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                                                 It's not how long you practice - it's how well you practice!

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Before you start practicing create a quiet practice spot in your house with a music stand and a straight-back chair (spend part of your practice session standing). Have this be your permanent practice place. Keep all your music organized in this spot.

 

Attempt to practice at the same time each day so it becomes a habit.

 

Practice every (or most) days. Short daily sessions are much more beneficial than long occasional practice sessions. Dr. Suzuki said you only have to practice on the days you eat. 

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Put your phone away. Get rid of as many distractions as possible. Practice with focus and intention.

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Tune your instrument to your best ability. You can use a phone app (Cleartune and Tuner Lite) or a piano if available. If you don't know how to use your pegs, use fine-tuners only. They can't break your strings.

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Start with a scale to bring your mind completely into your practice. Practice this scale repeatedly, always focusing on a technique.

In tune? Parallel bow? Even rhythm? Rich, big sound? Good posture and hand positions? Strong left hand and soft right hand?  Close your eyes to hear yourself better and to help your concentration.

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Choose a small section of music you need to work on. Play it through slowly and analyze your problem. Practice only the problem slowly and gradually increase your speed. When you can play the problem area 3 times perfectly in succession, put it into the larger section. When you can perform the larger section 3 times perfectly in succession, you can move on.

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Use a metronome.  Tempo is one of many metronome apps you can try. No one likes metronomes but the best musicians use them a lot.

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Practice for 20 minutes and then take a short break - walk to the kitchen and get a drink of water, then start again. 

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End your practice session by playing something fun or something that you feel proud of.

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PARENTS - how you can help your child practice (or study, or learn almost anything!)

1. Provide a well-lit practice spot with a straight-back chair. If possible, let your child leave their instrument here out of its case.

2. Take away distractions. This can be a phone, a pet, or a sibling.

3. Comment on improvement you hear. Only give compliments, never criticism.

4. Reward consistent daily practice. Use a bribe if you are not seeing daily practice: it is hard for anyone to establish a habit.

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