Practice

Quality, consistent practice is a necessary component of

PROGRESS, ENJOYMENT, & SUCCESS

in all music study!

I teach students HOW to practice, and I set clear expectations and goals

to help them achieve successful practice.

EXPECTATIONS

I expect students to practice 5-6 days every week, and to practice the amount of time it takes

to work on assignments correctly, with attention to quality.

Choosing to take piano lessons = choosing to make practice a priority!

It isn't enough to just attend the lesson -

Learning piano requires daily, committed practice to apply, develop and master

all the skills learned at the lesson.

For Students age 5-18:

Extra-curricular activities such as sports, drama, dance, gymnastic, etc. are NOT considered valid excuses

for not practicing on a regular basis.

Students AND parents should be clear about their readiness to make the necessary time commitment

that is required for piano practice.

Resources

Tools & guides to support mindful, productive practice!

Find more on: Books & Articles page

Guide to Effective Practicing

This guide shows students how to save time, build good practice habits, solve specific problems and practice more thoughtfully.

Parent's Guide:

A guide for parents to help their children build good practice habits.

When practicing is interesting and fun, children get good results and want to practice more!

Parents and Practicing

"Parents make a huge contribution to their childrens’ musical development if they understand what happens at the lesson and then keep the lesson alive throughout the week by guiding the practice sessions.

The Mindful Musician

Mental Skills for Peak Performance.

Cultivate artistic vision, objectivity, freedom, quiet awareness, and self-compassion.

Practice Tips

8 Tips to Build Excellent Habits and Enjoy Practice!

1. SET UP A REGULAR SCHEDULE.

Make an appointment each day when you plan to practice, and stick with it! Don't wait until you "feel like it," or"if" you have time. Excellence is a habit!

⭐️ PRO TIP: Put your practice schedule for the whole week in your phone's calendar & create reminder alerts.

⭐️ PARENTS: Young students can't do this alone - they need A LOT of help learning time management skills, and how to stick to a schedule.

💜 PIGGY-BACK: Find another consistent event in your daily schedule (dinner time, when you get home from school/work, etc.) and PIGGY-BACK your practice time before or after that so it's easy to remember and stick to.

2. CHOOSE YOUR TIME WISELY.

Choose a time to practice that:

(1) is optimal for YOUR concentration, and

(2) puts to good use ANY available time you have!

⭐️ PRO TIP for students: Schedule (at least some) practice time BEFORE homework!

You'll have better energy and focus to achieve quality learning.

❌ Don't wait till after all your homework is done! You'll run out of time, only practice a small amount, or it will be so late that you're too tired to concentrate well.

💜 Schedule your practice time in smaller sessions at different times of the day. Do you have 15 minutes in the morning? Or 20 minutes in the afternoon? Another 15 minutes after dinner? A perfect way to use any available time you have!

3. TAKE BREAKS.

If practicing 30, 45 or 60 minutes straight is tiring, overwhelming, or you're losing focus - take a break!

💜 Take 5! Try taking a 5 min break after every 15-20 minutes of practice.

💧 Drink some water! 🍏 Have a snack!

🧘🏽‍♀️ Take a walk outside, do some yoga stretches, breathing, or take a power nap.

4. SET GOALS.

Review assignments, instructions and goals BEFORE you begin practicing each day!

Don't waste time playing through things mindlessly, or just to "see how it goes."

Plan two or three big goals that you need to reach by the end of the week. Then, set small goals each day that will help you stay focused, solve problems, and play mindfully.

⭐️ PRO TIP: Keep a practice log or practice journal to track and organize your goals & tasks.

💜 TREAT YO'SELF: Plan a reward to give yourself for completing a practice goal! A popsicle, chocolate chips, a video game, a movie ... something special to look forward to and celebrate your efforts!

5. REMOVE DISTRACTIONS.

Be sure your practice space is quiet and free from distractions:

Ask family members to not interrupt you and to stay out of the practice room while you're working.

Turn off the TV, if it's in the same room.

Put devices and phones on silent or Do Not Disturb mode, so alerts don't pop up. Don't text, answer calls, go on social media, or check email during practice time.

⭐️ PRO TIP: Put your phone in another room so you aren't distracted or tempted by it! (unless you need it for a metronome app or music app)

6. FOCUS & RELEASE STRESS.

Feeling stressed or anxious? Is it hard to "turn off" busy thoughts or things to do? Feeling rushed for time and your mind can't sit still?

⭐️ BREATHE!

Find focus and enjoy better practice with mindful deep breathing exercises before you begin.

Visit the Wellness page for breathing tips, recommended apps & other resources.

✅ Write it down! Get the busy thoughts out of your head, so they don't use up so much space.

Take 2 minutes and quickly write down whatever is on your mind. Put the list in a separate room, away from your practice space! Now give your brain permission to NOT monitor the list - it's taken care of while you practice!

💜 TAKE A DANCE BREAK! Move your body, and shake it out for 5 minutes before you practice.

Getting out of your head and back into your body releases tension. Dancing turns off your brain's "survival mode," and turns on a relaxed and loose creative flow.

7. RECORD YOURSELF.

Use your mobile device to take audio or video recordings of what you're practicing, then play it back - be your own teacher, and listen for things that you can fix and improve!

8. HAVE FUN!

Use toys and games to make practice more playful! See my ideas in: Practice Toys.

⭐️ Think outside the box: add some unusual (fun!) practice strategies, like in THE PIANO STUDENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE PRACTICING.

💜 GET (even more) CREATIVE: Make up lyrics for your piece, write a poem or a story, draw or paint a picture about it, take your favorite part of the piece and improvise or compose something NEW with it!

Heather Rogers Riley

PRACTICE

EXPECTATIONS

For Students age 5-18:

Extra-curricular activities such as sports, drama, dance, gymnastic, etc. are NOT considered valid excuses

for not practicing on a regular basis.

Resources

Practice Tips

Heather Rogers Riley

MMTA

TEACHER

OF THE

YEAR