How to Help Your Child Practice Effectively
by Dan Halpern
Some people just love to work out. Naturally, those people always seem to be the most fit. On the other hand, if you’re like me, you need a little push to exercise. I usually have to drag myself to get on the treadmill, but when I’m done I always feel a sense of accomplishment and vouch that I will do it again the next day. Of course the next day it’s always the same challenge.
For many students this is what it is like to practice an instrument. Some love to practice, feel gratified as they improve, and as a result are more motivated to continue practicing. This positive cycle is contrasted with a negative one: A student doesn’t want to practice, feels a sense of stagnation, and is less motivated as a result. How can we get students into the positive cycle and out of the negative one?
REMEMBER WHY MUSIC IS SPECIAL
The joys of music are indescribable. There is nothing like the feeling of performing a great piece with a great ensemble. The connections that are created – with the audience, the conductor, fellow musicians, the composer, and with oneself – are truly unique to musical performance. All this comes with a price: practicing. Students must develop the skills to play their instrument in order for the experience to be meaningful. In many ways, developing the discipline to better oneself as a musician is what makes playing music rewarding.
The challenge for some is that as one progresses musically, it gets continuously harder to improve. The better you get, the harder it is to get better. For LeBron James to improve as a basketball player would take a tremendous effort; he’s already really good. For me someone like me, however, it wouldn’t take much effort at all. I stink.
For that reason students need to be constantly reminded of why music is special, and why the effort is worthwhile. A student might not have the foresight that an adult has. It’s easy to see how a young person would want to give up after hitting a rough patch, but an adult could see the bigger picture. Learning to push through challenges is one of the valuable life lessons that result from playing music.
GIVE THE POSITIVE CYCLE A JUMP START
For students who aren’t naturally motivated on their own, they may need an adult to provide the extra nudge to get them going. Even Matthew Muckey, trumpeter with the New York Philharmonic said, “My mother is the one who made me practice when I didn’t want to — until I built up my own motivation.”
MAKE PRACTICING MEANINGFUL
Students who feel that sense of accomplishment after practicing will want to do it more. Effective practice has a few key elements:
PRACTICE REGULARLY
You may need to nudge your child to practice, and that may mean more than once. Encourage your child to practice on a regular basis to build a habit of developing instrumental skills. Exercising intermittently isn’t effective. Likewise, practicing only once in a while won’t lead to success. Start by scheduling practice for a specific time during the day for shorter lengths of time. Even as little as ten minutes each day (or every other day) is manageable, and will give a student a feeling of success. Encourage your child to gradually increase the amount of practice time to suit his/her needs.
KEEP THE POSITIVE CYCLE GOING
Once a student begins to feel successful s/he will experience the personal growth that comes from playing an instrument, and will hopefully be even more motivated to continue practicing. Of course new challenges will arise, and this is where the encouragement of teachers and parents is most important. As your child continues on their musical journey please continue to support and encourage effective practicing. Your child will thank you one day, I promise!
by Dan Halpern
Some people just love to work out. Naturally, those people always seem to be the most fit. On the other hand, if you’re like me, you need a little push to exercise. I usually have to drag myself to get on the treadmill, but when I’m done I always feel a sense of accomplishment and vouch that I will do it again the next day. Of course the next day it’s always the same challenge.
For many students this is what it is like to practice an instrument. Some love to practice, feel gratified as they improve, and as a result are more motivated to continue practicing. This positive cycle is contrasted with a negative one: A student doesn’t want to practice, feels a sense of stagnation, and is less motivated as a result. How can we get students into the positive cycle and out of the negative one?
REMEMBER WHY MUSIC IS SPECIAL
The joys of music are indescribable. There is nothing like the feeling of performing a great piece with a great ensemble. The connections that are created – with the audience, the conductor, fellow musicians, the composer, and with oneself – are truly unique to musical performance. All this comes with a price: practicing. Students must develop the skills to play their instrument in order for the experience to be meaningful. In many ways, developing the discipline to better oneself as a musician is what makes playing music rewarding.
The challenge for some is that as one progresses musically, it gets continuously harder to improve. The better you get, the harder it is to get better. For LeBron James to improve as a basketball player would take a tremendous effort; he’s already really good. For me someone like me, however, it wouldn’t take much effort at all. I stink.
For that reason students need to be constantly reminded of why music is special, and why the effort is worthwhile. A student might not have the foresight that an adult has. It’s easy to see how a young person would want to give up after hitting a rough patch, but an adult could see the bigger picture. Learning to push through challenges is one of the valuable life lessons that result from playing music.
GIVE THE POSITIVE CYCLE A JUMP START
For students who aren’t naturally motivated on their own, they may need an adult to provide the extra nudge to get them going. Even Matthew Muckey, trumpeter with the New York Philharmonic said, “My mother is the one who made me practice when I didn’t want to — until I built up my own motivation.”
MAKE PRACTICING MEANINGFUL
Students who feel that sense of accomplishment after practicing will want to do it more. Effective practice has a few key elements:
- Goals: The student sets specific goals and follows a method to accomplish them.
- Feedback: The student checks his/her progress at each step and makes adjustments when necessary.
- Repetition: Doing things correctly over and over will create muscle memory, build good habits, and literally change the way your brain functions while playing an instrument.
PRACTICE REGULARLY
You may need to nudge your child to practice, and that may mean more than once. Encourage your child to practice on a regular basis to build a habit of developing instrumental skills. Exercising intermittently isn’t effective. Likewise, practicing only once in a while won’t lead to success. Start by scheduling practice for a specific time during the day for shorter lengths of time. Even as little as ten minutes each day (or every other day) is manageable, and will give a student a feeling of success. Encourage your child to gradually increase the amount of practice time to suit his/her needs.
KEEP THE POSITIVE CYCLE GOING
Once a student begins to feel successful s/he will experience the personal growth that comes from playing an instrument, and will hopefully be even more motivated to continue practicing. Of course new challenges will arise, and this is where the encouragement of teachers and parents is most important. As your child continues on their musical journey please continue to support and encourage effective practicing. Your child will thank you one day, I promise!