Let’s Practice!
Jimmy Effron on Healthy Practice Habits
Every time I visit Jimmy for a lesson, he greets me with a smile and quickly gets ready for a great lesson. He keeps a regular journal to let me know how much he practiced each week. You might imagine from your own experience how challenging this task was at first but he knew the importance of practice and continued to keep a journal until it became just a normal thing to do. When I asked him to share his thoughts about his wonderful practice habits, he made this list for us:
- If you don’t practice, you won’t be ready for your lesson
- If you do your work at the last second your work will be sloppy
- Before I start practicing, I tell myself “Don’t give up when you make a mistake.”
- It helps to take a deep breath before each song. It even helps the warm-ups.
- If you feel worried about a mistake, just calm down, take a deep breath and try again.
- Don’t get tight as you are playing
- Enjoy the melody of your songs and think about it. It will help you remember to play the piano when you don’t feel like practicing.
- If you make a mistake, slow down.
- You should practice right before each lesson because it will help you remember your songs and give your fingers a warm-up.
Now let’s listen to Jimmy play!
Bravo! Thank you very much for sharing these wonderful ideas with us, Jimmy. Keep up the good work!
Bengi