Efficient Practice
A conversation I had with a teacher many years ago when I was having trouble memorizing my recital program...
“How many hours a day are you practicing?“
“Four” I reply.
“Make it five.” he replied as he closed my car door and boarded the train.
I laughed, and of course I complied. I still had to reschedule my recital twice because I had so much trouble memorizing the material.
To be fair, he had his hands full. I’ve never been much of a memorizer – I’m more of the sight reading type. In fact, I’d much prefer to sight read in public than prepare something in advance from memory.
But this is not really an article about sight reading or memorizing–I’d rather discuss what was missing from the conversation between me and my teacher. What about the question "How are you practicing? How are you breaking up the time and what tools are you using to help you memorize?"
Many students or parents will ask how much time should be spent practicing each day. Of course I never give them the straight answer they'd like. Rather, it leads to a discussion about how pianists can be efficient and productive while they're practicing–how we spend our time and what we think while we play is much more important than spending a certain amount of time at the piano.
There is one thing that everyone in my studio has in common whether they're a teen or adult--they're all BUSY! But they’re still able to improve their playing because they’ve learned to be efficient with their practice time.
I hope that being busy doesn't prevent you from playing the piano or taking lessons if you're interested. There are some simple shifts in mindset and process that could help you be more productive with the time you have. If you’d like to learn more about them, follow the Princeton Piano Teacher Facebook Page. Hope to see you there!