Tips on Memorization and Practicing

This is more of a practical post -- I offered a short session for parents last week on how to help their kids practice/memorize more efficiently, and wanted to give anyone who missed it a chance to catch up.

First, we discussed what I called "The 9 Essentials of Practicing Piano":

1. Always look at the assignment book. Half the time, this is the reason progress is not made!
2. Respect your child's practice time. Give them an uninterrupted length of time to practice.
3. Create a positive practice environment. Make sure that there is adequate lighting, that the surroundings are neat, etc. As you know, kids (and adults, if you're like me!) need help focusing as much as possible!
4. Set a specific time to practice each day. If you don't make it a part of your routine, you'll push it out of the day all together.
5. Learn in sections. If your child is getting overwhelmed, suggest that he/she break it up into smaller sections at a time. Success is gradual, not instant.
6. Encourage them to take it slowly. I would rather hear a student play something "too slow" but with correct notes and timing MUCH more than something "up to speed" but full of starts and stops. If you hear this happening, encourage your child to take it slower!
7. We usually practice "hands separately" until we're ready to put our "hands together." Avoid letting your child play both hands' parts at the same time too soon, or it will result in frustration.
8. Stop them from repeating mistakes over and over. If you hear your child repeating mistakes, it's time for you to help him/her devise a new strategy. Suggest that they break it down into sections further. Go back and play it hands separately. Locate the problem. Repeating mistakes only reinforces them, making them even harder to overcome.
9. Make sure they're still having fun. Tell your son/daughter to play something enjoyable after working hard on a new piece. A sure way to lose interest in piano is never to have fun with it.

Next, we discussed memorization and how to overcome fear of playing without the music. I hope you find this helpful:

What you should know about memorization...

1. Good sight-readers tend to be bad memorizers, and vice versa. In other words, visually-oriented students will have it tough when trying to memorize, while auditory/kinesthetic types will tend to have it easier.
2. Set out from Day 1 to memorize -- you haven't fully learned a piece until you've memorized it, in many people's opinions. The goal is to internalize the music so you can be totally comfortable during performance.
3. "Fingering" refers to what fingers you use to play the notes (the kids know this) -- if they don't pay attention to it and use different fingering every time, memorization will take much longer.
4. If you are a kinesthetic (hands-on) learner, don't fall into the trap of relying on "muscle-memory" to memorize a piece of music. Try to visualize the music in your mind as you're playing it -- this is really the best way to keep track of where you are in the song.
5. Try playing without the music every now and then as you're learning a song. That said, make sure you look back at it to make sure you're memorizing the right thing!
6. For more really great memorizing tips, go to www.colorinmypiano.com - "12 Tips for Memorizing Piano Music."

That was pretty much all we discussed...my goal is to try to inform parents, especially if they don't know how to play themselves, how to help their kids practice.

I will write again soon...