Practicing Tips for Advanced Students

To me, practicing an instrument is equal skills and trust building.

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We need to have the skills in order to complete the task (our performance/audition/show/etc), but in order to do so, we must be able to trust ourselves. If we practice but have no trust, it will be too hard. Additionally, if we only trust and don't have the skill to back it up...chances are that won't go to well either.

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In order to build skills, we must create neural pathways (sometimes known as muscle memory). Our body must have recall of the task we are asking it to do. It's for this reason that we must practice correctly - if we do something 30 times in a way we don't want (wrong notes, rhythm off, not thinking about phrasing...) but only once the way we do want it to go (hooray!! I did it!), odds are, it'll go the way you didn't want becasue you haven't developped the neural pathways needed for your brain and body to get on board and do it that way.

One of the most common performance killers I've observed professionally and in my studio is doubt. The second someone starts to doubt themselves, or has created a habit which causes them to doubt if they'll remember how to do it on the big day, the second we start to stumble across all kinds of traps. That's why I advocate for as much self trust as skill building.

 

Every time you get in the practice room, it is an opportunity to build a relationship of trust with yourself. It's a chance to remind yourself that you can do this, and prove that to yourself.

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The following are a few practice tips and activities to in your practice session to simultaneously develop the skills you need, and the neural pathways that you know you can trust to execute your performance with all the elements you dreamt you'd be able to.

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