Practice - a skill in itself.
Practising an instrument is an activity which can be done badly or well. Examples of negative practice would be 1) over practising which can result in arm or hand damage. This can occur near an exam or performance deadline. 2) practising in ways which reinforce bad habits eg wrong rhythms..
However, if we assume that practice is conducted sensibly, (pupil well focused) the faster they will progress. This requires a substantial degree of maturity, and is not frequently seen or heard. However, pupils who are close to exam dates usually to demonstrate this discipline. One example of thoughtful practice would be regarding the approach to a longer piece: here it is sensible to break it down into sections; even single bars, and slowly conquer the most problematic phrases.
If pupils have motivation and a love of making music, they usually progress reasonably, even when they lack an abundance of ability. Please note 1) that I said "a love of making music"; I didn't say "a love of music". My point is that most people do indeed have an appreciation of music, but they do not necessarily possess much (if any) interest in learning to play an instrument. 2) I said "even when they lack an abundance of ability". My point is that high ability levels are not required to progress to around grade 5 if (BIG IF) they are motivated and discliplined to practice regularly.
For more on "practice", read "Raising an Amazing Musician" (ABRSM) chapter 8.
Are virtuosos born or bred?
An American radio station recently covered this fascinating issue. Here are two extracts: "For the past 20 years, some psychologists have made an appealing argument: that it's possible to achieve success or expertise in your craft by putting in lots of practice time. It's a nice idea: work hard enough and you have a shot at becoming, say, a great violinist.....
The new meta-analysis finds that practice only accounts for only about 12 percent of performance differences across all areas of expertise. For games like chess and scrabble, practice mattered the most (26 percent). In music, it was less important (21 percent). In sports, it accounted for 18 percent and in education, four percent.." It makes interesting reading. Click on the link above ("new meta analysis").
However, if we assume that practice is conducted sensibly, (pupil well focused) the faster they will progress. This requires a substantial degree of maturity, and is not frequently seen or heard. However, pupils who are close to exam dates usually to demonstrate this discipline. One example of thoughtful practice would be regarding the approach to a longer piece: here it is sensible to break it down into sections; even single bars, and slowly conquer the most problematic phrases.
If pupils have motivation and a love of making music, they usually progress reasonably, even when they lack an abundance of ability. Please note 1) that I said "a love of making music"; I didn't say "a love of music". My point is that most people do indeed have an appreciation of music, but they do not necessarily possess much (if any) interest in learning to play an instrument. 2) I said "even when they lack an abundance of ability". My point is that high ability levels are not required to progress to around grade 5 if (BIG IF) they are motivated and discliplined to practice regularly.
For more on "practice", read "Raising an Amazing Musician" (ABRSM) chapter 8.
Are virtuosos born or bred?
An American radio station recently covered this fascinating issue. Here are two extracts: "For the past 20 years, some psychologists have made an appealing argument: that it's possible to achieve success or expertise in your craft by putting in lots of practice time. It's a nice idea: work hard enough and you have a shot at becoming, say, a great violinist.....
The new meta-analysis finds that practice only accounts for only about 12 percent of performance differences across all areas of expertise. For games like chess and scrabble, practice mattered the most (26 percent). In music, it was less important (21 percent). In sports, it accounted for 18 percent and in education, four percent.." It makes interesting reading. Click on the link above ("new meta analysis").
Playing Blind
I encourage my pupils to practice "blind" playing. In time this enables pupils to keep eyes on the music page because they don't NEED to keep their eyes on the keyboard. This is especially useful in exam sight reading and for accompanist work in concerts and exams: ideally accompanists keep regular eye contact on the soloist.
This issue crops up fairly regularly in the Pianist magazine (eg no 79) in the letter section. Someone in Chicago had never heard of playing blind. The magazine responded with wise words from Graham Fitch:
"The famous British pianist Cyril Smith regularly practised blind. Playing blind means either to practise in the dark or with your eyes closed. It's best not to crane your neck to look elsewhere as this creates postural problems. The obvious benefit is an immediate sharpening of your senses of hearing and touch. If you can manage jumps with your eyes closed, think how much easier they will be when you open them again. Consider also that there are some notable pianists who have been blind since birth, and the reason they don't miss notes is a heightened sense of proprioception: their brains know exactly where their hands are in space, because an imaginary keyboard has been incorporated vividly into the brain's map of their body. Any pianist will derive benefit from practising with eyes closed once in a while."
This issue crops up fairly regularly in the Pianist magazine (eg no 79) in the letter section. Someone in Chicago had never heard of playing blind. The magazine responded with wise words from Graham Fitch:
"The famous British pianist Cyril Smith regularly practised blind. Playing blind means either to practise in the dark or with your eyes closed. It's best not to crane your neck to look elsewhere as this creates postural problems. The obvious benefit is an immediate sharpening of your senses of hearing and touch. If you can manage jumps with your eyes closed, think how much easier they will be when you open them again. Consider also that there are some notable pianists who have been blind since birth, and the reason they don't miss notes is a heightened sense of proprioception: their brains know exactly where their hands are in space, because an imaginary keyboard has been incorporated vividly into the brain's map of their body. Any pianist will derive benefit from practising with eyes closed once in a while."