summer hydrangeas
Now that July 4th has passed, you might be thinking about things you would like to accomplish this summer. Many students find it helpful to come up with a few musical goals to complete by Labor Day. (I always seem to organize my time in terms of seasons and holidays!) To put the passion back into your practice, focus on your favorite piece.
Research shows that we best remember what we practice first and last during our practice session, so play your favorite music first! For example if you are playing two pieces, an exercise and some chords,
1st – Begin your favorite piece by practicing the difficult passage(s) 5x first, then start from the beginning and enjoy it from beginning to end. Keep going even if you make a mistake
2nd – Practice your exercise(s) to strengthen and improve your piano “technique”
3rd – Play your other piece, or the pieces you would like to review for your repertoire
4th – Practice your chords or do other non-reading musical activities
5th – Go back to your favorite piece. Practice the difficult sections again, then play it from the beginning. Enjoy the sound of your music without judgement. Don’t look for perfection; hear the beauty instead of fixating on the mistakes
If you would like to review the principles of practicing using what we know about the BRAIN, click on this post:
I have stopped posting about the music/art/dance of Spain, Italy and Greece via my recent tour because I received many complaints and unsubscribes. It is not my intention to fill your email box with content that doesn’t interest you, and I am SO sorry if that was the case for you. If you would like to hear more about music in Spain, Italy and Greece please “reply” or comment below this post. Perhaps if I included one “musicology” post per month that wouldn’t be too much? Too me, all music information is good information! But perhaps you prefer me to limit this blog to practice tips, musical brain news and free sheet music? Let me know your thoughts.
With love and music, Gaili