"Practice puts into habits of excellence"
Last we looked at Effective Practicing. This week, you practice. Surprise! This needs to be done over time, so plan your time now....
Goal: To establish effective practice habits that are fun and repeatable for consistent improvement
The goal is to CONSISTENTLY PRACTICE and to figure out a way to enjoy the process..
1) Download the practice log - use this as a guide. You can alter it to fit your needs and goals
2) Practice at least 3 X 30 minutes this week.
I recommend dividing the time into around 10 minutes for technique, 10 for Band music, and 10 for "Choose your own adventure". Ideally practice should last for 1 hour so you could repeat the same things after short break, but you can also simply extend the minutes per section.
Sometimes people practice like this: 20 min warm up & technique, short break, 20 min (one piece of music), short break 20 minute (focus on something else), break 20 minute (music can play well )
20 minutes is a good, scientifically proven chunk of time to work on something.
Things to remember:
It's OK if you don't reach your goal - that is what the next practice session is for. The idea is to be consistently WORKING TOWARDS the goal and to practice good habits.
Give some thought to having a practice buddy - someone who is practicing the same time as you that you check in with. You can even practice the same things and help each other out
Always include something you enjoy playing - we practice technique so that we can instinctively access those skills when we need to express something
Have a set schedule. You are more likely to improve if you make this a habit.
Positive attitude towards difficult passages - you WILL get it! I promise. Start slow!
If you need practice tips or suggestions for things to work on, please see the 3rd document. If you're unable to practice 3X or more this week please let me know. I will be online from 1-3 each afternoon to answer questions - post them as replies here! Please remember the goal is NOT to be perfect. The goal is to CONSISTENTLY PRACTICE and to figure out a way to enjoy the process.. Edited <https://teams.microsoft.com/l/message/19:438a7356613c46be8b6393950f59192b@thread.tacv2/1587575148466?tenantId=0b8a2e58-7b30-4a08-bab7-d75559e0e3a5&groupId=22f5be15-089a-4542-87c0-d2070dbe78cd&parentMessageId=1587575148466&teamName=Kitsilano Concert Band&channelName=Assignments&createdTime=1587575148466>