Dr. Natalie Steele Royston, Assistant Professor of Music Education

Iowa State University Iowa Bandmaster’s Association

Saturday, May 13, 2017http://nataliesteeleroyston.weebly.com

Teaching Students to Teach Themselves

http://nataliesteeleroyston.weebly.com

Why is practicing such a “bad” word?

The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he continued to practice at age 90.

“Because I think I am making progress,” he replied

Why is practice such a‘dirty’ word?

Students don’t understand the benefits of practicing

Students have to work alone & motivate themselves

They don’t know how to put time to good use

They don’t see the results of their work

They don’t feel they can reach distant goals

They feel practice seems like a bottomless pit

If they are worried about a concert or test, their reluctance may increase

Music teachers too often take for granted that their students know how to practice

Research has shown that students tend to engage in aimless and haphazard practice

rather than well-organized, goal-directed work(Lehmann, Sloboda, and Woody, 2007)

Research has shown that younger studentsoften lack the ability to plan and monitor their own

practice. They are also unaware of appropriate practice strategies or do not know when and

how to employ them.(Austin & Berg, 2006; Hallam, 2001; McPherson, 2005, Pitts, Davidson & McPherson, 2000; Rohwer & Polk, 2006)

When students do practice, they often playthrough their music repeatedly, often

not stopping for mistakes.

When they do stop for a mistake, students will often go to the beginning

of the piece and begin again.

Most younger students (and perhaps their parents and some of their teachers) are concentrating

more on quantity of practice rather than quality of practice.

What should teachers do?

Ask yourself...

Are the students leaving class with the information they need to practice effectively at home?

Do the students have the resources needed to work independently?

Do students know how to structure home practice?

Do students know what to do if some element of the music isn’t at performance level?

Do students take time to reflect on their progress and plan next steps

Teach Students How to Practice

What do students need to have and to know to practice efficiently?

Do they have important materials?

Appropriate space w/o distraction, music stand, chair (if needed)

Instrument

Music

Fingering or rudiment chart, fingerboard diagram

Glossary of musical terms

Metronome

Tuner

Technology (practice and recording)

Mirror

Set Appropriate Challenges(Can this be accomplished?)

This is the music you chose for your students. It must stretch them but be attainable within a

reasonable amount of time.

Idea!Music for the entire class is less

flexible than music for solo instruments or small ensembles so

consider running solo and ensemble work all year.

Teach Goal Setting

Students need to develop a mental image or model of how they should sound.

(what should this sound like?)

Ideas!

•Model for younger students

•Play recordings for student

•Have more accomplished students play for the class

How do we help students set goals?

Make sure their goal is not to simply put in the time

Write rehearsal/practice goals on the board

Model remedial goal setting based on assessment

Ask students to set goals in their practice sheets,logs, assignments, or journals

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7

Posture/Playing Position

Check the you are sitting tall, on the edge of your chair.

Be sure you are holding your instrument as

described in class

Check that you are sitting tall, on the

edge of your chair. Be sure you are holding your instrument as described in class

Check that you are sitting tall, on the edge of your chair. Be sure you are holding your

instrument as described in class

Check that you are sitting tall, on the edge of your chair.

Be sure you are holding your instrument as

described in class

Check that you are sitting tall, on the edge of your chair.

Be sure you are holding your instrument as

described in class

Check that you are sitting tall, on the edge of your chair.

Be sure you are holding your instrument as

described in class

Check that you are sitting tall, on the edge of your chair.

Be sure you are holding your instrument as

described in class

Long toneWarm-Up Exercises

#1 & #2Play slowly and with your best

sound

#1 & #3 Breath deeply and keep a

steady stream of air moving

#2 & #3Play slowly and with

your best sound

#1 & #2 Breath deeply and keep a

steady stream of air moving

#1 & #3Play slowly and with

your best sound

#1, #2& #3 Breath deeply and keep a

steady stream of air moving

#1, #2 & #3Play slowly and with your best

sound

C Major Scale 2X 3X 2X 3X 2X 3X 2X

1 octave Bb Chromatic

3X at a slow, med & fast tempo 2X 3X at a slow, med &

fast tempo 2X 3X at a slow, med & fast tempo 2X 3X at a slow, med

& fast tempo

Method Book #23

Play slowly, be sure to slur all notes as indicated. Play 2X

Play slowly, be sure to slur all notes as indicated. Play 2X

Play slowly, be sure to slur all notes as

indicated. Play 3X

Play slowly, be sure to slur all notes as indicated. Play 3X

Play slowly, be sure to slur all notes as indicated. Play 3X

Play slowly, be sure to slur all notes as indicated. Play 3X

Play slowly, be sure to slur all notes as indicated. Play 3X

Method Book #26

Practice this using 3 different practice

strategies

Practice this using 3 different practice

strategies

Practice this using 3 different practice

strategies

Practice this using 3 different practice

strategies

Practice this using 3 different practice

strategies

Practice this using 3 different practice

strategies

Practice this using 3 different practice

strategies

Solo Work to memorize m. 1-8

Play m. 1-8 from memory

Play m. 1-8 from memory; practice

9-12

Play m 1 - 12 from memory

Play m. 1- 12 from memory; practice

13-16

Play m 1 - 16 from memory

Play m. 1- 16 from memory

Student Choice Choose at least 1 song to play

Choose at least 1 song to play

Choose at least 1 song to play

Choose at least 1 song to play

Choose at least 1 song to play

Choose at least 1 song to play

Choose at least 1 song to play

Goal Based Practice Chart

Teach Time Management

Warm-up

Technique

Music (detail work)

Music - play through large sections

Reflect

(how do I spend my time?)

Teach Appropriate and Effective Strategies

(how do I fix it?)

Once students can hear problems in their playing they need to know and use appropriate strategies to fix those problems.

Ideas!

•Teach students to set up an environment conducive to effective practice•Have students set goals and come up with strategies before practice sessions as part of a practice log•Give students structured practice guidance (see worksheet)

How do we teach practice strategies?

Teach students how we learn

• Repetition, Chunking, Categorizing, Transfer

Teach them to analyze their music

• Same/different/similar, Pattern identification, phrase structure, part function, etc

Develop a practice toolbox to develop executive skills

• Different tools are needed for different jobs

Strategy Say what? Here’s What You Do

Slo’Mo’ SLow motion. Slow it down. Get it right.Play each section as slow as you can. Try for accuracy in getting it

right. Speed it up once you’re awesome!

Chunk It Break down the music into small partsBreak each section down into 1 or 2 note pieces. Once you play these

two notes right, add 1 more, and then 1 more...and 1 more...

Pencil Power Write it in!A pencil can save you hundreds of hours of frustration. Is there a

pencil in your band folder?

Five times Beats the GrindPLay each section through five times

perfectly before going on

Play each section through five times without any mistakes. If you can’t play it five times perfectly, go back and start at time number 1

and try again...and again....

Think it, see it, do it! Practice without your instrumentPut your instrument in its case. Try tapping the rhythm on your lap

(or table at home). Blow an air instrument while fingering along. Try blowing as if you were going to play.

Forgetta’bout itGo on to something you do well then come

back to the challenging section

Having trouble? De-stress by going back to something you can play really well and once you feel good again, hit the challenging

sections

Idol Audition Sing it through. You may not feel you are a great singer, but singing the passage out loud as if no one is listening will make you better faster. Try to sing

the same pitches as your instrument.

Simple thoughts really are simple

Don’t stress! Keep you wits about you. Go back to basics!

You’re always trying to get away with doing less work anyway, right? Slow down your brain. Break everything down into its

smallest part. Success comes quickly this way!

Record yourself Listen to what you really sound like Listening to yourself on a recording is a great way to hear what’s really coming our of your instrument!

Practice Strategies

Some Practice Techniques for Older Students

The metronome game

One Note Practice

Mouthpiece practice

Play it All

Distorted Rhythm

Take it to the Easy Place

Teach Monitoring(do I sound like I should and why not?)

Students need to learn to listen to themselves. This is especially challenging for younger students and

students who are having difficulty with technique.

Ideas!•Develop their ears to feel beat and meter, tonal center, and to know their music well enough to hear and anticipate mistakes

•Have students play for each other and give feedback

•Have students record themselves and make critiques while listening

What improved as I practiced today?

What difficulties did I encounter?

What strategies worked well today?

What skill or problem needs to be addressed next time, and what do I plan to do?

What questions do I have?

Encourage and Teach Students to Reflect

Encourage and Teach Parents to become active in Practice

Parents seem to be very important for young musicians’ practice. Parents provide outside

motivation and positive encouragement.Ideas!

•Talk to parents during meetings about the importance of practice•Encourage parents to listen to their children and simply provide positive encouragement•Demonstrate an effective practice session for the parents•See handout - Parents and Home Practice

Positively Motivate StudentsInspire Excellence

The learning environment is an important partof practice. Your diligence, the interventions

you choose, your classroom management style and the ethos you develop for your program all

play an important part in determining the success of your students.

How do we motivate practice in large ensembles?

Grades

Parental Communication

Daily assignments and follow-up

Emphasize improvement over achievement

Allow some student choice

Rehearsal Critique Form

Write down your observations of your own (and/or your sectoin’s) and the band’s performance, indicating the MEASURES that were played particularly well or that need to be improved. Next specify the MUSICAL DIMENSIONS (such as rhythm, intonation, tone, balance, articulation, phrasing, dynamics, etc.) under question in those measures. Finally, state your ideas for PRACTICING the measures you’ve specified.

Observations of Performance Practicing Strategies

Measure numbers Musical Dimension(s) My (Section’s) Performance

(filled out immediately after performance)

Measure numbers Musical Dimension(s) Band’s Performance For the Whole Band

(filled out after listening to recorded performance)

Tools to reinforce good practice habits

• Use the walls to display posters that teach practice skills, goal setting, and assessment

• Encourage self-assessment

• Design practice grades based on Quantity and Quality

✤ Include a spot for writing goals

✤ Have students self-assess

✤ Use a practice tool check-list

✤ Include recording and listening assignments

✤ Assign practice routines

• Use technology - SmartMusic, recordings, etc.

http://www.kjos.com/includes/KML_Teachers.php?PID=W68

"Practice and Reflection in Band & Orchestra"

by Wendy Barden

Additional Resources

Dr. Natalie Steele RoystonAssistant Professor of Music Education Iowa State University207 Music HallAmes, IA 50011(515)294-6829nasteele@iastate.edu

http://nataliesteeleroyston.weebly.com