How to Ensure Your Progress as a Musician
- Practice every day, even if you only do a little bit. If you skip a day or two, it will be harder when you start practicing again.
- Make sure you do not shy away from practicing the hard parts of any particular piece. In fact, the most difficult parts should be tackled first. If you always sound good in the practice room, you’re practicing the wrong things!
- How much you practice each day is your business and will depend on your particular career goals. Students that intend to play for a living often practice three to five hours a day, every day. If you don’t put in the time, you won’t get better.
- Your best study aids are the metronome, the mirror, and the tape recorder or minidisc recorder. Use them every time you practice.
- Creative, innovative, imaginative practicing leads to creative, innovative, imaginative performances. “Good enough” is not good enough.
- Get to know the repertoire for your instrument. Listen to as many recordings and live performances as you possibly can. Attending concerts is indispensable to developing your musicianship – if you’re broke, then sneak in, but go!
- Be motivated to choose your repertoire. You needn’t wait for someone to assign pieces to you. If there are standard works you haven’t played yet, start them. Look for interesting non-standard works as well.
- Study the whole score, not just your part. This is true for solo works, chamber music, and orchestral/band music – in short, any music you perform.
- Above all, enjoy the beauty and power of music as you listen to and study it. Let that beauty flow through your playing and through your whole approach to music.
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