Music Teachers Encourage Practice In The Music Studio
For successful
private music lessons, the teacher must be effective while the student must be motivated, engaged and productive. Though the student may not realize it at the time, especially if they are younger, a large part in ensuring that they remain engaged and motivated during
music and piano lessons is to establish
consistent yet varied practice routines. Regular and effective practice will help the student experience continual growth of musicality and skill, which will keep them excited and interested in playing their instrument. Consequently, the student is excited and motivated during lessons - a joy for any music teacher.
In order to encourage regular and effective personal practice throughout the week, there are a number of ideas that a teacher can implement for the students in the music studio:
Incorporate a healthy and balanced mix of constructive criticism with positive reinforcement. In general, the younger a student is, the more important it is to have a healthy dose of positive comments with a bit of constructive criticism. As they get older and more advanced, the percentage
of critical comments may increase. This technique helps to provide students with ideas about what can be improved while still allowing them to feel constant growth, accomplishment and progress. When providing criticism, always endeavor to follow up with ideas on how to improve the particular issue.
Assign fun and current music along with etudes and exercises. Exercises and drills are vital. They set a good, solid technique on which the student can build their skill and musicianship. However, interspersing these exercises with "fun" or more informal music can help keep the practice session from feeling pedantic and repetitive all of the time. Determine each student's personal music preference - whether pop, film or classical - and find solo sheet music for them to practice that fits their preference.
Keep students challenged and engaged. Use the Socratic method of teaching. The less you can talk during lessons the better, especially if you are dealing with adolescents. Keep them engaged in conversation and thought by asking them questions about the music and technique instead
of just talking
at them the whole time. Asking the student to play a passage and then to critique their own performance will not only teach them how to speak critically about music, but also listen carefully to their own playing. This will translate very effectively to their overall growth as musicians.
With proper acoustics and less distractions, teachers highly recommend regular practice in the music studio. For the most successful and constructive lessons in the music or
piano studio, however, it is necessary to make preparations beyond the environment. By incorporating some best practice tips in the music studio, students will be stimulated and actively involved, resulting in the most effective musical lessons possible.