exercises but you should still be able to tap your foot to it just like the etudes
Class/Concert Music
· Short or slightly long, repeated passages – remember, they are to be working out any problems they have in their music so you should be hearing the same passage numerous times, but you should still be able to tap your foot at a steady speed to the music
Fun Time
· A complete song, maybe even two!
· You should still be able to tap your foot with a steady speed with the music, if you can’t do this, then let me know because this is a problem!
Other important information
· Your child should sit in a chair or stand while practicing. If your child is sitting in a chair while they practice, make sure they sit up straight, this will allow for proper posture and create the best sound possible.
· You can sit near them while they practice, there’s no rule that says you have to be in another room.
· All music students have to get used to playing in front of an audience anyway so the excuse, “I get nervous playing in front of people,” only reinforces the need for an audience now so they get over that nervousness.
· Just because there are no lessons during the summer doesn’t mean your child shouldn’t continue to practice!
· All students can play through their lesson book and go over previous exercises
· Go to a music store and have your child pick up a book or two of fun tunes like Disney Favorites, Pop Song Hits or Holiday Tunes but make sure you get one that is appropriate for the level of playing ability for your child, the staff at the music store can help you out! Some of these books come with accompaniment tapes or CD that are fun to play along with.
Hopefully this information is helpful to you. All Mr. Olsen wants is for your child to be successful. Since Mr. Olsen can’t come to every student’s home every day and stand over them while they practice, this is the next best thing! Your participation in your child’s musical experience is crucial and this is just one more step to ensuring your child will achieve a high level of musicianship.
