Transcript Practice: - Music Education Clinic RESOURCES

Practice:
Teaching Students to
Teach Themselves
Dr. Natalie Steele Royston,
Assistant Professor of Music Education
Iowa State University
Ohio Music Education Association Conference
Friday, February 6, 2015 8:15am
http://nataliesteeleroyston.weebly.com
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Why is practicing such a “bad” word?
“If I were a dictator, I would eliminate the word
‘practice’ from the vocabulary, for it becomes a bogey,
a nightmare…I would ask: ‘Have you already
made and enjoyed music today?
If not - go and make music’”
~Pianist Artur Schnabel
“I have to be honest. I hate practicing. I’ve
always disliked it, but it is a necessity. I have
to do it because I love to play.”
~pianist Jorge Bolet
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 students
often 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 play
through 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
(what should this sound like?)
Students need to develop a mental image or model
of how they should sound.
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
Goal Based Practice Chart
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
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
Posture/Playi
ng Position
Check the you are
sitting tall, on the
edge of your chair.
Be sure you are
holding your
instrument as
described in class
Long tone
Warm-Up
Exercises
#1 & #2
Play slowly and
with your best
sound
#1 & #3 Breath
deeply and keep a
steady stream of air
moving
#2 & #3
Play slowly and with
your best sound
#1 & #2 Breath
deeply and keep a
steady stream of air
moving
#1 & #3
Play slowly and with
your best sound
#1, #2& #3 Breath
deeply and keep a
steady stream of air
moving
#1, #2 & #3
Play 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 Play slowly, be sure
to slur all notes as
to slur all notes as
indicated. Play 3X
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 Practice this using 3
different practice
different practice
strategies
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
Check that you are
Check that you are
sitting tall, on the
sitting tall, on the edge
edge of your chair. Be of your chair. Be sure
sure you are holding
you are holding your
your instrument as
instrument as
described in class
described in class
Choose at least 1 song Choose at least 1 song
to play
to play
Teach Time Management
(how do I spend my time?)
Warm-up
Technique
Music (detail work)
Music - play through large sections
Reflect
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
Practice Strategies
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 parts
Break 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 Grind
PLay 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....
Practice without your instrument
Put 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.
Think it, see it, do it!
Forgetta’bout it
Go on to something you do well then come Having trouble? De-stress by going back to something you can play
back to the challenging section
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!
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
Encourage and Teach Students
to Reflect
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 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 Students
Inspire Excellence
The learning environment is an important part
of 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
Measure numbers
Musical Dimension(s)
Practicing Strategies
My (Section’s) Performance
(filled out immediately after
performance)
Measure numbers
Musical Dimension(s)
Band’s Performance
(filled out after listening to
recorded performance)
For the Whole Band
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.
Additional Resources
"Practice and Reflection
in Band & Orchestra"
by Wendy Barden
http://www.kjos.com/includes/KML_
eachers.php?PID=W68
Dr. Natalie Steele Royston
Assistant Professor of Music Education
Iowa State University
207 Music Hall
Ames, IA 50011
(515)294-6829
[email protected]
http://nataliesteeleroyston.weebly.com