Practice Expectation

All music students are expected to practice on a daily basis to prepare for the next rehearsal or lesson. Practice is not always fun, but it is essential for the development of musical skills. Parents are encouraged to help their children find time to practice 5-6 days a week.

One long practice a week is not nearly as effective as several shorter practices spread throughout the week. The band room will almost always be open after school so that students who play large instruments can practice and for individualized help from the director.

I recommend practicing to meet performance goals rather than setting a time on it. Students should practice within the following categories:
1. New music.
2. Developing music (music that is being prepared for performance).
3. Technique (scales, arpeggios, tone…).
4. Performance music (music that is ready but needs to be maintained).
5. Music study (listening, composing, creating).

All young musicians will at some point complain about practicing, so it is important to emphasize that most students don’t quit music because they have to practice; they quit because they don’t practice enough. 

Tips for Practice

  1. Create a consistent practice time; like afterschool, but before playing video games, watching TV, or phone time.
  2. Set a small goal to accomplish
  3. Practice with a metronome (most of the time…I mean MOST OF THE TIME)
  4. Really…practice with a metronome, if the pro’s do, then you should too. 
  5. Use a good music stand
  6. Record yourself
  7. Always work on tone
  8. Slow and meticulous practice is AWESOME, fast and sloppy practice is a waste of time!
  9. Listen to recordings of the pro’s and imitate 
  10. Look up the music’s terms
  11. Get private lessons

Private Lessons

As one might expect, private instruction will give students a huge advantage as they learn their instrument. individual attention is enormously beneficial to a musician’s development. The discipline and success resulting from successful lessons will likely increase musical enjoyment within the participating student. The Band Director will be more than happy to assist in the selection of a private teacher. 

Skill Three

Smartmusic is software that will aid students in practice. It offers countless scale and arpeggio exercises, sight reading games, ear training etudes, accompaniments to numerous solos for every instrument, many band compositions to practice with, and most standard band method books. We have found Smartmusic to be very helpful in guiding practice sessions. All of the method books and much of the music we perform can be practiced with Smartmusic. Smartmusic also include a tuner, metronome and way for students to record themselves.