Building Practice Skills for Musicians

Do you find you don't have quite enough time to practice? Or you practice your instrument but don't feel like you are improving as fast as you would like? Often we don't have enough time in lessons to focus on specific practice skills and developing those skills at home. In this flex class we will have a series of practice challenges focusing on certain areas of practice each week. Students will learn to be more effective at practicing their instruments and progressing through their pieces. ALL instruments and levels are welcome! 

Each week a challenge will be posted in the classroom to help improve your practice. Students will be encouraged to post various challenge components in the classroom as a way to record your practice and to gain ideas from how others practice their instrument. In the classroom a variety of printable worksheets will be posted to help create and refine practice goals each week. Videos will also be shared through embedded youtube videos in the classroom to show different practice techniques by a variety of artists. 

Challenges focusing on the following topics will be posted Monday mornings at 8am EST each week. Each week students will receive a video with instructions for their practice sessions that week and an optional printout to help guide them through the exercises. 

Students will receive a mini check in challenge each Thursday that will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. This can be to make a quick video of a certain practice skill we learned, posting a picture of their practice journal/calendar, or sharing a goal or achievement they feel good about that week.

Week 1:
SMART Goals and creating your practice plan. 

Week 2:
Getting specific

Week 3:
How technical exercises can help and what they are

Week 4:
The importance of including sight reading in your practice and how to make it fun! 

Week 5:
Recordings- using recordings of others and of yourself to improve your practice and make it more fun.

Week 6:
Introducing your best friend: The metronome! 

Week 7:
Tips for those practice sessions that are not working well and overcoming frustration.

Week 8: 
Staying motivated and updating your goals as you improve.