Practice until you can't miss it
PRACTICING AT HOME

What is a sufficient amount of practice? I recommend 30 minutes a day. As a minimum, students should practice:

* 6 out of 7 days

* five practice sessions of at least 25 minutes

* one practice session can be 15 minutes.

Usually the day missed is the one where the student has a number of activities and homework to complete. Students should treat their practice as important and essential: a normal everyday activity. This does take some degree of self-discipline and may take some effort and time to establish (if the student is inconsistent).

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF CORRECT PRACTICE?

* A regular, daily routine of 25 or more minutes.

* Done at a time acceptable to other family members.

* Begins with fundamental flexibility exercises.

* Specific measures are practiced to achieve specific results.
Something should sound better at the end of 25 minutes.

* A metronome should be used to check rhythmic accuracy.

We will be emphasizing to the students that playing through music without a specific goal is a waste of time. Time is important. When a student enters a practice session, he should identify his goals for that session. He should be as specific as possible (listing which measures are to be prepared, what the problem to be solved is, what the desired result will be...). He should isolate a problem down to its smallest component and work it until it has improved. Then gradually adding measures before and after the problem area so that it fits in contest. A student may then check for consistency by seeing how many times a section of music can be played in a row with zero mistakes; today, it might be three times, tomorrow it should be five times... Once a problem has been effectively fixed, it should remain fixed. Working through a particular problem may take several practice sessions, but at each practice session, improvement should be evident and continual.

Conclude practice sessions by playing through any music for fun. This could be old music, new music, music from pop/movie music books (a number of which are available through the Sheet Music Department of to be announced)...

DAILY PRACTICE IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL WHERE BAND MEETS EVERY OTHER DAY.

*Students who excel should be taking private lessons on a weekly basis in order to receive enrichment not possible in a full band setting.

Please see the appropriate grading policy for grading criteria.