Jenny Cruz
College Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210003
Cincinnati, OH 45221
513.556.6638
cruzjm@email.uc.edu
The perennial question always remains... how do you get a student to practice? Richard Chronister once said, "Never send a student home, unless you've shown them how to do what you want them to do." It is possible that this is where the answer to the question begins. The self-selected discussion group at the GP3 Conference attempted to confront this issue.
Demonstration
1) Inspiration can come from many places. Demonstrating for a student what you feel about the piece or your individual interpretation of the piece can provide this impetus.
2) Using the class piano as a huge demonstration setting. Functional skills can, in fact, be more difficult than repertoire, so showing a student how to practice harmonization or scales in front of the entire class could be helpful.
Attitude
1) Changing the significance of practice from a torturous procedure to a process that is extremely fulfilling can inspire students to practice more often.
2) Reflecting on the "Butt to the Bench" mentality - the hardest part can sometimes be just sitting down and starting. The more often the student can sit down, even if it's just for 10-15 minutes between classes, the faster and further along they will progress. Getting them into the habit of practicing is half the battle.
3) Instill the motto that "Cramming is useless."
4) Choosing good repertoire - appropriate for the student's level and appealing to the student - can make or break a student's willingness to practice.
Teaching How to Practice
1) Teaching a student HOW to practice can in itself inspire practice.
2) For two weeks, have a student make practice tapes, recording EVERYTHING that goes on in a session. This would be turned into the teacher so that they can give input on what they're doing correctly and what they can improve on.
Practice Opportunities
1) Give the student as much time to practice as possible.
2) Offer a tutorial website using MIDI files.
3) Encourage students to attain a keyboard for their room, so that in their spare time they can practice.
Pair Work
1) Have students practice in pairs.
2) Have them turn in partner evaluations. Therefore, the student not only acts as a student, but becomes a teacher as well.
Community
Build a sense of community in your classroom. Give a test to your class, grading them on their knowledge of their fellow classmates i.e. name, primary instrument. Creating a sense of community encourages students to have pride in what they and their fellow classmates produce, thus encouraging them to be prepared.
Accountability
Pop quizzes - everybody hates them, but they send the message to the student that they are responsible every class period for what was covered the previous period.
This self-selected discussion was very well attended - most likely because every teacher has to deal with this issue. The overall reactions were practice doesn't have to be like pulling teeth. The teachers in this discussion proved that there are many motivators for students.
| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|---|