The Practicing Predicament

The walk of shame:  you know, the walk between the door to your spot in the music studio.  You know you haven't practiced "enough" for the lesson you're about to have and you're worried what your music teacher will think. 

"Maybe I can ask a lot of questions to fill up the time.  Will they be disappointed in me?  Surely they'll understand that I just couldn't get to practice this week because of school and I was just so tired and..."

You get to your spot, open your case, catch up with your teacher about the week and your teacher asks THE question: "so, how was practicing this week?"

Shameful, your eyes turn towards the floor and any you say, "I wish I could have practiced more than I did.  I'll do better next week."
or "I was just so busy this week with school and projects and I couldn't find the time."
or "I had chores."
or "I had a sleepover."
or "I had to go shopping."
or "I went out of town over the weekend."
or "My pet got sick."
or "Relatives came to town."
or "I was so busy I could choose to practice or sleep and I chose sleep."

Now, you may be thinking that these excuses seem a little far fetched and these are just me trying to get you to laugh.  Truth is, I hear these excuses quite often!  Everyone has very busy lives with school, music, sports, clubs, family, and chores and it's often hard to understand how to schedule practice time in.  Many students come to lessons each week feeling like they've let me or their parents down because they didn't practice enough.  It's important to understand why we create these excuses and get down to the root of the "practicing predicament."

1.  Time - "I just didn't have enough time for flute this week because..."

Really?  There are 168 hours in each week.  Often, students feel like practicing means putting in the 30 minutes, 1.5 hours, or 4 hours of daily practice your teacher recommends for your age and level.  These numbers can be very intimidating and if we feel we cannot put in the ENTIRE amount of time, we shouldn't even bother practicing.  WRONG!  Even 5 minutes of focused daily practice is better than nothing at all.  You would be surprised how much work you can get done in a short period of time if you practice correctly. 

Some students leave their lessons feeling motivated and ready to practice a lot and really show off what they can do at their next lesson.   Even with the best intentions, the next lesson day rolls around and the student realizes they haven't practiced AT ALL!

Here are some tips to get organized and make time for flute in your busy schedule:

• Try practicing at a different time of day. How about practicing BEFORE school?  That way, you get it done first thing in the morning and have the rest of the day to devote to school, sports, and friends.
• Have a specific time and place to practice.  Choose a place where nothing (like the tv or computer) is there to distract you.  Carve out a time each day that will be dedicated to flute no matter how much homework you have, how tired you feel, or how many friends want to hang out. 
• Assign yourself practice triggers.  For example, whenever you hear the phone ring, that's your cue to play your flute for 5 minutes or when the sun starts setting you sit down and practice your flute until it's totally dark.
• Keep your flute out of the case in a safe place.  Having your flute out will encourage you to pick it up and play.  This playing could turn into an entire practice session.

 

2. Boring/Lack of Motivation/Not in the Mood - "Practicing is so boring.  I don't know what to do."

Even Albert Einstein practiced!

Well, of course it is if you don't know HOW to practice!  Who likes to repeat the same thing over and over just to pass the time?  Anyone would be bored by that!  If you're a student in my studio, you should be well versed in how to practice.  If you need a refresher, just ask!

• Never practice just to practice!  Always have a goal in mind for that day.  Even if it is playing one measure correctly with a good tone, that's enough!  Write down your goal or say it out loud.  Have a plan for your practice session.  And don't just practice the stuff you're good at already.  This music is fun to bring out at the end of your practice session but you won't get any better at the harder stuff by practicing the easy stuff.
• Use your practice session as your daily alone time.  Use this time to get away from homework, school pressure, parents, and do something for yourself.  Nothing bad will come out of playing your instrument, only good.  Each time you play your instrument, you're improving and accomplishing something for yourself. 
• Be committed to how much practice you want to do and have high expectations for yourself.  Write out a practice commitment with your teacher and hold yourself to it!  If you say you will practice 30 minutes every day for a month, do it!  You wouldn't turn in an incomplete assignment to your math teacher because you forgot, were bored, your dog was sick, went to a sleepover, or just didn't want to do it?  You have to take your music practice just as seriously as your school work.  (Plus, practicing is more fun than math homework, right?)
• Make yourself a practice chart.  This can be as simple as printing out a calendar and putting a check mark on each day you practiced.  (Could be 5 minutes or 1.5 hours of practice.)
• Play practice games.  Take out 3 pennies and put them on your music stand.  Practice a passage you're having trouble with.  If you play it correctly, put a penny on the other side of the music stand.  If you play it right again, put a second penny on the other side of the stand.  If you mess up the third time, all three pennies go back to their starting position.

3. Parents - "My parents always force me to practice because they wish they would have practiced more when they were young."

Your parents love and support your music making.  Sometimes, we feel like our parents are forcing us to practice as a punishment.  Really, they're helping to remind you that YOU want to do this and are helping you stay focused.  If you are really bothered by your parents reminders to practice, make yourself practice before they even have the opportunity to remind you to practice.

4. "It sounded better at home."

We hear this one a lot as music teachers and suffer from it ourselves.  The reason why our music seems to sound better at home is for a variety of reasons:

• We get nervous at our lesson and we choke up on breathing correctly or our mind is wandering or thinking about other things than the music.  Sometimes we feel we're worthless unless it's PERFECT.  Remember, your music teacher is there to HELP you, not to judge you.  We always want the best for you and for you to succeed and feel comfortable performing.  It's a good thing you make mistakes.  Otherwise, you wouldn't need lessons!
• We practice correctly at home by taking the music apart but we never put it back together and play it all the way through like we do at lessons.  It's important to put it back together after taking it apart.  You could perform your assignments for your family at least 6 times before playing at your lesson to get comfortable playing all the way through without stopping. 

 

5. Natural Talent - "All those good kids probably don't even have to practice.  They are probably naturally talented."

As Thomas Edison (the inventor of the light bulb) said:

"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration (sweat)."

Those kids that are really good at their instrument were not blessed with special music genes allowing them to pick up an instrument and play it perfectly from the age of 3.  Sure, there are some kids out there that have a special attraction to music or have an easier time learning than others. But the truth is that the majority of those kids that are good at their instrument simply have a good daily practice routine.  And not 6 hours a day of practice.  They practice the normal amount and probably have parents that remind them to practice every day and even supervise practice sessions.

You'd be surprised at how great you can get at your instrument if you put in a lot of practice.  Pretty soon, you'll start noticing how cool it is to be great at your instrument and that's enough motivation to WANT to practice.

There's no mystery to getting really good at an instrument.  The more you practice (good, correct practice), the better you'll be!

"Help you, I can."

6. The Wrath of the Music Teacher - "I don't know if I want to keep taking lessons because I'm always scared of lessons because I know I didn't practice enough and don't want to let my music teacher down."

Your music teacher is your biggest cheerleader.  We are here to help you navigate through the challenges of learning an instrument.  We always want you to do your best and be proud of your achievements in music.  Of course, we want to push you to be your absolute best and encouraging you to practice is one way we hope to motivate you.  As former young music students ourselves, we know that the most fun part of music is being able to play cool music and getting really good at an instrument.  Taking lessons is a big part of achieving that goal but most of the effort comes from YOU putting in your own time and practicing what you learned at lessons. 

If you feel like you should reevaluate your interest in taking lessons and learning music because of practicing demands, talk to your music teacher!  You can work together to set new goals and come up with a plan for you both to be happy and successful.

Hopefully, this will help you understand the importance of daily practice and send you on your way to successful flute playing.  If you have any questions or insight, leave a comment below!

Here are a few links for parents concerning helping your child practice:
NPR - Getting Kids to Practice without Tears or Tantrums
NPR - Crazed Music Parents
How to get your child to practice