No Time to Practice Piano? Think Again!

The PIANO 10 PRACTICE Challenge Minute BREATHING AND VISUALIZATION Take a minute to breathe deeply and visualize yourself actualizing your musical goal. Feel your feet touching the ground and your body length- ening from the bench. Place your hands in a middle C position and, if possible, visualize their movement while reviewing the music in front of you with your eyes. 1 Minute REVIEW NOTES Take a moment to recall your last lesson. Read any notes from your teacher and identify the points you need to focus on specifically for this practice. Limit your focus to one or two items to improve. Don't try to tackle everything at once. EXAMPLE: Practice playing eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes with the metronome; Practice legato and pizzicato on the C Major scale (both hands). Minutes WORK ON TARGETED ASSIGNMENT With these one or two items in mind, approach your current assignment. Write down any questions that arise during your practice to ask your teacher at the next lesson. EXAMPLE: 2.5 min with metronome (8Obpm) counting and shifting between eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes away from any specific music. Listen, play any key with any finger, and count for the duration. Minutes 2.5 min with right hand C major scale: 3 times legato; 3 times pizzicato. Repeat with left hand. REVIEW COMPLETED SONG/EXERCISE Reward your focus by reviewing a previously completed assignment that you feel confident in. D Have fun playing and realize you are slowly building a repertoire. You could also download a fun app like Music Tutor to practice your sight reading! EXAMPLE: Pull up the Music Tutor App on your iPhone and practice naming notes on the bass clef. Minutes extra TIPS: Create a unique practice space reserved only for piano practice. Try coupling your practice with something you already do daily, like eating or brushing your teeth. Ten minutes directly before or after dinner is an easy target practice zone. Set reminders and alarms on your computer or smartphone. Reward yourself at the end of the week for meeting your goal, and reflect on your experience. t0 takelessons