Practice Techniques

How is practicing going at home?  I ask, because it is easy to get into the habit of practicing in terms of time instead of accomplishment, especially at this time of year.

I'm thinking about your child's practice this week because for the first time in a long time, my practice goals are seriously constrained by time!  I can only practice a few minutes a day due to an injury and I'm finding that I have to be so very efficient!  Here are some of the ideas that I am keeping in mind for my practice:

• Set a clear goal to accomplish by the end of the practice session
• Make sure the goal is small, and your child knows how to accomplish the goal
• Play through the piece with the new accomplished portion
• Move on to another goal, or run through a performance piece or do some improvising!
• If the goals are accomplished before the regular time set aside for practicing, finish up early!

For the young child, teaching the idea and feeling for self-motivated discipline is so important, and music study is a perfect way to tackle this.

Here is an article with more details on practice techniques that you might enjoy.

Starting All Over Again

Welcome back, everyone!  Is it my imagination, or did we skip autumn this year?!

This week I've been thinking a lot about what strength of character it takes to relearn something.  In lessons over the past two weeks I've been encouraging students who lost a bit of what they could previously do at the piano over the summer vacation and are discouraged by how lacking they have found their skills upon returning to lessons.

Sometimes, when all we have in mind is the big picture, the distance we find ourselves from our goal is the only thing we can see.  And when that distance gets slightly bigger, it seems that we are hopelessly heading in the wrong direction.  And then practicing seems frustrating.

But that isn't how our brains work!  Luckily, every time we "relearn" something, we're not starting from scratch AT ALL!  These skills that we've developed stay with us ("like riding a bike") and it is just being able to access these skills smoothly that we need to practice.  And it takes far less time to remember how to access these skills than it does to learn them in the first place.  

I've seen students this month cheerily tackle this, knowing that if they did it once, they can do it again.  Good for you!  I've seen students dramatically get angry with themselves for not living up to their own expectations.  No biggie!  Stomp around a bit!  Go get a cracker and a piece of cheese!  Then take a breath and come back to the piano - your brain has been practicing that whole time anyway!  I've also seen students retreat from the piano and their normally ebullient selves when faced with the daunting and disappointing task of relearning something.  It's okay.  It isn't YOU.  We just need to remind your hands of our expectations and give them a little practice before we go around thinking they can just do this miraculous thing on command! 

So, do me a favor this month.  Trust me and relax.  Let's practice together in lessons and find those skills again that I know you have!  We'll do all the work together - all you have to do at home is check in on your hands every day just to keep reminding them of what they learned in lesson.

Happy Practicing!  

Practicing Away from the Keyboard - an App Review

Who likes technology?  Who likes kids occupied productively?  Who likes games?  Who needs a vacation?!  (If you answered, "me," or "I do!" or, "You're talking to him!" to any of these questions, this posting is for YOU.)

There are some things about music that are helpful to practice AWAY from the piano.  The piano is how we make beautiful music, and while note reading can be fun, sometimes a bit of drilling that won't interfere with our newest and most beautiful pieces is what would help the most.

Below are some apps that I've found and tried out and recommend.  I've organized them by operating software and then by level.  If there are any that you know of and can recommend that I haven't listed below, please e-mail me so I can pass it on to everyone else!

If you have Apple Software (ipad, ipod, Macbook, ipod touch, etc):

 

Music Keys by Foriero - This is a quiz of playing the correct keys on the keyboard when given them by letter name.  You cannot control the range of keys quizzed on, but in the training mode, it does teach you how to find a flat and a sharp.  The piano keyboard presented is a good size for playing, and the game plays the sound of each note as you play it on the KB.  You play until you get a wrong answer and you are given a score.  This app is FREE.

Music Notes by Foriero - In this game, you see a range of notes from a whole note to a thirty second note and you are asked to select the correct symbol based on the word it gives you.  You need to be able to read to play this game.  The notes you select are not extremely realistic looking and there are no dotted notes or rests, but I have found that kids like this one a lot.  This app is also FREE.

Music Intervals by Foriero - This is a cute quiz game.  There are two modes, "train" and "play."  In the train mode, the game presents an interval on the staff, plays the sound of it melodically, and then gives the answer below.  In the play mode, the student has to come up with the answer.  You play until you get one wrong and are given a score.  I like this because it gives the sound of each interval, which is important in interval recognition.  What I don't like about it, is that it calls a "unison" a "1st."  This app is FREE.  **

Flash Class - This is a note naming flashcard game.  If you set the game preferences to "piano keyboard," a student is given a note on the staff and has to play that note on the keyboard provided.  You do need to be accurate with the small keys, but the program plays each tone and you're able to set up what the range of notes to be quizzed on are.  If you decide to use this app, feel free to ask me in lesson what the range should be.  This app is $3.99 in the app store.

Music Tones by Foriero - This is like the flashcard game, but is a little more colorful.  You cannot control of the range of notes given except by staff (you either practice all the notes on the treble staff or all the notes on the bass staff).  Unlike Flash Class, you name the note by letter name instead of playing it on the keyboard, so it doesn't really work on that reaction we try to create by sightreading in lesson.  But it IS FREE!

Music Cubes by Foriero -  This is a GREAT game.  Remember the little handheld Simon game?  It is similar in that each round you get a new tone.  You are given the first note, and everything else is a note added to a melody.  This is a game to be played by ear and each note is relative to the preceding note.  I LOVE this game.  AND it's FREE.   **

Music Tool by TheWay - This is not a game, but a pretty well designed tool for anyone that is learning their scales and chord progressions and the circle of fifths.  You choose a key (say your piece is in F Major), and it gives you the key signature, the scale degrees and their functions and on a keyboard, will show you the tones in the scale and any chord you select in that key.  This would be quite helpful for harmonic analysis.  The free version has all of that.  The paid version ($3.99) includes many modal scales and typical scales from other cultures aside from just major and minor.  **

Music Theory by Brainscape - This is more of a collection of flashcards than anything else.  My favorites are Key Signatures, Interval Ear Trainer, and Name that Chord.  It is quite in depth, teaches you about chords, symbols and even composers.  Many of the options might be too difficult for a child though and you might need to supervise or help him/her.  It works like flashcards do though.  You don't plug in an answer - you think it, say it, or write it down and then check your answer.  It then asks each time "how well did you know this?" and will keep that question in the deck according to your response.  I strongly recommend this one for its ear training, though it can be a bit academic for symbols.  See me about assigning from this app.  This app is $1.99 and a great deal.

If you have Android Software:

My Little Note - Switch the input method to keyboard, and this is a really cute, fun game to practice sightreading.  It is simple, easy to play, you can control the difficulty level, number of questions and clefs to work on and it is $1.54.  This is one of my favorites for note reading.  **

Musical Flash - This is a simple flashcard practice app.  You are shown a note on the treble or bass staff and given three options.  You choose the correct one and keep going.  There is no keyboard for the note naming.  This app is FREE.

Piano Sightreading - This is an app for identifying on a small keyboard, the notes on the staff.  It gives you an accuracy and a speed and has no sound.  This app is FREE.

Music Tutor Sightread - This is a great flashcard app that allows you to answer what note on a staff you're presented with on the keyboard!  You are given a certain time and your score is based on how many you got correct in that time limit.  The Lite version, which is free,  has only treble cleff.  The full version, which costs $2.33 has the bass clef, grand staff, range selection, accidentals, and key signatures.  I think it is worth the price.  **


CSharply -  This is a great little collection of music reading quizzes.  The note ID is on the staff (not with a keyboard - just letter names), the interval ID is realistic and plays the sound harmonically (instead of melodically, which is easier to hear), and Key ID is a simple key signature labeling quiz.  It also has specific interval ID and chord ID which are kind of tricky, but good practice.  This app is $1.43.

If you're an android use and want better apps and have the know-how to make that happen, Samsung is holding an app writing contest and I vote for a new music theory app!

I have all of these apps, so if you want to try them, let me know in lesson this week!  I starred my favorites, but each is different and may appeal to different kids.  The android ones aren't as varied as the apple options yet, but I'm sure there are some out there that I haven't tried - let me know if you have!

Note Taking - Copied from Suzuki Journal

Taking Notes at Lessons: Practical Tips for Parents

by Heidi Ehle

March 8, 2011 / Minijournal 2001 / Parents

Continuity is a crucial part of learning an instrument, and the link that provides continuity between lessons and practice is your precious notes! Having been a Suzuki parent, I know that in a busy day sometimes you sink into the chair at the lesson and think, “Ah, 30 minutes of down time.” Then you find yourself daydreaming, and before you know it the lesson is over. You glance down at your notebook, and see “Review Allegro” … hmmm, not much to work with. You hear your teacher compliment your child on the lesson, but you are not exactly sure what went on.
At this point you may ask your teacher, “What shall we practice this week?” This will probably get a somewhat annoyed response as the teacher thinks, “OK, do I have to re-run the entire lesson at fast forward?” although she’s glad you at least asked. Or you don’t ask and figure you’ll just get through practice somehow.

Helpful Hints

While you may need some clarification at the end of the lesson, the teacher expects you to pick out major points for practice during the lesson. Here are some tips:

1. Look for a theme, especially with very young children. There is what Suzuki teachers call the “one point lesson.” If you hear the same aspect mentioned again and again, circle it at the top of your notes (i.e., thumb position, clear high notes, where is your foot, D’s correct).
   
2. In review songs, what is the teacher’s focus? Sometimes it is just a fun warm-up, but more often there is a specific goal. Children do not like mind-numbing repetition. Find the teaching point in the review (i.e., beautiful E’s, breathing, fingering D to C, air use on high notes, etc.).
   
3. Write down how to do things. “Last two measures of Minuet I” is not enough. How did the teacher break it up? Did you follow the process so it can be duplicated at home? (i.e., do this small group 5 times with no slurs, then add slurs, then speed up, through the A, be careful of the C#.)
   
4. In scales and exercises, try to notice how they are worked on (i.e., fruit salad, slur patterns, speed, position or tone aspects). Just writing “Do F Major scale” is usually not enough.
   
5. If you can’t follow where we are in the music, make a copy of the piece as your own study copy. Whether you read music or not, you’ll find this makes a huge difference.
   
6. Listen for cues. Your teacher is constantly aware of your presence—and how mentally present you are. Whenever you hear the word “practice,” heads up! Also listen for colorful language: sail your tone out the skylight, staccatos like hammering little nails, BIG beach ball bouncing. Try to use these words again in the practice. Listen for location phrases: “in the last measure of that line, where it starts on B-flat and goes up, where it says crescendo.” These location tips are often for your benefit, as the teacher and student already know where they are working.
   
7. Observe and adore your child. Relish the chance to do this. Watch body language, facial expressions, how your child learns, what feelings flicker past. It’s very interesting, and you may find something to talk about later, or you may just cherish the memory 10 years from now. However, keep your reactions, especially negative ones, to yourself during the lesson.
   
8. Need time to space out? OK. There are times you can, like when the teacher goes off on a long technical workout and you already have the gist of what is being done. But listen for cue words to bring you back to attention.
   
9. Help your teacher: Put all materials recently used on the stand at the beginning of the lesson. Ask for clarification of practice tasks at end of lesson. Ask about review if your teacher did not mention it. Try not to do noisy things like rattle newspapers, tear checks, crinkle cellophane, etc. It’s easy to forget that listening captures all sounds—and we are listening. Bring up general practice or schedule problems at the beginning of the lesson. Starting these important and timely conversations at the end of the lesson can wreak havoc with the teacher’s attempt to stay on time. Keep the teacher informed about events that may affect the child in a significant way (moving, illness, divorce, school troubles, etc.). These things have an impact which the teacher observes, and wants to respond to appropriately. Lengthy explanations are not needed, but a word will enable the teacher to respond in a sensitive, effective way.
   

Copyright © 2001 Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc.
Previously printed in the Minijournal 2001. Reprinted with permission.

I Love to Practice!

by Joanne Bath

March 9, 2011 / Minijournal 2000 / Parents, Practicing

“I love to practice!” That’s what we all want our children to say. Here are some ideas for how parents can get there without resorting to things they wish they hadn’t! These suggestions can keep you motivated so that you can help your children have the best possible musical experience.

Enjoy the process. If you can figure out how to have pleasant practice sessions, you and your children will succeed. This may be the hardest part of the whole pro¬cess, and perhaps the most crucial. Suzuki said that little children should “practice three minutes, five times a day, with joy.” The main goal for practice should be with joy.

Be consistent. If your child knows that you will practice every day at the same time, it is easier for you and more secure for your child. Find a time that works best for your family. If you can, practice for ten or fifteen minutes before school.

Don’t negotiate. If you practice only when your child feels like it, you will probably never practice. Get in the habit of regular practice and do it. Say, “Practicing is what we do in our family.” I have found that “in our family” is one of the greatest phrases you can use. If children believe that something is done in their family, they will do it!

Be reasonable—don’t expect perfection. One of the parent’s most important jobs is to show children that life is not a matter of being perfect, but one of trying new things and growing. We do not want children to be overly cautious about learning. We want them to be interested in a variety of things, and willing to accept a challenge.

Work for an accomplishment rather than a set amount of time. One of the best ways you can teach your children to be efficient workers is to stop early when they have accomplished the goals for a practice session. If students can learn to reach their goals in less time, they learn efficiency.

Do not ask for too much. If you stop the practice session before the child is ready to stop, the child will want to play again the next day. Suzuki said, “Move slowly and never stop.”

Gradually lengthen practice time. Children need to slowly gain physical stamina. They will also have more repertoire as time progresses, and practicing will automatically get longer as they review. Some of my students review a whole book each day.

Focus on quality rather than quantity. Small manage-able sections can be worked out with a feeling of success. Do one measure thoroughly so the child can really master it. More is not always better. It is better to play fewer pieces and play them well, so move slowly and carefully.

Move at your child’s pace. Compare only so you have a general idea of what others are doing. Allow your child to move at a pace that is natural for her.

Know what you are doing. You are the home teacher. To learn what you should be doing at home with your child, ask the teacher. Take notes or tape the lesson.

Be in charge. The secret to successful practicing is that the parent must be in charge to a greater or lesser degree depending on the child’s age.

Focus on what is right. Tell children what they are doing well. Parents often ask if they can help their children successfully if they are not musicians them-selves. Actually, non-musician parents often have a much easier time than musician parents. Musicians are trained to find mistakes so that they can correct them, while people who are not musicians tend to hear the music and not the mistakes.

Stay positive. Be of good cheer. Avoid statements like, “You’re not even trying,” “That’s terrible,” or, “You’re just trying to irritate me!” If you feel something hurtful coming, put your hand over your mouth. Do not say something that could destroy weeks of positive growth.

Remember the power of praise. Praise always accomplishes more than criticism. Sometimes it is not just praise but acknowledgment. Acknowledge what the child is doing. Keep a running list of all the wonderful things that your child does. If your child is just starting to read, make the list in large print so the child can read for himself all the things that he did well.

Give rewards. From the beginning, try to establish the desire and pattern of practice. You don’t have to always give rewards, but if you do at certain times, you’ll find that you will get good work from your child. Austin, our six-year-old grandson, will work hard for shiny pennies, which we call “gold coins.” I sometimes give him one for everything he does well in a practice session.

Consider listening part of practicing. Listening makes the practicing and learning easy. Put your child to bed every night with a tape of the next piece. He will be able to learn the notes to that piece very rapidly, and all you will have to do is show him the bowings. If you are in a time crunch, and simply can’t practice one day, listen. If you have to choose between practicing and listening, listen. If you go on a camping trip and you can’t take the violin, take the tape player and listen.

Give projects and assignments. Deadlines and performances are very motivational. A performance could be just making a video or audio tape for the grandparents, or playing over the telephone. Get children to play as much as they possibly can.

Review every day. Most of my students have a review chart. When they are more advanced, they may do three pieces from each book or they may do one book a day. The students at the end of Book 2 should play all of the pieces in Book 2 every day. This may mean two practice sessions. If your child is in Book 1, he should be practicing all of the pieces in Book 1 every day.

Play review games. Children love “Lucky Dip.” Write cards with the names of all the pieces that the children play and put them in a box. The children draw the name of a piece of music from the box, and play the piece. Or have your child play along with the CD.

Divide practice sessions in approximate thirds: one-third review, one-third preview, and one-third polishing. Polishing means working on the last three pieces and getting those so that they are performance ready.

Help older children find time to practice. One of the best things you can do is to excuse your teenager from some household tasks in exchange for practicing. Make it easy for them.
This is a very special time that you have with your children. You have your child one-on-one during practice. Sometimes that is the only time that a parent and child have alone together. Treasure your children and their accomplishments. Be understanding, encouraging and loving and I promise you that you will have success beyond anything you could have ever imagined!

Excerpted from a talk given to parents of the Greenville Suzuki Association, November 1999.

When I Was Taking Suzuki Piano Lessons

My mother was a Suzuki mom. I was the first of her children, so she probably had the most patience with me (as well as the most tolerance for the Suzuki repertoire). She took us to summer Suzuki camps. She had us practice every day. When I went through a phase in junior high of not practicing, she kept taking me to lessons.


The next time you see her at one of my student recitals, ask her how she did it.
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One Step at a Time

Baby Steps. We have heard it so many times - when you are overwhelmed, take baby steps. When you can’t see the end of the work you’re tasked with, take baby steps. If you feel you aren’t succeeding, notice the baby steps!

When I woke up this morning I thought, “This is what I want to do: an hour and a half of yoga, go running when the thunderstorms clear, cook a delicious vegetarian dinner for a friend for tonight, memorize three French pieces for a performance on Sunday, practice the piano for an hour besides that, walk my dog, write and mail postcards to friends I haven’t seen in a while, teach inspiringly for five hours sending each student home excited about what he/she is working on, write a blog posting, check out what my friends are doing on Facebook, oh - and shower and get dressed!” And this is AFTER I had pared down my real goals to ones that are clearly more practical.

By tonight though, when I’m having a glass of wine and enjoying whatever dish I came up with to make with a good pianist friend of mine, I’ll be able to tell her that I did 15 minutes of yoga, put off running until tomorrow, practiced those three French pieces, ran through the rest of my repertoire, walked the dog to the mailbox reminding myself that one of these days I want to write to my friends, taught for five hours with hopefully at least one moment of inspiration in each lesson, and yes, checked in on Facebook.

I will not be disappointed.

I’m thinking about this today because of a lesson I taught last night. A student of mine has reached the age where baby steps are well, just too babyish! We can easily tell a six-year-old how proud we are of her for being able to play two notes legato. It is sometimes hard as an older child or adult though to hear that someone is proud of you for learning a three chord sequence when the entire rest of the piece sits in front of you - daunting in its size, composed of how many baby steps?! But it worked out for us - this week.

After eighteen minutes of practicing together - my student got the three-chord passage. Hurrah! And you know what? As it turns out, that is all that was left for him to learn of that piece. We celebrated by playing the whole piece together. Looking back on that last baby step, that had such huge results, was satisfying.

Take some time this week to look back on what you and your child have accomplished together. It is amazing! It is worth celebrating! And then focus on the next step - and keep it small!

Getting Recital Ready....

When a student has a recital approaching, it is always an exciting time. We want our children to be successful and we want them to work hard. This is the perfect opportunity to practice both of those things.

We will choose a recital piece six weeks in advance of the recital date. This piece is one that will be READY at that time. That way, there are only minor things to tweak and your child can get more and more comfortable playing this piece - in his head, in front of family and friends, and weekly in lesson.

If your child is in a group class with me, we will practice the entire recital routine - including being a good audience, having poise on stage, and performance techniques that will make the recital a success.

At home, a week before the recital, you should have your child “perform” his recital repertoire every day for you. This includes walking nicely, taking a bow, putting his hands in his lap, hearing the first line of the music in his head, playing, again putting his hands in his lap, and taking that very nice bow at the end.

Recitals should be seen as a fun and exciting celebration of everything that your child has been working on at home and in lesson. If your child (typically the older child) experiences nervousness, let me know - it is something we can work on!

Start By Practicing What You Know

To get the most out of the Suzuki Method, you can really help your child by having him practice from the beginning every day.

We cover everything in lesson, so your child should be covering everything at home. There are many benefits of this type of practice:

* Your child will maintain a repertoire of polished and performable pieces, helping her to feel confident and eager when asked to play.

* Practice sessions will become easier as your child will be able to see a beginning and an end to his practice independent of what you or the clock says.

* We will be able to focus better in lessons on learning new pieces as we can use the old pieces that your child is fluent in to work on new concepts, skills, and techniques.

* If your child is comfortable with her old pieces, group activities that use these pieces to teach ensemble playing and reading will be more fun.

Give it a month, and let me know how it works!

Vacation Practice Tips

For many, the summer months are great opportunities for focusing on non-academics (like piano!), but it is also a great time for vacationing. In order to make returning to lessons in the fall a successful and happy event, there are a few things you can do AWAY from the piano that will help to keep your hand in, so to speak.

1. Guessing Games - You play something for your child using the body staff without humming and he guesses what Suzuki Book 1 piece it is (this is also good for stretching on long car rides). You can do the same thing with fingers - if you pretend to play something, your child guesses what it must be based on the fingers that you used. You can do the same thing with clapping rhythms based on the Suzuki pieces.

2. Listening - listen to the CD! Put it on your ipod! Sing the music! When listening to other music, encourage your child to label piano,forte, instruments, repeats and echos. Have your child close his eyes and play the listening game (listening for nature, traffic, etc.... now can you hear Honeybee?). This is also good for getting a little peace and quiet on vacation. :)

3. Visualization - have your child close his eyes and picture two black notes or treble G, or the beginning of Little Playmates (etc) in his mind. (this is good before naps!)

4. Finger exercises and coordination - Ask me about these! However, you can have your child play pieces on his lap, a table, etc. (On vacations, this is good for the fidgets or siblings that can’t keep their hands to themselves.)

Enjoy your travels!

Listening to the Suzuki CD

As with any new venture, it was easy to listen to the Suzuki CD when your child first started taking lessons. However, now, more than ever, listening to the CD is going to make a difference:

1. Your child is now learning music quicker, so familiarity with the melodies will help.

2. We are still, and always working on ear training, and want to create a good model of playing in your child’s ear.

3. Learning new pieces in lesson will be easier (I don’t teach notes).

4. The Suzuki Method is based on the mother-tongue approach and that will only work if you are playing the CD!

To have this be successful, you need not sit down and actively listen - merely playing the music in the background will do. Do this daily (you may skip the Twinkles) - it only takes fifteen minutes!