Practice Recommendations
“If I do not practice one day, I know it. If I do not practice the next, the orchestra knows it.
If I do not practice the third day, the whole world knows it.”
~Ignace Jan Paderewski
(concert pianist)
“Control your emotion or it will control you.”
~ Samurai maxim
“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”
Practice
I do not generally require a certain length of time to be spent in practice — I ask only that a practice session lasts as long as it takes to reach the goal and that practice need only occur on those days that the student also breathes. Parents and students should keep in mind the advancement rate is directly related to amount of time spent in thoughtful, concentrated practice. An average of 20 minutes a day will let the student “scrape by” — an average of an hour a day will move the student to a much higher level of skill and enjoyment.
Even a student who loves music and has a strong desire to play the piano needs encouragement – not nagging – to practice. The excitement of beginning piano lessons often leaves a parent wishing their child would find something to do other than play the piano! Unfortunately, the honeymoon seldom lasts forever – the interest and the desire are still there, but the student eventually comes face-to-face with reality of the work and effort involved in studying such a complex instrument.
There are seven basic reasons a student does not practice – I take full responsibility for the first three:
1. The student does not know how to practice.
2. The study pieces are either boring (too easy) or frustrating (too hard).
3. The student is required to work exclusively on music that is not appealing.
Parents are responsible for the next three:
4. Practice sessions are too long for the student’s age.
5. Practice is scheduled when other family members (or nearby friends) are engaged in games or watching a special show.
6. The instrument is not in reasonable condition and/or the practice room is not comfortable and/or too many distractions are in the room at practice time.
The student must bear responsibility (with the parents’ guidance) for the most common reason of all:
7. The student must develop a character trait – discipline – in order to learn to schedule priorities and to understand there is not always enough time in the day to do everything, but to choose wisely those activities that are important. The piano requires the ability to study independently.
Even the very best teacher cannot do it all – the student is ultimately responsible for the work of mastering the piano – and ultimately deserves the credit for the accomplishment.