​How to spend 90 minutes practicing Classical Piano

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