Efficiency Unleashed: Mastering Piano Practice for Busy Schedules and Challenging Repertoire

Are you struggling to find time for effective piano practice or feeling overwhelmed by complex musical pieces? In our latest YouTube Live session, I delve into transformative techniques designed to make your practice time more efficient, whether you’re a busy hobbyist or a student navigating intricate compositions.

Key Insights from the Video:

  • Practice Time vs Efficient Practicing: Learn how to maximize your practice time, turning any project or assignment around in the most efficient way possible. Discover the art of getting one hour of work done in just 10 minutes.
  • Techniques for Efficiency: Break free from the habit of playing what’s comfortable. Embrace the challenge of the unfamiliar, starting each practice session with what needs the most attention.
  • Maximizing Limited Time: Explore the power of micro practice sessions. Utilize each moment you walk by the piano to play something new for just 2 minutes, stacking sessions for consistent improvement.
  • Insights for Advanced Students: Elevate your practice with focused repetitions, emulating the pressure of a live performance. Gain inspiration from concert artist Pamela Mack, who utilizes similar efficiency techniques.
  • Recap: You don’t need large chunks of time to practice effectively. Let shorter sessions add up, and witness the cumulative power of consistent, focused practice.

Discover how to revolutionize your practice routine, no matter your skill level or time constraints. Subscribe for more insights into efficient piano practice.

Nurturing the Musical Spirit: Motivating Young Piano Students

I recently delved into the art of motivating young piano students in a YouTube Live session. Let’s explore key insights and strategies to inspire a lifelong love for music in your child or students.

Creating an Inspiring Environment

In the blog post accompanying the video, we’ll discuss practical ways to cultivate a motivational atmosphere at home and during lessons. Learn how the environment plays a crucial role in igniting the musical spark.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Discover the most significant mistake parents make and how to steer clear of it. We’ll cover how to react to common scenarios and share insights into fostering a positive mindset toward music.

Effective Communication Strategies

Explore the language parents and teachers should use to encourage students without unintentionally hindering their progress. Learn why certain messaging can be detrimental and how to promote a healthy attitude toward learning.

Navigating Practice Dynamics

Understand the dynamics of practicing and why parents shouldn’t practice with their kids. Dive into the discussion on whether rewards are necessary for motivating young piano students.

Handling Challenges and Meltdowns

Gain valuable insights into dealing with practice lulls, tension, and meltdowns at home. Discover effective strategies for maintaining a positive and supportive learning environment.

Motivating Older Students

Explore the urgency of finding the fire in students aged 11 and up. We’ll discuss the typical arc of motivation from early childhood to the teenage years, offering guidance for nurturing continued passion.

Subscribe for More Insights

Subscribe to my channel for future insights into effective piano teaching methods and parenting tips for nurturing a lifelong love for music in your child.

Feel free to share with anyone you think would benefit from this YouTube Live.

MTAC Convention Recap

One week ago I had the honor of speaking at the MTAC Convention in Anaheim, CA. MTAC is an association of private music teachers throughout California. This convention featured guests speakers from around the world as well as some inspiring student and professional performances.

This was my first time speaking at a state-level event in California and it was an inspiring experience.

On Sunday I led a panel for students, teachers and parents on “Careers in Music”. The panel featured Loren Battley (Michael Bublé & Pomplamoose), Natalie Hernandez (Quincy Jones Production and Interscope Records), Jim Domine (San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra), E.L. Lancaster (Alfred Music and Cal State Northridge) and Joanna Ezrin (Producer, Session Musician and Teacher).

Monday I presented an hour presentation on building excitement in your teaching studio. I was so blown away with the turnout, the people interacting from the hallway and by so many folks staying an extra 30 minutes for an extended Q&A. Thank you to those who were in attendance.

In other news, I’ll be starting the blog up again with some fresh posts soon (as soon as jury duty is over).

Also, I’ve been teaching/consulting folks online over the past year. I really like this format for teaching. Everyone is really improving a lot. I have one opening for the summer. If you are interested in working together, let me know and we can discuss options.

Thanks!

Michael

Perfection as a Way of Life

After the post last week about recovering from bad performances, several folks have asked for more information and specifics in regards to the approaches I mentioned. This post will be part of a series on methods we can use to treat each practice session and/or rehearsal as a performance – hopefully making each performance less tense and more rewarding in the process.

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Always Be the Substitute Playing the Role of the New Teacher

The first time I hosted a masterclass for my students where they worked with a guest artist, I remember feeling a little confused and disappointed. There were several times during the event when the guest would point out the most obvious things a student needed to do to improve their performance. Because these areas discussed were so obvious, it wasn’t the first time the students had heard about them. However, the students reacted to this instruction in the masterclass way differently than when I had I brought them up in the lessons. It was if they had never realized that these things needed work and they were suddenly eager to improve.

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Going Big Memorizing Large Pieces and Programs More Efficiently

The final post in this memorization series is about learning large chunks of music or big pieces/programs quickly and efficiently – without needing the printed music. If you have been following the last few posts on the topic and trying them out, this post should feel like a logical extension.

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There is No Joy in Repetition Getting the Most Out of Each Repetition

Repetition has long been a staple of music pedagogy. As students we were always asked to play the same section a certain number of times in a row to obtain “mastery” (whatever that is). When most of us became teachers, we just continued the tradition. When I broke from that tradition I noticed that my students started to improve much faster and their playing became more personal and lively.

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Take a Picture Part 2 in the "Playing from Memory" Series

While a student at University of Miami, I wrote an original jazz tune for one of our ensembles that I was very excited about. I felt the tune captured the vibe of the famous Miles Davis quintet from the ‘60’s… That was the theme of the ensemble. The tune had unpredictable harmonic rhythm, harmony based on modes of melodic minor and a lot of suspended chords, and romantic-influenced melodies. It wasn’t extremely complicated but it wasn’t simple either.

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Who is in Your Top Five? Helping your students by knowing their top five

Our students are typically really into music. As teachers we often assess a student’s musical engagement by how much and how well they practice in relation to what we ask them to do. However, an untapped goldmine for teachers lies in the music students engage with outside of the lesson.

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