How much should I practice? ​

Question

Does length of time of each practice matter more than frequency? Should I sit or stand when I practice?

Answer 1

Hello,

For beginning strings, vocal, and piano students, ages 9 through adult, the minimum amount of practice time to develop skills is 4 times a week for 20 minutes a day, which is 1.5 hours a week. Younger students, 4 times a week 10 to 15 minutes at a session, as their focusing skills are less developed. Keep a record of your practice times. Intermediate students, at least 2 hours a week. Advanced students, 2.5 to 3 hours a week. Start with warm up drills such as scales, and chord progressions for piano students. Find a quiet, uninterrupted area in hour home in which to practice, and turn off your cell phone. Circle areas in your music that are challenging and practice those first. Break difficult sections down into smaller parts, and perfect those. For piano students, take the right hand melody then add the left hand, for example. Invent incentives to progress skills. Make silent mistakes, and avoid becoming frustrated by small accomplishments in practice skills.

Answer 2

The youngest and beginning students should practice a minimum of 3 days a week, 20 minutes each time. Older and more advanced students should expect to put in more days and greater amounts of time depending on their school requirements. Students who wish to audition for a seat in Region and State Orchestras should practice a minimum of one hour each day, 6 days a week. For best results, practice while standing until you have developed good posture while playing. Make sure the music stand height puts your music at eye level, and keep your left upper arm from resting against your torso.