1. Blended Learning Assignment #7 Practice Strategies

2. Why is it important to practice?  Should be very simple to answer!  We improve when we practice  We learn our music faster  Our basic skills improve  We learn how to be self-directed  We learn how to set goals and attain them  We learn how to be independent thinkers and musicians  The list goes on and on!!!

3. Why is it important to practice?  The biggest reason to practice has to do with the three levels of learning a piece of music:  Level 1: Learning  You just got the piece, you need to learn the notes and the rhythms first  Level 2: Developing  This is where you are working on the finer points (phrasing, intonation, musicianship, etc.)  Level 3: Performing  The piece/pieces are learned and developed, you are now working on perfecting your performance of what you will be performing soon (concert, recital, etc)

4. Why is it important to practice?  If you learn nothing else from this, please remember this one simple fact:  The best reason to practice is to move the group out of the Learning Level and into the Developing and Performance Levels AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

5. Practice vs. Rehearsal  Notice how we very rarely call it “practice”, we call it “rehearsal”. That’s because they are two very different things, and should be treated as such.  Practice is what you do to learn your part (individual)  Rehearsal is what you do to learn others’ parts (group)

6. Quality vs. Quantity  Is it better to practice for 10 minutes and really accomplish something, or to practice for an hour and accomplish nothing?  Quality practice is always preferred over a greater quantity of practice.  This is why I ask you to spend the first few minutes of rehearsal each day in individual practice. If you are unable to practice at any other time, those 5 minutes a day really add up!!

7. What can you do if you don’t have your instrument with you?  While it is always best to practice with your instrument, there are still things you can do apart from it:  Markings: Write in counts for rhythms, release points, breath marks, reminders, anything you need to help you remember important points in a piece  Listen to recordings, both of the piece/pieces you’re working on and pieces that are similar in nature. Listen to different recordings of the same piece and see how people have interpreted it differently.  Finger Practice: The great saxophonist John Coltrane bought a broom handle and a bunch of buttons and glued them on the handle in the same configuration as a saxophone so that he could practice on the bus or the plane. You don’t have to do something that extreme, air practice can help your technical facility as well.  Breathing exercises: The same breathing exercises we have done in class, and especially with the marching band, can help wind players greatly expand their lung capacity as well as their ability to utilize that air.

8. Tools of the Trade  Every musician needs certain things in order to practice effectively:  Tuner: Chromatic tuner that can be calibrated to A = 440mhz  Metronome: Capable of different time signatures and subdivisions  Headphones/Ear Buds: Allow you to hear reference pitches on the tuner and the beat of the metronome over your playing.  Pencil (never pen!)  Practice journal: The best musicians keep a journal of when they practiced, for how long, what they practiced, and whether they improved or not  Comfortable chair that supports proper posture (sofas are terrible!)

9. Tools of the Trade – 21 st Century ed.  A lot of these tools are available as smartphone or tablet apps. I wish I had these in college!!! Here are my recommendations. Although they are paid versions they are well worth the money.  Tuner: Cleartune ($3.99 iOS app store)  Metronome: Pro Metronome (free, $2.99 pro upgrade, highly recommended!)  Music viewer (for tablets): forScore ($9.99 for iPad; a little pricey but very cool!)  Practice journal: OneNote (free; connects with your Office 365 account)  Streaming Music: Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube; All great for finding and listening to great music!

10. Practicing Pitfalls  Musicians experience difficulties in practicing all the time. There are common pitfalls to avoid:  1) Set Goals  You will never come into one of my rehearsals and not see a goal. Sometimes that goal is just to keep things fresh by running the program, especially when we get closest to Level 3 and/or a concert.  You always need to have a goal in mind when you practice. Sit down and say “I’m going to practice these 8 measures until I can do _______”  If you just open up your music and start playing you’ll accomplish nothing

11. Practicing Pitfalls  2) Practicing vs. Playing  Even if you do set a goal, avoid simply playing through your music.  There is a difference between deliberate practice and simple playing of your instrument  3) Frustration  Musicians are very dedicated and very emotional. When something isn’t going well, the tendency is for us to get frustrated. If you are unable to move past your frustration, your practice session should end.  Practicing while frustrated accomplishes nothing and can even lead to temporary physical damage. Hang it up for a while and come back to it with a fresh start.

12. Practicing Pitfalls  4) Expectations  We often set high expectations for ourselves. We may consider a practice session a failure if we do not meet our goal.  Always try to find a positive outcome of your practice session, even if you don’t meet your goal. For example, maybe the simple act of getting a practice session in could be a positive outcome!