Practice Tips |
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The Sirrah Group |
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Because the world is listening... |
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Notations Music Studio Keeping it all in tune... |
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Quiet Please: Music-Music that competes with your own is a distraction. Sometimes headphones for family members make great gifts, especially when they use them to keep your practice time free from competing sounds.
Conversation-Have you ever noticed how everbody has questions the very moment that it is time to get in some practice. For adults, this often comes in the form of a child fighting for your attention, when they were perfectly content until you picked up the guitar. Spouses also always follow this pattern, “Honey, I know you are busy, but…” This is where a regular practice time will reap rewards. Eventually we can all be taught.
Phones-Your kidding, right? I can’t text while I practice? Unless, of course, you are a government agent on a critical assignment, a firefighter, ambulance driver, or an emergency room surgeon.
Priority: Regular Schedule-As hard as it is to do, keeping a regular schedule will do wonders for training yourself and your household. It is not unlike workouts at the gym or any other activity. If it becomes a habit, it will stick. Practice time that is never really “set” often never “happens”.
It Can Wait-If your child is practicing then try to avoid asking them random questions about school or even tasks that they may not have accomplished. If you as a parent, keep your own focus for their practice then they will eventually follow suit. Don’t use practice time as another opportunity to bring up other things, especially as they will already feel like a captive audience. Adults and teens avoid putting things like 3-minute eggs on just before you go into a practice session.
Routine-Repetition builds success. Get your own routine built into practice including getting out music, setting timers all done in a way that allows you to play uninterrupted for at least 30 minutes.
Time-You get what you pay for. Time spent counts. 30 minutes tends to be a good place to start. You’ll find more time becomes necessary as your skills and interests grow...and by then you won’t even notice the time going by.
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