Developing A Student Practice Routine
Recently I have been thinking a lot about practicing. These thoughts jump between analyzing my own personal practice habits and the practice habits of my students. I have been thinking about what it means to practice effectively, to make tangible progress, and how to best utilize time when practicing.
This has been an ongoing dialogue this year for my colleague and I. We have both been asking the following questions: How do we help our students to practice effectively and make growth? How do we help them develop the skills to be problem solvers and successful, independent musicians? How do we get them to ‘buy in’ to what we are teaching them about what and how to practice? I think students understand the importance of practice and the need for it. I do believe they recognize that without practice and dedication their growth will be slower, not just in music, but in any other area of interest. The ongoing dialogue again is – how do I help them maximize their practice time to make the most effective growth?
Varying Practice Measurements
Over the years I have required my students to fill out weekly practice logs of all different kinds and variations. I have tried a weekly Google Practice Form where students “logged” their practice at the end of the week. All of these measures were my effort in trying to 1.) encourage kids to practice and demonstrate commitment to their musical studies, 2.) help students be goal oriented and grow, and 3.) help students to focus on specific assignments and musical concepts we were covering. While students definitely improved in their playing, I somehow felt like the process didn’t have the desired outcome and missed the mark somewhere. Some of these efforts turned into which kids were just simply good at turning in a weekly homework assignment for orchestra. I also feel my measurements missed the mark. For example, too much of an emphasis on tallying students time practicing. Time doesn’t necessarily equate to growth or improvement.
Back to the Drawing Board
As music educators, so much of our time in class is spent practicing, reinforcing, and applying concepts we work on with students in class. We model great practice habits each and every day! Repetition, slow and deliberate actions, breaking things into smaller chunks and then putting it all back together, listening, and assessing progress! In spite of this, it seems many of my students don’t necessarily go home and practice the way I model for them in class. I ask myself, “Are they not connecting the methods used in class to what they should do at home?” The answer isn’t clear cut. Nonetheless, my hope is to help them to be great practicers and make tangible growth through practicing – even if they have a limited time frame to work with. After reflecting on these past practice measures, I’ve decided to have my students develop a weekly practice routine and after each practice session log their practice and what they need to focus on in their next session. The goal is to help them build continuity in their practice, create goals, and get them thinking about what to do in their future practice session to make improvements in their playing.
Building a Student Practice Routine
Practicing can feel overwhelming. I’ve certainly walked into the practice room and felt as if I didn’t know where to start. I can recall times where I have felt totally overwhelmed by the process, the amount of material I felt I needed to cover and as a result my time in the practice room turned out to be ineffective. To help the students focus during their weekly routine, I am having students break up their practice session into four areas. I am giving them a rough time frame to work in so that they can stay on track and get a sense of how their session might flow. I have told them that even if they don’t have thirty minutes on a given day, twenty minutes of practice is better than no practice and they can accomplish a lot in twenty minutes. The proposed routine might look something like this:
- Tune/Warm Up (5 minutes)
- Technical Studies (10 minutes)
- Solo Repertoire/Concert Music (10 minutes – 12 minutes )
- Perform and Create (5 minutes – 8 minutes)
I know that many of my students fall into the habit of simply playing through their music, I know I have! Practice is hard work! Therefore, the idea of keeping a routine is to encourage students to focus some time on all aspects of their music making. My hope is that they move from making sure their muscles are ready to go during their warm up, to some technique and intonation work, to their concert music or solo repertoire, and then into using what they know to create a composition, improvisation, record, or perform their music for a friend or family member.
To help facilitate understanding, I created a “mock” practice routine with the students in class and then had them create their own routines based upon what we have been working on in class and lessons. I checked each students routine prior to starting their first week of this new format.
Student Reflection
Furthermore, the idea is for my students to develop strong practice habits and figure out how to make progress. The students are to log their practice on the days they have chosen as their practice days. They are to answer two questions. The first asks them if they stuck to their routine and if not, why not? The goal in this was to gauge whether or not the routine was working for them. The second question was to help them plan for the next session. In the second question I ask the students, “What do you need to work on in your next practice session?” Again, the idea here was to help them hone in on what specifically the problem areas are in their playing so they can come back to those areas in their next session. It could be a specific set of measures, a fingering, a bowing, an articulation, a scale, and so on.
How It’s Working So Far
After one week of this format, I feel the concept is working well. I see students putting thought into their practicing and demonstrating some really positive self reflection and assessment. Students are thinking about what they need to practice and also checking whether or not they are hitting all areas of their routine and being effective in their practice time. My hope is that they will better learn how to self assess, set goals, and reach those goals in their practice throughout the year. As the year moves along I plan to continually see if this model is working for the students and is a helpful tool for them.
What Has Worked For You?
How have you encouraged your students to make strides in their music making? What ways have you helped encourage your students to practice and be focused?
Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me here.