Practice and Performance

“Play with heart. Play with living soul..”
-Dr. Shinichi Suzuki

Practice

Your child's primary experience of the instrument happens with you at home, during practice times. It is crucial, therefore, that you set and maintain a positive and rewarding practice environment and that your child feels that you are committed, supportive, and fully invested in his/her learning to play. To that end, you will have to make practicing a priority. By doing so, you show your child how important it is; if it is that importnat to you, the parent, then it really must be very importnat!

Practice objectives for beginning students encompass the following:
Establishing the tone for the practice session

Teach (by example!) your child how to get ready (set aside previous activites and be perpared to concentrate fully on the practice period) and be ready to listen and cooperate.

Establishing expectations

of behavior, content, effort, and duration, making sure your expectations are realistic and attainable.

Developing discipline

The ability to regulate behavior and attitudes

Developing concentration and focus

Understand that your child's instrument is simply the tool used for learning these elements and for developing these areas of competence. Or, differently expressed, progress on the instrument reflects growth rather than defines growth.

Performance

Preparing for performance and performing strengthen the students' skills and develops confidence in their abilities: their technical ability and their ability to communicate artistically with others. Being present at and watching other students perform develops sensitivity, vision, and perspective for students and parents. Attendance is required at all studio recitals and group class performances. There are many other performance opportunities throughout the year in which students are encouraged to participate.