Productive Practicing Tips

• For new students, start with trying to play every day, even if it’s just for 5 minutes [creating a habit].

• Break your practice up into 5/10/15/20-minute sessions. This the most effective way to learn [chunking].

• Set goals! What do you want to achieve today?

• Practice your most difficult song FIRST, when you have the most focus.

  Make a mistake? STOP!

  • FIND where the mistake was and why it happened (wrong note, #/b, fingering, etc.)

  • FIX it! Figure out the correct way to play it (the whole measure/phrase/section), and play it correctly very slowly.

  • REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT! LOOP the section until you can play it correctly 5x in a row.

  • Go back. Play a few measures before and a few measures after the looped area to be sure you can play it in context with the song.

• Use the correct fingering.

• The metronome is your friend.

• Listen! Find reputable videos on YouTube of your song. What do you like or dislike?

• Don’t start at the beginning of the song every time.

• Break it up! Practice 2, 3, or 4 measures at a time. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

• Count out loud.

• Keep a pencil handy. Make notes of the parts you don’t understand. Circle or mark notes/dynamics/articulation that you find yourself missing often.

• If something hurts, something isn’t right. Remember that there should be NO TENSION when playing the piano. Consult your Preferred Piano Player Posture Poster!

• RECORD yourself. What sounds good? What sounds bad?

• REWARD yourself! Play the passage or song for Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother. Enjoy their praises!