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Recommended Reading
We are always told of the importance of practice but can often become daunted by the time we need to put aside over the week. We worry that if we don't do it we won't be prepared enough for our next lesson, but we are also aware that the point at which we have done enough practice to be satisfied may never be achievable.
With all of my students I try to encourage them to be organized with whatever time they put aside. This can be organising a 10min practice for a new student up to organising an hour or two for a student attempting music college auditions. The practice is then split into three categories (these will merge in most exercises, and should always be connected to the current repertoire).
The fundamental aspects of any music student to work on are; Sound, Technique and Repertoire.
e.g for 20 Mins
4 Mins (Sound) Play long low notes for full breaths moving on to overtones for more advanced students
4 Mins (Technique) Play a scale that fits the key of the piece you are working on or select a tricky passage from the tune and play slowly first.
10 Mins (Repertoire) Playing and practicing any current pieces.
It is always important to make sure that anyone practising is aware of the benefits of regular practice. We all retain much more information if it's given to us little and often rather then all at once, so practise for 20 minutes three times a week rather then 2 hours on Saturday afternoon and you will notice a bigger difference even though it's less time!
