Tips for “Perfect” Practice
By Jennifer Tersero
You may have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect” but how you use your practice time is just as important as how long you practice each day.
Here are some good practice habits.
- Set aside a time each day to practice 30-45 minutes. If you don’t have much time, even 20 minutes of practice each day will help you build your skills. Try to practice the same time each day if possible.
- Consistent daily practice is the best method. Sorry, Cram practicing doesn’t work.
- Practice in a room with good lighting free of distractions.
- Things you need for a good practice session
- Pencil
- Metronome
- Method books
- A flute notebook
- A tuner
- A sturdy music stand
- A supportive chair if you sit and practice
- A cleaning rod and lint free cloth
- Of course, your flute!!!
Tips for effective practice
- Always start by playing long notes. There are a number of good resources I will be happy to send. However, if you are working on scales set your metronome to 60 and play each note of the scale you are working on for 8 counts. Focus on using your air.
- Decide where you’re going to breath in your music before playing and mark with either a comma or a check mark. Always mark with a pencil.
- Practice the measures and notes between each breath. Use your ears and ask yourself these questions.
- Am I playing all of the correct notes indicated by the key signature and accidentals if they are marked? Am I carrying the accidentals through each measure?
- Am I using the correct fingerings for each note?
- How’s the rhythm? Have I looked at the key signature? Am I counting the correct number of beats per note?
- Am I tonguing notes and slurring where indicated in the music.?
- What about dynamics and articulation styles?
Wow! This is a lot to remember. This is why I recommend practicing between the breaths. This technique will help you focus your practice time by breaking larger pieces of music into more manageable chunks. Always try to master all of the points mentioned above before moving to the next set of measures and notes. You could even set a goal to master a certain grouping of measures and notes each day. This process may seem tedious, but it is a lot easier than playing through an entire piece or etude and forgetting what you did well and trying to pinpoint what you need to work on by the time you get through the entire etude or piece.
