Practice

Differences in Practicing Strategies

To effectively practice, it is critical to have predetermined goals to be achieved by the end of the practice session. Performers at different levels of skill tend to practice differently because as their level of skill increases, they become more able to focus on what they wish to achieve, and to apply the most effective practice strategies to attain their goal.

Beginners tend to lack well-defined and effective practice schemes because they tend to practice without a clearly defined focus. For example, they are likely to practice by repeating a piece over and over again, with little concentration. By practicing in a holistic manner, beginners are likely to overlook the musical details of the music, its overall structure, and the emotional expression that they wish to communicate. When realizing that they have made a mistake, they tend not to address specifically what caused the mistake, or how it could be fixed. Rather, they are more likely to return to the beginning of the piece, overlooking the specific musical elements in the location where they made the mistake in the first place. Although repetition is essential for achieving a higher level of expertise, repetition without a clear goal and a sense of self-evaluation will not allow students to reach a level of expertise in terms of instrumental technique, musical understanding, musical memory, and musical expression.

Repeating a mistake only makes it more difficult to fix that mistake later on. In addition, beginners tend not to analyze the score they set out to practice. For example, they may overlook that the piece is made up of various sections, and do not take into account the similarities or differences between them. They may not focus on the patterns within the piece. Understanding the structure of the music is helpful in practicing the music.

At the early stage of instrumental learning, the teacher's instructions and the support of the family are particularly important in guiding the young performer toward good practice habits. Although most studio teachers report discussing practice strategies with their students, students often state that they were not given such directions.

Based on the importance of metacognition about practice goals and routines, this is a particularly perplexing and significant matter that indicates a potential lack of communication between the studio teacher and the student. Moreover, if studio teachers address musical expression and emotions implicitly, rather than explicitly, students may overlook these important musical elements in their practice. Practice is also the time when performers memorize a piece, if this is required of them. Beginners are more likely to memorize by rote, without reflecting on the musical structure and the details of the composition. A clear understanding of the musical structure allows a performer to abstract a cognitive map of the piece. This is of great help in the memorization process.

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