Instrument Practice

[Gail Allen]

Have you ever learned to play an instrument?
If so you'll likely have run into this thing called Practice.
And exactly that part is what I've always struggled with. For one, how do I motivate myself to go and do it, but perhaps worst of all; how do I know if I am doing it right when there's no one around.
I am sure that those of you who've practiced for longer times have found some tips and tricks to get around this. Share what works for you below.

[Prof. Alexander Brighton]

I learned to play the piano. I love playing the piano. Practicing new songs I don't know can be hard when I'm alone. But I know the keys on the piano and how many beats each note gets and the time signature, so I just count the beats as I play. Playing songs I do know is a lot easier because I can tell if it sounds right.

[Gail Allen]

That makes a lot of sense of course; When you know the song it's a lot easier.
And being able to read sheet music is probably also a great help too. Sadly I never got any good at that. I am trying to learn to play the german flute though, so I am simultanously being taught sheetmusic which is pretty cool.

I've also found that what works pretty well for me with practicing is to try and get just a little bit of time in each day, cause I rarely will find the time to do like half an hour or something cause then I always think "But I need to do this or this or this.." and never get around to doing it, but if I tell myself, it's just five minutes, then I actually do it and then sometimes it turns into much longer. So I find that works to get me practicing.

[Prof. Kendra Givens]

If I'm honest with myself, I still don't practice as much as I should. Especially now that we're not having any Wind Symphony performances this year, I don't feel the drive to. BUT, when I do practice, I find that having a specific location helps. I have a corner in our spare bedroom with a stand and a chair, and I know I can leave it there and go close the door when I need the individual time. I also found that having a flute stand helps so that I can just leave it there and pick it up easily when I decide to. I also bought myself books of Disney and Harry Potter music so that I can use those familiar things to practice. Sometimes I also just run through the 12 major scales (double octave and back down) and call that my practice for the day! I also tend to find that I don't play at full volume so that I don't hurt the dogs ears with the high notes.

[Fien Malfoy]

Hi, I learned to play the recorder in primary school. Yes I know it is not one of the most difficult instruments but it is super nice when you play in a group.
I never felt like / motivation to start the lesson when the teacher walked in but it always helped me to think about the end result. And that was a great performance in which we played and sang the recorder. I also practiced at home sometimes, but I didn't want to disturb the rest of the family hehehe.