Will I ever get there?

Maybe.

An adult student is working on the scherzo of Haydn’s piano sonata in F major Hob.XVI:9 A fun work from RCM level 4. It goes fast, it’s light, it’s fun under the fingers. It reminds me of joyful summer memories as a kid riding our bikes as fast as we can go, just celebrating the joy of movement and being alive.

How does one play like that?
Can I ever go as fast?

Another story. I’ve a young teenage student preparing to sit for her level 8 exam later this month. One of her pieces is Solfeggio in C minor by CPE Bach an extremely fast and demanding piece of music. She runs like the wind through it. The power of youth. Can my 61-year fingers play that fast? Nope. Period. It’s as absurd as looking on while high schoolers compete in the 100-yard dash. Yeah, I can still run fast, but not like that.

Moral of the story. Be at peace with it.

​Now can we learn to play faster. Of course. Can we ever go as fast? Maybe, maybe not.

​
Now back to Haydn. Pianists who play well, including fast, have worked patiently in the following areas.

1. Repertoire is developed in a thoughtful and methodical manner over many years.
2. They learn theory to understand the music they are playing: patterns and relationships. 
3. They have developed their aural skills to fine degree. Ultimately all playing is playing by ear.
4. They learn something about the history of the music they play Classical, Jazz, Blues, Folk, or Americana. Whatever it is, it has a tradition, a history, a story to tell. They are wanting a piece this story in their lives. They enthusiastically seek out experiences to get it.
5. They carefully learn to sight read well.
6. They cheerfully deal with their etudes and exercises.
7. They take their growing knowledge, experiences, and skills to understand the nuances of great performances.
8. They can answer the question, “who are your favourite pianists?” And tell you why? The sophistication of their answers will evolve as they develop as musicians. 
9. They are emotionally committed to the project of learning the piano. And have the maturity to understand it is a journey of learning.
10. They love the music.
11. They have studied how to practice the piano through different sources of reliable information. They avoid the pitfalls of seeking a work around, a hack, or quick fix. And the huskers selling shortcuts to expertise. 
12. They make the time to practice.

If I can help you on your journey, please give me a call.
​
David

Time to dream again. Covid-19 will abate this year; the vaccines are coming, spring will arrive. Time to get musically ready to share our music with the world again. 

Here are 10 ideas to mull over.

1. Organize your practice space with everything you need ready at hand: scores, recordings, pencil, headset for listening, phone recording app operational, metronome, lighting, piano tuned, distractions minimized. 
2. Schedule practice time in the calendar, the same way other non-work-related activities are. In short prioritize music this year. 
3. Plan to take lessons this year: Let a little fresh air in. A fresh perspective.
4. Learn to love how you sound at your instrument: Recording frequently and accepting how it sounds and thinking about how it might be improved is an effective step forward.
5. If your instrument is lacking, and you have the means, upgrade. 
6. Seek out other adult learners online. There are wonderful communities on Facebook. I belong to several them. Contribute, celebrate the privilege of being able to make music. 
7. When concerts return, go. Be sure to be there, it will be an emotionally cathartic experience of lifetime that first downbeat. Expect tears.
8. Find a duet partner after you get your vaccine jab. Celebrate together, the joy of playing together again.
9. Consider expanding or updating your musical preferences. There has been a lot of music created since our musical preferences were set in our youth. Much of it will speak to you in new ways. YouTube algorithms are good for this. My teenage students have the most eclectic tastes which I attribute to these algorithms.
10. Make a fresh list of pieces you like to play this year, purchase, or print the music, put it in a folder and plop it on the music stand and visualize yourself playing beautifully.

Cheers, 

David 

Heather Lotherington
13 December
 
I took up the violin in early summer 2018. I reckoned I would get a running start on a bucket list project. But let’s fast forward a couple of years, past the commitment of buying a violin and a sustained period of caterwauling that inspired the neighbor’s dog to howl, past the perpetual state of terror at lessons, a wretchedly inflamed shoulder, constant and unending frustration, and perpetual tweaking of violin, shoulder rest, chin rest, bow to find a position where this instrument felt even quasi-comfortable. 
 
Let’s begin instead a few months into Covid lockdown when I reconnected with my violin teacher and we resumed lessons on Zoom. After brushing up my basic skills, I thought I might sign up for the Royal Conservatory of Music program to provide structure to my learning. We embarked on the preparatory level violin curriculum, and emboldened, I booked an exam date.
 
My available practice time was limited by full time work (on Zoom), which, on some days, wiped me out past even starting the depressing regimen of hit and miss scales. But motivated by a fear of making a total ass of myself in front of an examiner accustomed to 5-year old’s capable of mastering this content, I practiced. I pushed onwards, I stretched, I recorded myself and self-critiqued, I watched superstar violinists on YouTube, and listened attentively, studying how they held their violins and their bows. I practiced with my husband playing the piano or the ukulele, I played to recorded tracks, I sent video-recordings to friends and family. Mostly they were encouraging; a few were incredulous that I would undertake such a project at my age. But why not?
 
A month before the examination my nerves started getting the better of me, so I intensified my practice time on weekends, bearing down on my scales and arpeggios, determined to get my fingers in the right place for each note. A millimetre up or down the string produced disharmony, yet there are no guiding frets on a violin. I practiced as deliberately as I could: open string bowing, scales, arpeggios, get that fourth finger in place ahead of time! My teacher advised me to focus my attention on one piece at a time, but sometimes I drifted off to picking out tunes by ear or playing old favourites from the early days: Mary had a little lamb, Twinkle, twinkle little star... I decided to do a mock exam with my teacher during lesson time. It was humiliating.
 
The week before the exam, my pieces were running on a constant loop in my head. I practiced my fingering while I slept, when I slept, which was seldom and badly. I practiced maniacally. I worked out every kink in continual mock Zoom exams, doubling down on the bits I messed up.
 
Two days before the exam, a curious sense of calm descended. Out of nowhere, I felt that I had learned the elements of preparatory violin, and performance of these basics was up to the vicissitudes of exam performance where, of course, anything can happen. I had memorized my repertoire pieces and, though not necessary, my étude. My scales were on autopilot. I needed to credit myself with accomplishment of this basic learning and damn the torpedoes. I was ready for the exam.
 
The morning of the exam, I ran around in circles preparing: my violin needed to be acclimatized to the humidity of the basement. The piano and the violin had to be tuned exactly in pitch. Was there enough resin on my bow? My husband and I practiced our simultaneous piano and violin start: an audible sniff, and tally ho. I entered the zoom waiting room nervously. We were being recorded though no one was there.
 
And suddenly there she was: my examiner presented a friendly face. I silently thanked the heavens above that I had been spared a hangman. Decades of examining graduate theses and dissertations had taught me that best performance in a tense examination situation was facilitated by an encouraging tone and not by a repeat of the Spanish Inquisition.  
 
All the same, my fingers trembled, my sweat glands went into overdrive, and I forgot how to breathe. I did remember to smile and to play with the conviction my teacher had taught me to show. There were to be no faces pulled, indicating disappointment or frustration, and if I made a mistake, I was to make it with pride and immediately move on. I began with my scales, and true to practice, practice, practice, they rolled off just fine. My teacher had told me to sing to my piece called (appropriately), Song: make up words, create a story and tell it in music. She told me to play what I heard in my head not what I produced with my fingers. So, I did. My étude began a little flat but it had spirit. My favourite beautiful slow song scrolled in my head, and I played as if that were me. My fast piece, the last in my program, was intended to be humorous, and it flowed with relief. It was the very final note in the exam that I blew, probably because I knew I was nearly done. I heard the ear test note perfectly but by that time, my flustered fingers just missed the spot. It was almost funny. And the exam was over as suddenly as it had begun. It had taken 7 minutes.
 
In the academic sphere in which I work, I am not a fan of examinations, which create a ceiling as easily as a floor and encourage parroting of known standards rather than innovative thinking. But I was surprised by the excitement I felt taking a preparatory level violin examination. Learning the violin is qualitatively different from the cognitive learning I work with. Playing the violin is deeply embodied, requiring the player to learn precise physical skills to communicate with an instrument. There is no music without mind, body and instrumental medium working in concert.
 
My mark—not yet received—now seems immaterial. I sensed that my performance was a pass for this level of accomplishment, and I could now pursue the next level of play. The basics I so fervently argue against in public education (which has developed over the past 200 years past the horse and buggy era) indexed something else in violin: an ability to perform skills enabling me to proceed to more complex embodied music making. I could now move into level 1 learning.
 
And that is where I am now: learning the D harmonic minor scale and playing 2 octaves of the G major scale. Woohoo!

I was the proud accompanist for Heather, my wife. 

​David

​Restarting piano after a 4-decade hiatus? How to get started.

The hands will be slow. But they will improve. Patience is the key here. An analogy: You were at 18-year-old track star back in the day. You buy a pair of expensive running shoes, the kind that promise speed, endurance, and youth. First day out, you run 10K. It is glorious, next day you can’t move. Shoes go in the closet; you are back in front of Netflix. Oops, you’ve made a tactical mistake. Try this instead.

1. Tune the piano.
2. Find a sympathetic coach/teacher.
3. Buy an anthology of classical piano music, the kind that covers a range of performance levels.
4. If you haven’t already, start listening again to classical music.
5. Take a course on Classical music appreciation. There are lots of online opportunities: YouTube, Great Courses, Community College etc.
6. Play a few scales, sight read a simple piece. Avoid a Chopin ballade if the fingers have been resting for 40 years.
7. Fifteen minutes, maybe 20 1st day and each day for a week.
8. Each week at 10% to the duration of practice.
9. Investigate the Pianist magazine, a wonderfully affirming resource for adult piano enthusiasts.
10. Dust of a theory book and review.

Have fun, if I can help, call me.
​
David

I'm 15 or so, I've been playing a year or two. I "practice" in quotes all the time. She is cute, she sings, she needs an accompanist for the church strawberry social. I step up. I'm waaaaaay over my head. But keen to impress.

We practice, I survive. But I am about to learn the difference between the practice room and the stage. In hindsight I imagine it is like the difference between basic training and real combat.

It's a beautiful day, they haul a small piano outside on the grass. The back of the piano faces the singer and the audience. We step up. I am soooo nervous, so underprepared that my right leg starts to bounce uncontrollably, audibly, banging the underside of the piano. People are looking around for the source of the noise. I'm deadpan behind the piano.

It mercifully ends.

Lessons?

1. "Superbia et ante ruinam" Pride goes before the fall. But the show must go on.
2. Never underestimate the power of shameless audacity in a show biz career.
3. It's harder than it looks. The magic of the performing arts is the illusion it is easy.

David

1. Having a concise well thought-out goal before you begin lessons is critical. The goal need not be lofty. Just clear.
2. There are no shortcuts. Some folks know this, others not so much. Those who methodically do the work over an extended period generally see the results they were seeking. They don't skip steps or areas of study. 
3. Some folks understand skill is earned not bought.
4. Focused students outperform the scattered every time.
5. It is easier for some.
6. Practice works, I am living proof of that. I just regret it took to age 43 to learn how to practice.
7. The 10,000-hour rule may be a myth. But it is a good place to start.
8. We can be inspired and sustain our long-term efforts from drawing on noble and ignoble reasons. For example, love and revenge seem to be equally effective to get and keep us moving forward in life and piano.
9. Learning is more fun on a great instrument.
10. Taking piano exams is difficult, thrilling, infuriating, and stressful. Costs lots of money too. I am grateful to have had the privilege to do it in my 40s. It transformed my life.

If I can help you, let's chat. 

Best, 

David

Students often believe that I must have started early in life with lots of natural talent. Let me clear this up.

I am proof practice works.

1. I started playing piano in high school.
2. I resisted structure, changing teachers yearly. I was fired by more than one.
3. I loved to sight-read music, not practice it.
4. I played in one piano recital in my whole life. That was enough for me.
5. I played pop music 90% of the time.
6. I loved creating my own music.
7. I wrote for the school band.
8. I started bands by age 13-14. I was a sad self-taught guitarist in the beginning before I discovered jazz. Then I formed and wrote for an 8-piece band every week in our rec room at home. I was also now the pianist.
9. I was mediocre in high school band class.  I owe the saxophone an apology. 
10. I had a tin ear and could not hit a pitch on the piano. I've no idea how I tuned my guitar.
11. I was a very enthusiastic music student, just an undisciplined unfocused pianist, without the gift of self knowledge.
12. My ability to memorise music was at best rudimentary.
13. I had terrible stage fright around the piano for several years.

 
I made it into Berklee with 4 years of piano under my belt, but it included 2 years of professional gigging in rock and country bands in the North Bay region. A lot of gigs. Plus, my basement jazz band. That made the difference I figure. But who knows, recordings do not exist.
 
I got through Berklee as a composition major. I thought about being a performance major, but that required serious practice. Something I was not interested in. But I continued playing gigs during those years. A lot of gigs. Some exciting gigs. I was a busy journeyman. I could sight-read just about anything. I showed up on time ready to play. I was pleasant to be around. Where did that put me in the Berklee pecking order? Turns out near the top. I made it one year to the number 2 band.
 
So, when did I learn to practice?
 
Age 42!
 
Signed up for my Grade 10 exam. My very first piano exam ever. I couldn't fake it. I had to play it. I put a couple of thousand hours of focused practice in. I read every book I could find on how to practice. How many books? Chapters bookstore sent me Christmas present. That is how many.

• I tried implementing what I was reading.
• I did everything my teachers asked of me.
• I did not push back against a curriculum written in the 19th century!
• My life was transformed. I finally really learn to play well. It progressed further during my ARCT. 
• I can help you find your path too. Call me. 

 
David

Learning Plans
A learning plan is a document (possibly an interactive or on-line document) that is used to plan learning, usually over an extended period of time. Any entity can have a learning plan. They are often used by individuals to plan and manage their own learning, but they can also be used by teams, communities of practice or organizations.
Learning Plan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning Plan
 
What might you learning plan look like? Clarity and specificity are important.

Classical student

Goal: Sit for my Grade 4 exam in June 2021
Plan:

1. Technique in place by Christmas
2. Sight reading 5 days a week to address my shortcomings
3. Three of the 5 pieces playable by Christmas, all pieces in place by April
4. Memorised pieces by May
5. I will create a weekly practice plan with my teacher
6. I will keep a practice journal
7. Plan for mock exams in the spring
8. I will listen and watch online one masterful performance a week.
9. I will attend a classical music concert when it is again possible
10. I will joyfully work on theory

Jazz Student
​
Goal: Be able to jam in a community group in one year.
Plan:

1. Learn my chord systems by Christmas
2. Learn my 12 major scales, one octave by Christmas
3. Memorize one tune a month from the list of beginner tunes
4. Practice comping chords from the same list one tune a week. I will write out the chords on a “chart” to facilitate learning.
5. I will purchase play along software or an app
6. I will learn 5 simple licks in 12 keys
7. I will study one transcription per month
8. I will create a weekly practice plan with my teacher
9. I will keep a practice journal
10. I will keep my up piano “chops” by playing written music of my choosing regularly 

​How much effort will it take?
 
Depends on: 

1. What result are you looking for?
2. How big is your desire?
3. What piano skills are you bringing to the project?
4. Have you done this before?
5. Are your practice skills Up-to-date for 2020?

 
What result are you looking for?
 
Extraordinary results take extraordinary effort.
 
Levels 1-3 plan on 30-45 minutes a day, more near exam time.
Levels 4-6 45 minutes plus
Levels 7-8 60 minutes
Levels 9 -10 90 minutes plus It's like preparing for the Boston Marathon.
 
This is on the piano bench. Add more time for theory and guided listening.
 
How big is your or your child's desire?
 
Realistically it should be high. A healthy mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is needed.
 
What piano skills are you bringing to the project?
 
Please let me assess your skills before you make decisions. Sometimes transfer students, new to my studio, ask me to help them prepare for exams way above their current skill level. I may recommend some preparation to preserve your enthusiasm and my sanity.
 
Have you done this before?
 
Then you know what is in store. If this is a new adventure, let's talk.
 
Here is my personal experience.
 
I completed levels 10 and then the ARCT from age 43 through 47. It was by far the most exciting thing I've ever done at the piano. 
 
Remember, I had 25 years of professional experience behind me in commercial and jazz performance. I didn't play classical music or take exams as a child; I went straight to the band stand as a teenager. Classical piano was new to me as a formal study, though I had a love of the music, went to concerts etc.
 
It was also the most time-consuming activity of my adult life. About 5000 hours over a four-year stretch. The results earned me national, provincial, and local scholarships. That was a surprise. Completing Berklee College of Music as a young man was easier in comparison. I had no idea an ARCT took so much.
 
Would I do it again?
 
In a heartbeat. Do I recommend the experience? Yes, it truly is a peak experience. I felt like superman for years afterwards. 
 
Are your practice skills Up-to-date for 2020?
 
We do not grind anymore. Ask me, I help you get organised for success.
 
Recommended books:
​
 
David 

1. Spend some time exploring the history of jazz. Here is a good place to start. The great courses can be found on https://www.audible.ca/ for $14.00. https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/elements-of-jazz-from-cakewalks-to-fusion.html 
2. Another exercise, listen to 3 different versions of a piece in your repertoire by 3 artists. Listen enough to each performance until you can sing along and mimic the performance of the melody on the piano. 
3. Someday my prince will come with Miles Davis: see attached listening sheet.
4. General piano skills. For sight reading try this. First page is free. https://www.musicnotes.com/search/go?w=Thanks+for+the+memory&from=header 
5. Play a chorus or two with Red Garland on C jam blues.
6. Functional jazz Skills

• voicings
• scales
• chords systems
• sight reading chords
• Repertoire

​Have Fun, see you in September. 

David

I've made mine. There are below. 

Time for yours. Here are some ideas to get you started. 

1. Have fun, lower the intensity. Except if you are a professional or preparing for post secondary music education. Time to ramp it up!
2. Now back to recreational players. Normally I would recommend some concert attendance, but alas, this is not currently possible. Maybe attend some online live events. The Village Vanguard in NYC is presenting some of New York's finest. 
3. If you can visit a music store with a large print section and ask the clerk for some recommendations on what is new and exciting for players at your level. 
4. Revisit and reflect on your goals for the fall. 

Best, 

David Story

My plans. As I'm a professional, I'm ramping up the intensity until Labour Day in September. 

90-day summer music plan 2020
 
Piano Coaching

1. Contemporary piano with Jacqueline
2. Bebop with Mark
3. Adult pedagogy Workshop in July
4. Some limited jamming

Drums Coaching

1. Lessons with Lowell
   1. Daily work of his notebook
2. Finish and master drum kit book
   1. 2 to 3 chapters a week
3. Jamming with friends
   1. Rory and Jim
   2. Andrew and Rory
   3. Rory
   4. Roland and Ed
4. Transcriptions continue

Synthesizer fun

1. William and Gordon
2. Learn to make multi screen videos

1. Put your phone on airplane mode. Concentration during “me time” is crucial.
2. Watch a renowned professional pianist perform on YouTube. This will direct your attention to the beauty of the music you play. Be grateful you have the privilege to play and study such music.
3. Plan your practice and how much time to direct to each area.
   1. Theory, knowing what you are doing makes everything easier.
   2. Scales, chords, arpeggios, a chance to practice playing beautifully.
   3. Etudes focus developing specific technical challenges in piano playing.
   4. Repertoire, the music you are currently learning.
   5. Repertoire maintenance, which is review of your favourite pieces.
   6. Ear training really helps us to memorise music, internally hear it, and expand our capacity to hear nuance in our performances and the performances of others.
   7. Sight reading. Good sight readers just enjoy playing music. And, learn music much quicker.
   8. Score study is the activity of marking up a score to record the nuances we hear in a professional performance. Remember the given notation is just a start.
4. Prepare to practice
   1. Get a sharp pencil to make notes in the scores.
   2. Your audio recorder to get feedback on your playing.
   3. Your books all in order and ready at hand.
   4. Metronome is ready at hand.
5. Time to start
   1. Warmup the muscles with technique or sight reading. If you start with technique, start slowly the muscles are cold. Breathe. Use a metronome for some of your technique to maintain the slow tempi.
   2. Now to the rest of it.
6. Take a 5-minute break every 20-30 minutes.
7. Three, thirty minutes sessions spaced in a day, counts too. 
   

​If I can help you, please call and reserve a future spot. I am now taking reservations of summer 2020 and fall 2020.
 
David

“How good do you want to be?” Start with this question followed with: “how should I spend my time?” 

Success will depend on the depth and breathe of your practice. My most successful students have made peace with time and possibility. Yes, time counts, but patience and realistic expectations count for more.

Learning has piano follows a well trodden path. You just must follow it to succeed. There is no secret. Just time and hard work. We must be realistic with the fact that course correction will be needed regularly. Life is messy.

So:

1. Make some time
2. Find a teacher
3. Allocate your resources of time and money
4. Organize your practice space
5. Attend some concerts
6. Become a music student

Call me, I can help.
 
David

I've got happy students who practice more than an hour a day, others who practice an hour a week. Because their time matches their realistic expectations, they are happy. Could they all practice more? Of course. I could too. 

Composer Igor Stravinsky said something to the effect of: we find inspiration through work, not the other way around.

Amateurs wait for inspiration to work; professionals get to work knowing inspiration will follow. Good advice when sitting in the practice room waiting for the muse to strike before beginning.
​
David

1. Clear long-term goals that can be broken down into small actionable steps.

Wishes verses commitment
​
Many people want to play the piano. A few people must play the piano. The many are vague, the committed are focused.

A committed student says things like, “I want to pick up where I left off 30 years ago and finish my grade 8 piano, can you help me?” Or, “I want to play piano duets with my children, or grandchildren to support them in their piano studies? Or, “I want to play in a band”. Or, “I’m deeply in love with Beethoven’s op. 1. I played level 10 in my youth. Now, life has given me the time to get back to it. Please help me get back into shape”. “I love the romance of piano lounge jazz. Can you show me how to improvise like Diana Krall?”

The small actionable steps needed to proceed will vary by the student’s background, but the steps will revolve around the following:

1. Repertoire: what you signed up for. We may have to spend some time preparing your hands to play at the desired level.
2. Sight-reading: far more than playing at sight, competent sight-readers learn music quicker, much quicker.
3. Ear training: all music is ultimately played by ear. There is a saying you can only play at the level you can hear. Learning to listen deeply, with guided help will, will open up the beauty of music on a much deeper level.
4. Theory: the musicians you admire know what they are doing. Theory is the key to understanding what you see and hear in music. Also, it is the key to solidly memorising music.
5. Duets: a fun way to learn to emote in music, train the ear, and share the experience.

Syllabi, such as the Royal Conservatory of music provide, break down the learning process in small actionable steps. Jazz pedagogy does the same. I’ve also created one for recreational players who come to my studio. I will create or direct you to the appropriate syllabi.
​
I look forward to working with you.
 
Best regards,
 
David

PS. Click on the picture below to learn more about adult learning. You will be directed the magazine's website. A valuable resourse. 

A quick coffee video on practicing from pianist magazine. 

The end of the year is fast approaching. Time to take stock of the goals we set in September. And, maybe reset. Or, add some new ones.

Here is one I'm making.

1.      Attend more live concerts of pianists. The Jeremy Denk recital was quickly followed by the Richard Goode outing.  Both were inspiring and instructive. Sometimes in the rush of everyday I forget to go out and be inspired.

Here is a write up on Denk:                                                http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/pianist-writer-jeremy-denk-adds-personality-to-his-work/article21505629/

I highly recommend his blog.

Cheers,

 David Story

Getting ready for a new year of practicing? Me too. 

·         The key to musical happiness is regular practice and having clear easily articulated goals.  As business and time management Guru Brian Tracy says, “Clarity is the key”. To which I’d add: plan your life around your practice schedule.
·         Write down your goals. Do they align with time available? Are the people you live with onside?
·         Motivation problems can often be assuaged with a concert trip to hear a world class musician perform.
·         Get the piano tuned.
·         Try a good cardio workout to inspire, think clearer, and focus well.
·         Have a written practice plan for each session.

Books I’ve found helpful in the last year

·         “Time Power” by Brian Tracy, I read and reread this book at least twice a year. The ideas really work, if you implement them.
·         “The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life” by Timothy Ferris, an inspiring book on adult learning, hilarious too.
·         “International Piano” magazine, a monthly magazine from the UK on learning the piano.

Books I plan to read shortly

·         “Practice Perfect” by Doug Lemov
·         “Famous Pianists and Their Technique” by Reginald R. Gerig

All books available on-line from your favourite reseller.

Cheers,

David Story

www.davidstory.ca

Practice makes perfect is we practice perfectly. But, perfect practice is a tricky business. The following article from Vic Firth outlines very effective practice tactics for drummers. I've added jazz piano addendums in brackets.

In a nutshell:

a) Warm Ups (some sight reading)

b) Rudiments – learning and application of (jazz chords, modes)

c) Groove & Fills (working on your jazz licks through transcription)

d) Learning a song (using a combination of lead sheet and recordings)

http://www.vicfirth.com/exchange/2014/03/20/the-practice-of-practice/

Enjoy,

David Story

An ideal student knows exactly what they want and why they want it. They have set time and resources aside to accomplish it.

An ideal student has read and respects studio policies.

Happy Student + Happy Teacher = Success

Setting realistic goals for music study? Great idea. Not thought about it? Why not? One of the best reasons is that it gives you a track to run on. One of the best warnings on goal setting? "You can't ride more than one horse at a time" 

Here are a few additional thoughts. 

For Parents 

1. Whatever goals you set for your children consider the time and personal effort you will have to give to the project? Remember hockey clubs have coaches, kids don't practice on their own. Even Tiger Woods has Sean Foley present when he practices for feedback and instruction. 
   

For Adults 

1. What are you going to give up to make room for music study? 
   

Project Planning 

Here is a personal example. I study jazz drumming. I'm planning on attending a jazz camp for adults next summer. When I arrive there I will have to audition for placement. I want to place as high as possible. :-) 
so, 

1. Each day I practice on the pads for a few minutes, with my metronome, my rudiments and other sticking patterns. I listen carefully for steadiness of rhythm and evenness of tone. 
2. I've engaged drum teachers in January. One for kit, another just for snare work in the concert band. 
3. I listen to jazz drumming daily in the car.
4. I practice on the kit nearly every day for one to two hours. Either alone or with the jazz quartet on Monday mornings and the Hamilton Concert Band on Wednesday nights.
5. I read drum magazines and watch instructional videos for motivation and inspiration. 
6. I'm focusing on the core competencies of drumming: Time, feel, balance, and endurance. I tape many practices for feedback.
7. Special emphasis on the bass drum in the next while and basic Latin grooves. 

This is a sub goal of my drumming aspirations. My larger goal is to be able to play in the finest amateur groups in the GTA and work each summer at the finest audition only jazz camps for adults in the world. My next sub goal after the summer is to bring up my snare work in concert band and to start working on the other percussion  instruments: melodic and pitched. A little OCD perhaps? But, this is how musicians approach their work. 

For yourself 

Goal: Recreational player 
Strategy: Two hours of playing and practice a week 
Tactics: Ditch the TV and web surfing by 2 hours. Tell your kids to go outside and play. Give a list of pieces to your teacher you would like to learn. 

Cheers. 

David

It depends on how good you want to be is the short answer. A thoughtful answer takes a little longer.

1. What are your goals?
2. Are they realistic with the time and resources available to you?
3. How detailed are these goals?
4. Are these goals your own or someone's else?
5. Do you know how to practice?

Let's break it down.

Realistic Goals: Are your goals in tune with the rest of your life? What would you give up to reach them? Piano takes time, lots of it. For example to complete my ARCT in 2007, I started Grade 10 in 2003. Five thousand hours later I graduated! (This 5,000 hours included my theory studies as well as my piano lessons.) I gave up the music business to do this.

If you goals are more modest, aim for 2 hours a week of practice to start. Without practice, piano is no fun! The caveat is this. If you are a recreational piano student with the goals of learning some tunes and having some fun, skipping practice is no big deal. We can do it together at lessons, I will supervise.

Whatever the depth of your ambition, I suggest strongly that you schedule piano practice into your schedule.

On the subject of practice, another blog post for that.

Cheers,

David Story

A tale of two adult students

Part one:

• Both students start at the same time.
  
• Student 1 practices an hour a day, 5 days a week.
  
• Student 2 practices an hour, once a week.
  
• At the end of year one Student 1 is 4 years ahead, year two 8 years ahead.
  

Part two:

• Student 1 has a vague notion of what they want to accomplish. The have a nagging notion that they should practice a lot. They feel guilty that they cannot practice more. They need a lot of hand-holding.
  
• Student 2 wants to play a few tunes and have fun. They do. They take it as it comes. They fiddle around, jamming, improvising, and occasionally getting to the homework. They are having fun.
  

Cheers,

David Story

I won't make any, but I will review why I signed up for drum and guitar lessons in the first place.

Success, I've been told, is a result of our habits, our habits are the consequence of our actions. Actions come from our values. Values are bred into us. So, resolutions in conflict with our values are doomed. But, habits born of awareness of our values have a chance.

Cheers,

David