practice

Years ago I created an exercise to help students really learn, experientially, the value of Controlling the Events. Something that could, in a single exercise, give real felt clarity about the different results that come from CTE vs. not. I’ve done it for years in…

• Last updated 5 months ago
• conscious learning, control the events, controlling the events, CTE, fast playing, getting student to slow down, how quickly students learn, how to practice, learning, learning a new way of learning, learning a way of learning, learning pace, learning rate, learning slowly, learning strategies, learning tools, learning tools and strategies, mindfulness, pace, pace of learning, playing fast vs slow, playing slowly, playing speed, playing too fast, practice, practice guidelines, practice habits, practicing, practicing slowly, rate of learning, relearning, slow-steady-musical-even, slowing down, speed of learning, speed of progress, students speed of progress, teaching how to practice, working with parents on how to practice

I was remembering something I used to do with my elem general music students in school. They would sing a song and when I held up my hand, they kept singing it internally. When my hand came down, they would continue singing where the song…

• Last updated 9 months ago
• enhancing practice, inner hearing, lesson ideas, practice, practice ideas, practicing, review ideas, singing, singing along, singing while playing, teaching ideas

A LOT has been said about this topic both in the SM teacher body and the greater global teacher community. I’d be interested in a more pointed discussion about possible alternatives to how teachers current converse about practice expectations. While Simply Music has gone to…

• Last updated 1 year ago
• at home practice, confidence as a student, discipline, encouraging practice, expectation, expectations, improving retention, lack of practice, lesson requirements, Long Term Relationship, long term relationships, long-term, long-term relationship conversation, LTR, managing practice, managing practice time, motivating teens, motivation, Music and the Art of Long-term Relationships, music as a lifelong companion, not practicing, play vs practice, play vs work, playing, positive feedback, practice, practice guidelines, practice habits, practice routine, practice time, practice vs play, practicing, practicing guidelines, request vs requirement, requirement, requirement based studio, requirement versus request, requirement-based, requirements, requirements in lessons, retention, sticking with piano long term, student not practicing, student retention, student success, success, talking about expectations, unmotivated, unmotivated students, work vs play

Elizabeth Gaikwad, I have a question about the Chord Drill inversions. I understand that students need to have all Accomp 1 chords solid and that is the prerequisite. What I’m wondering, is how the inversions appear/are taught in Accomp 2? Will it be beneficial to…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• 2nd inversions, acc 2, Acc2, accomp 2, accompaniment, Accompaniment‏, chord, chord diagrams, Chord Drill, chord games, chord inversions, chord strategies, chords, Elizabeth Gaikwad, inheriting chords, inversions, inverting, learning chord shapes, learning chords, memorizing chord shapes, playing chords, practice

Question for Elizabeth Gaikwad about Chord Drill: Is there an easier way to vocalize ALL the chords when going through the drill? We get tongue-tied saying this out loud – “C# major, C# minor, C# major, C# suspended, C# major, C# major7, etc. etc. Some…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• Accompaniment‏, chord, chord diagrams, Chord Drill, chord games, chord strategies, chords, Elizabeth Gaikwad, inheriting chords, Laurie Richards, learning chord shapes, learning chords, memorizing chord shapes, playing chords, practice, vocalize in Chord Drill

Two questions: 1) How do practice requirements change through the foundation levels? Level one is 15-20 minutes, but as their repertoire grows, it would seem they need more time to keep everything alive and also with the addition of multiple streams and songs getting more complicated. 2)…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• at home practice, best practices, dropping songs off playlist, encouraging practice, enhancing practice, extra practice time, frequency of practice, how to practice, keeping playlist alive, keeping playlists, keeping the playlist alive, Laurie Richards, managing playlist, managing practice, managing practice time, managing the playlist, managing time, number of songs on playlist, Play it Forward, Playlist, playlist management, playlist size, practic, practice, practice frequency, practice guidelines, practice habits, practice ideas, practice time, practicing, practicing guidelines, repertoire, repertoire review, retiring pieces, retiring songs, size of playlist, time at piano, time management, time on the piano

I’m sensing my own impatience lately with some of my adult students! I also feel like I’ve been getting lots of “I’m nervous” and “it was perfect at home” from them. Maybe it’s just me… I’m not quite sure what’s going on. I’m just feeling…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• adult students, at home practice, enhancing practice, file folder analogy, frustrated, frustrated student, frustration, group lesson, group lessons, how to practice, impatience, Laurie Richards, Long Term Relationship, long term relationships, long-term relationship with teaching, LTR, managing practice, mistakes, nerves, nervous, nervousness, perfection, piano teacher effect, pract, practice, practice guidelines, practice habits, practice ideas, practice location, practicing, practicing guidelines, relationship, relationships, Robin Keehn, teacher effect

One of my new private adult students (she is practicing diligently, LOVES SM, her playlist so far is very strong) wants to switch from having one (half-hour) lesson per week to two (half-hour) lessons weekly (several days apart) because she is eager to make even…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• 2 lessons per week, adult students, duration of class, duration of lesson, frequency of lessons, importance of playlist, length of class, length of lesson, lesson duration, lesson frequency, lesson length, managing playlist, managing the playlist, multiple lessons per week, number of songs on playlist, Playlist, playlist management, practice, semiweekly lesson, special needs, teaching week, twice per week lessons, two lessons per week

I have a level one student (7 yo) who learned the whole AMB (2 and 3) by watching the level 1 demo. Argh! Naughty, naughty! I point out to students when they do this, they are missing out on vital learning clues (I don’t tell…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• Alma Mater Blues, alma mater blues 2nd section, AMB, claiming territory, communication, demo, demonstration, going ahead, group lessons, Laurie Richards, learning ahead, learning clues, practice, student moving ahead, students moving ahead, students teaching, students teaching each other, students who move ahead, teaching clues, teaching with integrity

My adult (late 50s) student loves the playing-based tools but told me today that for Sit By My Side (F5) he finds them hard to use (think about) when putting his hands together, though he uses them well for hands separate on that song. Besides…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• add-on, add-ons, adult students, applying PB strategies to music, audio, audio materials, audio recording, Audio recordings, audio SHMs, BH, both hands, hands together, HT, Laurie Richards, listening to audio recordings, listening to the audio recordings, music books, PB, playing along with audio, playing with audio tracks, playing-based, playing-based strategies, playing-based tools, practice, separate hands, SH, sheet music, Sit By My Side, Sit By My Side BH, trouble with hands together, using audio recordings, using audio tracks, using music book, using music books, using sheet music, using the audio recordings to learn songs