parents/guardians: how to help your student practice at home
I am often asked about practice at home. I practice and perform regularly throughout the year, so I am no stranger to the process.
"How do I help my student succeed if I've never played an instrument?"
"What can I do to support them with their practice at home?"
Do not fear! I've put together a guide to assist in the process!
An important first step is our attitude and philosophy.
● “It’s not hard, it’s just new.”
● Mistakes are okay. That’s how you learn new things.
● It’s not about trying hard enough, it’s about trying often enough.
Students can become frustrated because we are used to instant gratification. If something doesn't happen on our first try, we can get discouraged. I often relate learning an instrument to riding a bike, learning to walk, or any other skill that requires practice. Keep trying!
THINGS YOU CAN REMIND YOUR CHILD ABOUT: HOW TO PRACTICE
● Start with the warm-ups or Fundamentals that we used in class that day.
● Break it down into small pieces. Work on just a few notes at a time, before you attempt to play the whole song.
THINGS YOU CAN REMIND YOUR CHILD ABOUT: STRATEGIES WHEN LEARNING A NEW SONG
● Listen to how the song is supposed to sound. I usually post links to each song on my website.
● Do not try to do the whole song at first. Do a few notes at a time. If you make a mistake, stop and fix it.
● Before you play, say the letter names of the notes out loud. Just do a few notes at a time if it is overwhelming.
● Before you play, “say / chant” the rhythms. Tap your foot with the beat while you do it.
● SLOW DOWN… The best way to learn a song is to play it very slowly at first, as slow as you need to. In other words, play it so slowly that it is easy for you. Speed up later.
TROUBLESHOOTING: WRONG NOTES
● Use the Fingering Charts for each instrument so you can see where your fingers are supposed to go.
● When you play a wrong note, stop and work on just that part. Go back and forth between that note and the one that came right before it. Try to do it 4 times in a row correctly before moving on.
TROUBLESHOOTING: WRONG RHYTHMS OR THE BEAT IS NOT STEADY
● If something sounds wrong to you, it probably is. Trust your ears. You can also tell if your student is not keeping a steady beat (speeding up or slowing down).
● Rhythms: Tell them to put down the instrument and “say / chant” the rhythm while tapping their foot with the beat.
● Steady beat: They should tap their foot with the beat while they play. Use a Metronome if you have one available.
TROUBLESHOOTING: POOR SOUND QUALITY
● Too much wiggling or body movement or mouth / lip movement: Only your fingers (trombone: arm) should move.
● Poor posture: Head tilted down or too far up. Slouching. Leaning on elbows. Elbows tucked in. Puffing cheeks.
● Stopping the air between notes, so it sounds “punchy”: Air should be long and steady, blow between the notes.
● Trumpets/Trombones: Air speed is too slow or too fast. The lower the note, the slower your air should be. The higher the note, the faster your air should be.
● Flute: Airy sound due to bottom lip not covering enough of the tone hole. Flute resting on shoulder or turned to the side. Flute (tone hole) rolled forward or backward… it should be flat with the ground. Aperture (hole made between your lips) is too big or wrong shape… it should be a small oval. Lips should be even… one should not stick out.
● Clarinet: Reed is broken or chipped… use a new one and throw away the old one. Reed is too dry… stick it in your mouth for 1 whole minute before playing. Bottom lip should be rolled slightly over the edge of your bottom teeth. Bottom lip and teeth should be set about halfway down the reed… if it is set too high, you will get an airy or weak sound, or no sound at all… if it is set too low, you will squeak. You should press the reed with your bottom lip and teeth or you will squeak, but don’t press too hard. Clarinet bell should be in front of your knees… do not have it tucked into your body.
● Saxophone: Reed is broken or chipped… use a new one and throw away the old one. Reed is too dry… stick it in your mouth for 1 whole minute before playing. Bottom lip should be rolled slightly over the edge of your bottom teeth. Bottom lip and teeth should be set about halfway down the reed. Top and bottom teeth should be even, one should not stick forward. Neck strap should be tight enough so that the mouthpiece is pressing against the top teeth when your head is straight. You should press on the reed as little as possible with bottom lip and teeth, like don’t press at all. Experiment with instrument angle… tilt it slightly forward or slightly back to find where you sound the best.
● Percussion: grip on the stick must be correct. See the photos on your Method book. Top of the drum or keyboard should be about where your belt is. Muscles should be loose and relaxed. Stick height should be low, level with the ground.
REMEMBER:
● I want to help you. But I don’t always know that you need help, unless you ask me. Please ask me for help.
● Don’t get too stressed out, learning a new instrument is supposed to be fun!
"How do I help my student succeed if I've never played an instrument?"
"What can I do to support them with their practice at home?"
Do not fear! I've put together a guide to assist in the process!
An important first step is our attitude and philosophy.
● “It’s not hard, it’s just new.”
● Mistakes are okay. That’s how you learn new things.
● It’s not about trying hard enough, it’s about trying often enough.
Students can become frustrated because we are used to instant gratification. If something doesn't happen on our first try, we can get discouraged. I often relate learning an instrument to riding a bike, learning to walk, or any other skill that requires practice. Keep trying!
THINGS YOU CAN REMIND YOUR CHILD ABOUT: HOW TO PRACTICE
● Start with the warm-ups or Fundamentals that we used in class that day.
● Break it down into small pieces. Work on just a few notes at a time, before you attempt to play the whole song.
THINGS YOU CAN REMIND YOUR CHILD ABOUT: STRATEGIES WHEN LEARNING A NEW SONG
● Listen to how the song is supposed to sound. I usually post links to each song on my website.
● Do not try to do the whole song at first. Do a few notes at a time. If you make a mistake, stop and fix it.
● Before you play, say the letter names of the notes out loud. Just do a few notes at a time if it is overwhelming.
● Before you play, “say / chant” the rhythms. Tap your foot with the beat while you do it.
● SLOW DOWN… The best way to learn a song is to play it very slowly at first, as slow as you need to. In other words, play it so slowly that it is easy for you. Speed up later.
TROUBLESHOOTING: WRONG NOTES
● Use the Fingering Charts for each instrument so you can see where your fingers are supposed to go.
● When you play a wrong note, stop and work on just that part. Go back and forth between that note and the one that came right before it. Try to do it 4 times in a row correctly before moving on.
TROUBLESHOOTING: WRONG RHYTHMS OR THE BEAT IS NOT STEADY
● If something sounds wrong to you, it probably is. Trust your ears. You can also tell if your student is not keeping a steady beat (speeding up or slowing down).
● Rhythms: Tell them to put down the instrument and “say / chant” the rhythm while tapping their foot with the beat.
● Steady beat: They should tap their foot with the beat while they play. Use a Metronome if you have one available.
TROUBLESHOOTING: POOR SOUND QUALITY
● Too much wiggling or body movement or mouth / lip movement: Only your fingers (trombone: arm) should move.
● Poor posture: Head tilted down or too far up. Slouching. Leaning on elbows. Elbows tucked in. Puffing cheeks.
● Stopping the air between notes, so it sounds “punchy”: Air should be long and steady, blow between the notes.
● Trumpets/Trombones: Air speed is too slow or too fast. The lower the note, the slower your air should be. The higher the note, the faster your air should be.
● Flute: Airy sound due to bottom lip not covering enough of the tone hole. Flute resting on shoulder or turned to the side. Flute (tone hole) rolled forward or backward… it should be flat with the ground. Aperture (hole made between your lips) is too big or wrong shape… it should be a small oval. Lips should be even… one should not stick out.
● Clarinet: Reed is broken or chipped… use a new one and throw away the old one. Reed is too dry… stick it in your mouth for 1 whole minute before playing. Bottom lip should be rolled slightly over the edge of your bottom teeth. Bottom lip and teeth should be set about halfway down the reed… if it is set too high, you will get an airy or weak sound, or no sound at all… if it is set too low, you will squeak. You should press the reed with your bottom lip and teeth or you will squeak, but don’t press too hard. Clarinet bell should be in front of your knees… do not have it tucked into your body.
● Saxophone: Reed is broken or chipped… use a new one and throw away the old one. Reed is too dry… stick it in your mouth for 1 whole minute before playing. Bottom lip should be rolled slightly over the edge of your bottom teeth. Bottom lip and teeth should be set about halfway down the reed. Top and bottom teeth should be even, one should not stick forward. Neck strap should be tight enough so that the mouthpiece is pressing against the top teeth when your head is straight. You should press on the reed as little as possible with bottom lip and teeth, like don’t press at all. Experiment with instrument angle… tilt it slightly forward or slightly back to find where you sound the best.
● Percussion: grip on the stick must be correct. See the photos on your Method book. Top of the drum or keyboard should be about where your belt is. Muscles should be loose and relaxed. Stick height should be low, level with the ground.
REMEMBER:
● I want to help you. But I don’t always know that you need help, unless you ask me. Please ask me for help.
● Don’t get too stressed out, learning a new instrument is supposed to be fun!