Don’t Deliberate…Be Deliberate!

It’s the beginning of the school year, and your family is setting up and working on the structures and routines that will make learning easier and fun. But wait—-what about learning a new band instrument?

Practicing a new instrument is just as important as finishing the math worksheet or writing that last paragraph. And in many cases, practicing can take far less time! The key is deliberate practice.

Deliberate practice is not duration-based but rather the act of working on a specific task frequently. The focus is on the number of correct repetitions of a single task rather than the number of tasks you complete.

For example, it would be more beneficial for a young trumpet player to work for just ten minutes on “high to low note activities” four times a week. It would be less beneficial for that same player to play “all of pages five and six” twice a week for thirty minutes.

I’ve told many students that when their family complains about playing the same thing over and over, they’re practicing correctly!

Try it this week: deliberate practice. Give it time, and it will work wonders!

Nelson Penserga, EE Band Director