Practice Tips and Motivation
I have been nagging students to practise flute since 1988! As the busy mum of a 7 year old, I now appreciate how difficult it can be to support your child with their music education, while trying to juggle work, household chores, school & sporting commitments etc. Even a goal of 10 minutes per day can at times seem daunting, if not impossible. The most important thing to remember is almost all children need to be reminded to practise! (I constantly need to nag my son James about brushing his teeth, cleaning his room, getting dressed etc, so it is quite reasonable that I would need to remind him to practise too!) It is a very rare child that does these things without needing to being asked! Here are a few strategies for helping with practice motivation and the very normal “humps” in their instrumental learning.
PRACTICE TIPS
At Windworks, we recommend that about 10 minutes multiplied by your grade is an appropriate amount of practice to do each day. (So, beginners & grade 1 students should do about 10 minutes daily, grade 2 students should do 20 minutes daily and so on.) Remember that the quality and frequency of practice is more important than the duration. A practice session should always include a warm-up, with tone exercises, some technical work (scales, studies, finger drills etc) and then working on the specific issues in your repertoire. Simply playing through your pieces isn’t really productive practice. If you’re unsure about effective practice methods, please talk to your teacher or contact me to give you some ideas!
Many of our older students use an online “practice log” which is available through the studio management software we use. If you don’t already access this and would like a password and details on how to use it, please let me know. The advantage of this method is that our staff can see new entries that students make every day and give feedback and encouragement between lessons. It also calculates weekly practice averages and graphs etc which some students find very motivating.
How parents can help with practice…
You don’t need to have a musical background or any musical knowledge at all to help your child with their practice. Just encouraging and supporting their efforts at home is a huge help! Here are a few ideas you may like to experiment with at home...
HELP...MY CHILD WANTS TO QUIT MUSIC!
It happens to all of us! It’s important to realise that everyone, (including professionals) experiences periods of low motivation with practice and plateaus in progress. This is absolutely normal!
Learning and instrument isn’t just about becoming a good musician! Being disciplined and sticking with it, even when you don’t want to, is one of the many life skills that learning an instrument is able to teach children (and adults!) Many schools have strict one year commitments to learning an instrument. At Windworks, we encourage our students to commit to learning for a calendar year. A lot can change with a child in a short space of time, and rash decisions to quit don’t allow time for any issues to resolve.
Practice is the best cure! When students are feeling the least motivated, that is the time to be most strict with a practice routine. Ask your child’s teacher to recommend a practice schedule and commit to helping your child stick with it for a period of time. (A practice contract between students, parents and teachers can be a good option to try.) Remember, students who practice regularly are never the ones who feel they are making no progress and decide to give up! You could also encourage your child to complete our online practice log which is available through our “studio helper”software. Please let me know if you’d like login details and password for this. Our staff are able to see practice log entries whenever we are online, so are able to offer feedback and encouragement via email between lessons.
Other things to try! Incorporate listening to good music at home, encourage your child to sight- read pieces you both enjoy, and to learn a wide range of music. (Lots of popular pieces can be downloaded for free online.) Our students have access to lots of repertoire and CD’s here, from baroque to classical to jazz to ethnic, so we can help you to find something to keep you engaged. Come along to flute choir, join another ensemble, or find some friends to play chamber music with. We are happy to help you out with this!
Talk to us! Please let us know if your child is struggling with motivation. We have lots of resources here to help with getting students through the rough patches and back on track!
Be fair to your teacher! From a timetabling and staffing perspective, it is very difficult for us to fill a space in the timetable during the term if someone decides not to continue. For this reason, we operate and charge on a term by term basis, and also ask for 4 weeks written notice before the end of a term if you are not wanting to continue with your lessons the following term. (Our staff commit to their timetables here, and often turn down work elsewhere on the understanding of their hours here each term.)
FINALLY, there is a huge amount of research being done on the effects of learning music on the brain and development. There is research to suggest that playing a musical instruments causes unparalleled brain activity (the whole brain lights up on an MRI when people play music, which is not able to be replicated by being engaged in any other activity) As music teachers, we are constantly amazed by the developments we see in our students....the growth in their awareness of beauty, their mathematical understanding of rhythms and the sub-division of beats, the social skills developed in working with ensembles, the improvement in fine motor skills, and most importantly, the pride they feel when they reach their goals. Despite the fact that my son will probably not be the next Casals or Rostropovich, I will continue to encourage him with his practice for the value it has in helping him to become a well-rounded little human being.
At Windworks, we value highly our students’ parents support and involvement in their child’s music education, and the long -term relationships we develop with families is very important to us. Please let us know if there are any issues that are affecting your child, however small, as we are very happy to work with you in supporting and nurturing them through their years of music-making. It is a privilege and a joy to watch every one of our students grow.
Best wishes,
Kellie Grennan
PRACTICE TIPS
At Windworks, we recommend that about 10 minutes multiplied by your grade is an appropriate amount of practice to do each day. (So, beginners & grade 1 students should do about 10 minutes daily, grade 2 students should do 20 minutes daily and so on.) Remember that the quality and frequency of practice is more important than the duration. A practice session should always include a warm-up, with tone exercises, some technical work (scales, studies, finger drills etc) and then working on the specific issues in your repertoire. Simply playing through your pieces isn’t really productive practice. If you’re unsure about effective practice methods, please talk to your teacher or contact me to give you some ideas!
Many of our older students use an online “practice log” which is available through the studio management software we use. If you don’t already access this and would like a password and details on how to use it, please let me know. The advantage of this method is that our staff can see new entries that students make every day and give feedback and encouragement between lessons. It also calculates weekly practice averages and graphs etc which some students find very motivating.
How parents can help with practice…
You don’t need to have a musical background or any musical knowledge at all to help your child with their practice. Just encouraging and supporting their efforts at home is a huge help! Here are a few ideas you may like to experiment with at home...
- Have a designated practice time for each day of the week, and try to stick with it! Find out what times seem to be most productive for your child in terms of concentration and stamina. It doesn’t have to be the same time every day, but something that works around their other commitments.
- Set up a creative “practice spot” with music stand (all students need one...perching a music book on a bed or bookshelf doesn’t encourage good posture!), metronome, music book, pencil, a mirror, and any creative additions that you think your child might respond to (a musical poster, practice rewards chart, framed exam certificates etc.)
- Try leaving the instrument out (in a safe place) at home. I find that when my son’s cello is set up, it’s much easier to ask him to “play a quick scale or piece for me” as we walk past the lounge room!
- Encourage your child to keep a record of their practice (either in a notebook, on a chart, or using our online practice log)
- Ask your child for a weekly “concert” so they can show you what they’ve been working on. It could be while you’re busy cooking dinner....kitchen or dining room concerts are fun! Invite a grandparent, relative, neighbour or friend to listen too. Regularly record or video them so they can look back over the years and see how much they’ve improved!
- Encourage your child to listen to a wide variety of music. If you’re learning a language you need to hear it spoken! There are some great Youtube clips of famous flute players and we a very large library of flute CD’s which you are welcome to borrow. Why not take them to a concert too!
- Understand that for all students, motivation and commit to practice can fluctuate. Being able to work through this is a very important life skill, regardless of whether they continue with their music studies. Please talk to us if you have any concerns.
- Sit in on a lesson. At Windworks we welcome parents to occasionally sit in on a lesson, and see what we are working on with your child, so you can remind them during practice time at home. This is a great time to discuss progress and any concerns with your child’s teacher. Alternatively, feel free to call or email me anytime.
HELP...MY CHILD WANTS TO QUIT MUSIC!
It happens to all of us! It’s important to realise that everyone, (including professionals) experiences periods of low motivation with practice and plateaus in progress. This is absolutely normal!
Learning and instrument isn’t just about becoming a good musician! Being disciplined and sticking with it, even when you don’t want to, is one of the many life skills that learning an instrument is able to teach children (and adults!) Many schools have strict one year commitments to learning an instrument. At Windworks, we encourage our students to commit to learning for a calendar year. A lot can change with a child in a short space of time, and rash decisions to quit don’t allow time for any issues to resolve.
Practice is the best cure! When students are feeling the least motivated, that is the time to be most strict with a practice routine. Ask your child’s teacher to recommend a practice schedule and commit to helping your child stick with it for a period of time. (A practice contract between students, parents and teachers can be a good option to try.) Remember, students who practice regularly are never the ones who feel they are making no progress and decide to give up! You could also encourage your child to complete our online practice log which is available through our “studio helper”software. Please let me know if you’d like login details and password for this. Our staff are able to see practice log entries whenever we are online, so are able to offer feedback and encouragement via email between lessons.
Other things to try! Incorporate listening to good music at home, encourage your child to sight- read pieces you both enjoy, and to learn a wide range of music. (Lots of popular pieces can be downloaded for free online.) Our students have access to lots of repertoire and CD’s here, from baroque to classical to jazz to ethnic, so we can help you to find something to keep you engaged. Come along to flute choir, join another ensemble, or find some friends to play chamber music with. We are happy to help you out with this!
Talk to us! Please let us know if your child is struggling with motivation. We have lots of resources here to help with getting students through the rough patches and back on track!
Be fair to your teacher! From a timetabling and staffing perspective, it is very difficult for us to fill a space in the timetable during the term if someone decides not to continue. For this reason, we operate and charge on a term by term basis, and also ask for 4 weeks written notice before the end of a term if you are not wanting to continue with your lessons the following term. (Our staff commit to their timetables here, and often turn down work elsewhere on the understanding of their hours here each term.)
FINALLY, there is a huge amount of research being done on the effects of learning music on the brain and development. There is research to suggest that playing a musical instruments causes unparalleled brain activity (the whole brain lights up on an MRI when people play music, which is not able to be replicated by being engaged in any other activity) As music teachers, we are constantly amazed by the developments we see in our students....the growth in their awareness of beauty, their mathematical understanding of rhythms and the sub-division of beats, the social skills developed in working with ensembles, the improvement in fine motor skills, and most importantly, the pride they feel when they reach their goals. Despite the fact that my son will probably not be the next Casals or Rostropovich, I will continue to encourage him with his practice for the value it has in helping him to become a well-rounded little human being.
At Windworks, we value highly our students’ parents support and involvement in their child’s music education, and the long -term relationships we develop with families is very important to us. Please let us know if there are any issues that are affecting your child, however small, as we are very happy to work with you in supporting and nurturing them through their years of music-making. It is a privilege and a joy to watch every one of our students grow.
Best wishes,
Kellie Grennan