It iIfThis comic is one of my absolute favorites. It is funny because it is so true. Doing anything that takes consistent hard work over a long period time is not inherently fun. Learning a string instrument there will be ups and downs, times you love it and times you just want to leave your poor instrument untouched in the corner. We see all the amazing string players out there in our upper level orchestras in our district, at the high school, and on TV and we just want to get to that point, ASAP! The way to get to the "I'm awesome" takes continual practice. I remember when I was a kid being forced to go sit in a room with the door shut to practice my instrument. My Mom would set a timer in the kitchen for 20 minutes and when it went off I was done. I cannot say for certain, but I doubt I did much productive practicing during those twenty minutes. I probably just fooled around on my instrument half the time and rested half the time. You might have a student that tells you they have nothing to practice or a student who is resistant to practicing. Or your student may tell you there is no time to practice with their busy schedule of dance, soccer practice, etc. If having your child grow and develop musically is a priority for you then practice must happen. Here are some info and tips to help make it part of your daily routine so that there is less fighting, more actual productive practice going on, and shift the attitude from "I have to practice" to "I want to make sure I practice."
1) Practice small amounts over more days is a better way to practice. For example practicing 10 minutes 5 days a week, is much better than practicing 50 minutes on one day only. This is because in order to learn our instruments we need to do repetition and build muscle memory. 2) Make it part of your routine. Set it up so that your child practices before dinner 5 days a week, after dinner 5 days a week, right when they get home from school. Just have a set time that works with your schedule that will not change from day to day. 3) Set up a space that makes it easy to practice. Do everything you can to make practicing easy. The act of unpacking a bass or cello can be difficult especially for a young student. You can buy an instrument stand that is inexpensive, so your student can keep their instrument out and ready to play. Have the practice place be free of distractions for them as well as not be distracting to you. 4) Be involved in their practicing. Check in on them. Ask them to play something they are working on. Middle school students have Parent Recitals they have to complete every quarter so at the minimum you should be hearing them play those for you. 5) Have it be social. Odds are your student has a friend in orchestra. Make a play date for them to get together and practice their orchestra music together! 6) Give them choices. Your teacher has linked a bunch of resources to Google Classroom where they can choose what they download and play. Some are free, some cost minimal free. If they are working on something that interests them, it is still practicing their instrument! 7) Do not focus on minutes, focus on repetitions. Every student has a weekly practice log that outlines exercises they should be practicing. The exercises chosen are done to create a well balanced practice routine. It includes scales, exercises from their method book, physical exercises to work on skills away from actual music, and orchestra music. It is better to work on small chunks and do repetitions than to whiz through everything quickly. Remind your student to make sure they do plenty of repetitions when you check in with them. 8) Start with something easy to warm up. In the middle of your session work on the most difficult thing like a tricky shifting exercise, and always end with something fun like your favorite orchestra piece. 9) Listening counts as practice! Active listening would mean listening to a recording of something you are working on while following along in the music. You can follow along and air bow or doing fingerings. This is a practice routine you can even do in the car! 10) Students have a short playing quiz in class every other week in class in their small group lesson in front of their peers. At times that might be the only way to motivate, and that is okay! Help support your student to make sure they are practicing and preparing for these quizzes. 11) Involve technology. There are lots of great apps to record and analyze your practicing as well as play games to practice note reading. Use Essential Elements Interactive! It can even be as simple as try recording yourself on your cellphone and listen back. Remember that some practice is better than no practice. I know there will be weeks where students are genuinely busy but finding time to practice for 5 minutes in better than no practice at all. The more you practice, the better you become, the more fun music you get to play! Happy practicing! Every year our district holds a Solo and Ensemble Festival in the spring. Solo and Ensemble is an opportunity for your student to learn a piece of music to perform either by themselves (solo) or with a small group of their peers (ensemble). At the event students will perform the piece for a clinician who specializes in a specific string instrument. Following the performance, they will receive immediate feedback on their performance and playing technique by having a short help session with their clinician.
Students will primarily be working on the piece on their own time. Each student will be able to sign up for a few help sessions with their orchestra teacher. If they take private lessons their instructor will help with the selection and preparation of the piece. This is an opportunity to work independently, plan an approach to learn the piece over time, and persevere on a long term project. Being a capable public speaker is a skill that is increasingly important in today's society. Performing on in public in a formal setting by yourself or in a small group works on some of the same skills you would need for public speaking: stage presence, body language, delivery, and handling nerves. It is extremely helpful to take advantage of opportunities like the Solo and Ensemble Festival not only for reasons relating to your child’s music education but also for learning important life skills! |