Practice, Practice Practice! But it’s not only the time we spend practicing that makes us good at playing our instrument, but it’s also the “how” we practice that matters!
the full story
To play an instrument can communicate our feelings and bring joy to others. To practice allows yourself to take a break and dive into a new world. If we do that with others, we learn to understand the true value of teamwork. For the development of our brain, it’s fantastic.
the brain’s symphony
Researcher Anita Collins explains how playing an instrument involves almost all brain areas at the same time. It trains the visual, auditory and motor skills, and engages our emotions. It gets millions of neurotransmitters together, that then go out to build new synapses that not only help your eyes, ears, and hands but also all other areas to prosper. To our brain, it’s like a firework of learning and development.
feedback and progress
But there are more reasons why it’s so useful. Practicing an instrument teaches us that we get better with training. And when we play something wrong, we get instant feedback, either by hearing it or by someone in our band. We learn the value of feedback, adapt our playing and get better. A lesson that we can apply to other aspects of life.
the path of mastery
Top performers usually start early. As a kid, pianist Lang Lang played around 8 hours every day. The Academy of Music in Berlin knows that at the age of 20, their top violin students had practiced around 10,000 hours each. But it’s not only the number of hours. Violinist Leopold Auer famously said “practice with your fingers and you need all day. Practice with your mind and you will do as much in 1 1/2 hours.” Here are a few ideas:
Practice slow and mindful
You should train slowly and with full focus. If you practice too fast, you risk internalizing mistakes and becoming great at playing poorly. Once you can play well slowly, raise the tempo gradually. If you are tired or unfocused, take a break and relax. Otherwise, you might learn new mistakes for parts that you have played well earlier.
keep it interesting
It is important that you are not bored with your own practice, so try to make it as interesting as possible. Approach each practice like an adventure to learn something new about the music, about your own body or the instrument. You may one day play quiet and melancholic melodies, while the next day play something more upbeat and powerful.
practice hard parts first
It is important that you are not bored with your own practice, so try to make it as interesting as possible. Approach each practice like an adventure to learn something new about the music, about your own body or the instrument. You may one day play quiet and melancholic melodies, while the next day play something more upbeat and powerful.
imagine
Throughout your practice try to stay in contact with the music. One way is to use imagination to make the music alive. You can think about music like the voices of people talking. When one takes a break, the other gets louder to show emotions. Think about a dance, a river floating, or a bird singing a solo: which part of your piece would be accompanied by a violin and which by the flute?
Process learning
Maybe the most important idea is what we call Process Learning. To get good at anything, we can not just focus on the results, but we also should enjoy the path it takes to get there. Let’s try to make each step on this path meaningful. Whether you join a fun jam session or challenge someone in a rap battle, if you enjoy the process, you might one day even go on stage. If that’s what you want. Some of us just want to learn, listen and dance.
Sources
- How playing an instrument benefits your brain – Anita Collins – Ed.ted.com
- FAQ – Chethamsschoolofmusic.com
- Platz, F., Kopiez, R., Lehmann, A. C., & Wolf, A. (2014). The influence of deliberate practice on musical achievement: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 646.
- Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R., & Tesch-Römer, C. (n.d.). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100–363–406(3), 363–406.
- Hille, A., & Schupp, J. (2013). How learning a musical instrument affects the development of skills. Social Science Research Network, 7655.
Collaborators
- Script: Selina Bador
- Artist: Pascal Gaggelli
- Voice: Matt Abbott
- Made with Minutevideos.com
