With our Practice-a-thon in full swing, here are a few favorite practice tips collected from our Elemental Music teachers! Some of these practice suggestions are especially helpful for younger students, while others are applicable to older students.
Have a snack before you practice! Snack time is a beloved part of many Elemental Music rehearsals. Recreate that magic at home by including a snack alongside music practice.
Practice your instrument as a break from homework. For our younger students, even five minutes of practice adds up here and there! For older students, using music to break up a lot of homework can be a great stress reliever.
Try Practice Bingo! This is a fun way to make a game out of practicing for young students. Elemental @ Westminster teacher Joanna Pascoe created this fun Bingo card. Feel free to print it out at home and use to make practicing easier!
Practice when you first get home from school. Erin Wells, Academy Philharmonic coach and SMMUSD music teacher (and Elemental Strings alum!), says “ The hardest part of practice motivation for me was to actually open up my case. The earlier I completed my practice, the more fun I had!”
Relatedly, Prelude Director Erin Little suggests keeping your instrument out of your case (and in a safe place). No one can resist touching a few keys on a piano when they walk by it…the keys are right there, asking to be played! You can recreate a similar scenario at home by finding an instrument stand to keep your child’s instrument safely unpacked and available for playing at all times.
For young students, making videos of your practice with a pet in the background or a small stuffed animal balancing on the instrument while playing your piece is a great way to get in fun practice time with the added bonus of recording a fun video to send to family and friends!
Schedule your practice time. For older students, practice time can even be set as a calendar event or a reminder on the phone. Consistency is key! For younger students, pairing practice with an existing routine can be very helpful. Always read before bed? Add 10 minutes of practice to this routine!
Start light. If it feels like you can’t fit practicing into your schedule, tell yourself you are just starting with 10 minutes, and then gradually increase your practice time day by day. A good goal for most elementary school-aged students is 30 minutes daily, at least 5 days a week.
Make goals for what you want to accomplish. Both short-term and long-term goals are helpful. When you write them down and hang them near where you practice, you are reminded of why you are doing this.
Use a metronome. Practicing with a metronome helps you keep a steady tempo and can alert you when you are miscounting rhythms. Don't be afraid to start at a slow tempo; it's always better to do something slowly well rather than something fast inaccurately.
Happy practicing, and don’t forget to sponsor your favorite ensemble or Elemental Music student in our 2023 Practice-a-thon!