David Story West End Toronto Piano Teacher
*
  • Homepage
  • Fees, policies and calendar
  • Adult piano lessons
  • Children's Piano Lessons in West Toronto
  • My teaching philosophy
  • Testimonials
  • Contact information
  • There are no hacks. How to successfully practice. Action plans that work.
  • About me
  • Student awards and compositions
  • Recommended resources
  • Classical downloads
  • Jazz downloads
  • Jazz outline for beginners
  • Classical outline for beginners
  • Blog: The aging musician
  • Jazz Trio Workshop
  • Preschool Music "Rainbow Songs"
  • Piano Recitals 2019

Practice Time Is Precious

9/27/2014

0 Comments

 
Who has all the time in the world? 
  • Organization is the way 
  • Patience is the key 
  1. Warm up with some sight reading and technical practice. For piano that is easy. Fire up your tablet, go on line and head over to musicnotes.com. First pages are view-able for free. For technique consult your teacher's directions and get busy. Use about 25% of your time on these two activities. 
  2. Now to the main pieces assigned. Three suggestions. First, listen to a professional recording of the piece while reading the score. An artistic impression of what the notation should sound like is very important; it will save you a lot of time and bother. You want to be able to answer the question: "how do I get that sound out of these notes?" Not, "what the heck should this sound like?" Second, follow the fingering. Many a wise student writes the fingering in on every note. Thirdly, practice in chunks, small bits, starting with the most difficult bit first. Remember the next lesson is coming soon ready or not. Be as ready as you can. Use about 50% of your time on this activity. 
  3. Review old pieces favorites or not. This ends the session with some positive feedback. 25% of the time spent. 

Other effective practice routines can be created for different needs. Finally, listen regularly to the music you want to learn. Classical piano students listen to classical piano, Jazz piano students to jazz. 

Cheers, 


David Story

0 Comments

The perfect student

9/10/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture

http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/economics/cameron/success.html

A sampling: Click above for the entire article:

The "A" Student - An Outstanding Student
  • ATTENDANCE: "A" students have virtually perfect attendance. Their commitment to the class is a high priority and exceeds other temptations.
  • PREPARATION: "A" students are prepared for class. They always read the assignment. Their attention to detail is such that they occasionally can elaborate on class examples.
  • CURIOSITY: "A" students demonstrate interest in the class and the subject. They look up or dig out what they don't understand. They often ask interesting questions or make thoughtful comments.
The "C" Student - An Average Student
  • ATTENDANCE: "C" students are often late and miss class frequently. They put other priorities ahead of academic work. In some cases, their health or constant fatigue renders them physically unable to keep up with the demands of high-level performance.
  • PREPARATION: "C" students may prepare their assignments consistently, but often in a perfunctory manner. Their work may be sloppy or careless. At times, it is incomplete or late.
  • CURIOSITY: "C" students seldom explore topics deeper than their face value. They lack vision and bypass interconnectedness of concepts. Immediate relevancy is often their singular test for involvement.

0 Comments

    Author

    I'm a professional pianist and music educator in West Toronto Ontario. I'm also an enthusiastic student of drums. 

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All
    Bebop Piano
    Bill Evans
    Blues Guitar
    Boogie Woogie Piano
    Bucket List
    Classical Piano Lessons
    Gary Burton
    Jazz Chords
    Jazz Improvisation
    Jazz Piano Lesson
    Joe Bonamassa
    Learning Drums
    Learning Drums
    Learning Guitar
    Learning Piano
    Learning Piano
    Music Competition
    Music Practice
    Music Practice
    Piano Chords
    Piano Lessons
    Piano Lessons
    Piano Scales
    Sight Reading Skills
    Sonny Stitt
    Student Success
    Student Success
    Successful Learning
    Successful Learning
    Successful Music Learning
    Successful Music Learning
    Summer Piano Lessons
    Time Management
    Time Management
    Wynton Marsalis

    RSS Feed

                                                ©2015 David Story
                         Contact           Home         Mystery Link