Practice Pie﻿

Practice Pie

4/21/2016

First of all, mmmmmmm, pie!

Second of all, awwww man, I "have to" practice.

Ideally practice time should be approached more like the first statement. However, for most of us it can feel like an open-ended chore that will

Never.

End.

Like pretty much ever.

So, how does one get past this dreaded feeling and actually find a way to enjoy (or at least tolerate) their practice time?

The answer is practice pie. Make a plan before you start and write it down. Set the size of your pie (for example: 60 minutes) and then break down everything you need to work on into a slice of time. Within those slices, have specific goals in mind...intonation work, building up speed with the metronome, etc.

For a beginning student: tuning/scales = 5 minutes, exercise/etudes = 10 minutes, and
solo = 15 minutes. Boom! 30 minutes has gone by and no one has reached their breaking point. Both the practicer and the practice-pusher (the parent) are still speaking to one another. Everyone wins.

Now remember, rehearsals and lessons don't count towards practice time, but they do count towards the 10,000 hours needed to become a "master"!

Short term goals will lead to long term success. If you need a reward, set one for yourself! And don't forget, it is important to take off one day a week...if you can :)

For the more advanced student, the motivation to practice needs to come from you!

Other tips:
Keep a journal to track your progress.

Use a timer. I use a digital kitchen timer and set a specific time for each practice slice.

Set a specific time(s) each day to practice.

Make a "practice buddy".

Have your instrument unpacked ahead of time.

Use a metronome. It really does make the time go by faster!

Take little breaks in between slices :)

Figure out what works and stick to it!

Check out PRACTICE TOOLS, PRACTICE TIPS, PRACTICE PROPS, and GETTING ORGANIZED for more practice tips!