HOW MUCH PRACTICE IS ENOUGH ?
‘Practice’ – such an overused, misunderstood, over estimated and under estimated word. Practice can make or break a potential musical candidate. It can raise them up to the pinnacle of their craft or leave them sinking into a pit of mundane, inadequate despair. Many people talk about quality versus quantity because when it comes to practice, this concept is crucial. Muscle memory, which is the fine motor skill required for the use of a musical instrument is best developed through repetition. These are the same skills we use when we navigate through our home safely in darkness and locate light switches with ease. This skill has been developed unconsciously through repetition and visualization. When we have to locate the exact same place with impeccable accuracy on a musical instrument, we use the same methods as we use when navigating our homes in darkness, however, this is where practice comes into play. The idea of practice is to carefully, conscientiously and accurately perform a movement or series of movements repeatedly until they enter the subconscious aspects of the brain, much like riding a bike. How much practice? I am asked this question a lot by parents and students. The amount of practice that is necessary depends entirely on the student’s age, school commitments, current level of AMEB, their goals and the projected times of achieving their goals. Generally, 30 minutes three times per week is quite adequate for beginners to work up to, and for maintenance and improvement in most students until approximately AMEB Grade 3-4 standard. After this the students should be already approaching 1 hour 3-4 times per week. Practice should NEVER be physically painful, discomfort in the beginning is usual, but NEVER painful. If the student is experiencing any pain, stop immediately and consult an experienced and qualified educator. Quality practice with conscientious attention to details and methodical controlled movements will always win over many hours of practice with mess. Messy unhinged, haphazard practice leads to learning bad habits and a very unnecessarily prolonged musical journey. Enjoy your practice and reap the rewards of learning to share beautiful quality music with others and the joy of improving yourself.