The Musicians Way: Downloads
​An fantastic collection of practice templates, assessments, and plans to make sure you are making the most of your time!

12 Tips for Memorizing Music
https://colorinmypiano.com/2010/03/02/12-tips-for-memorizing-piano-music/

Piano Prodigies hosted a masterclass by pianist and teacher Chad Bowles on Friday, April 7, 2017. Three students performed for Dr. Bowles and received feedback on how to practice and work to improve their playing:

Grace (age 6)
Sonatina Humoresque (Preambulum: Allegro) by Christos Tsitsaros
Sonatina Op. 55, No. 3 (Allegro con spirito) by Friedrich Kuhlau
Amica (age 10)
Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy
Prelude Op. 12 No. 7 ("Harp") by Sergei Prokofiev
Liana (age 13)
Fantasie Impromptu by Frederic Chopin
Sonata No. 4 Op. 128, Movement IV by Diane Rahbee

Summary:

• Be aware of your surroundings (acoustics!)
• The production of sound (especially fast-moving notes) in a resonant space must be extra clear (articulated) so that everyone can understand what you're saying!
  
• Know your score and be aware of all slurs, breaks in slurs, accents... all expressive markings and their meanings and language!
  
• The bass of the piano is louder due to the size and length of the strings. Thus, for a descending scale that is diminuendo you have to try extra hard
  
• When you're nervous your fingers are harder to control... and you think "faster." You need to work in your practicing to set things in place so that under pressure they still function. And... have a plan to avoid rushing. Practicing with metronome is good, but you can't perform with metronome... so you need backup methods. Count the sub-beats of longer note values so that you don't skip ahead.
• You as performer have to be sensitive to the harmonic/dynamic surprises in the music so that you can surprise the audience.
• Experiment with "expected" harmony vs. what is written so that you can feel the difference, and then convey it to the audience.
• If there is repetition, be sure to say it differently each time. This is a given in life (conversation) and music.
• Work on voicing by shifting weight and exaggerating the difference between notes.
• Be sure that you feel character changes. In your practicing, express them as specific adjectives.
• Where is each phrase leading?
• We hear better and more accurately if we sit still. Be careful not to move too much, for no good reason.
• For maximum emotional impact of a special note, delay it. Use time to highlight it.
• COUNT! Always count! Don't stop counting. One of the most important things about playing music is playing at the right time.​

Time seemed to accelerate during the final segment of the tour. "Wake up - eat breakfast - hop in the van - dress rehearsal - concert - head to hotel" became the familiar routine. And yet, we found ourselves trying to shirk any sort of musical routine; digging deeper and continuing to discover new and beautiful elements to share with our audiences. Subtleties in timing and dynamics that may have been left to chance early on in the learning process were now significant decisions that could alter the entire energy of the performance. We explored the balance of staying honest with a score and infusing it with our own interpretation.

I'd like to share three aspects of musical exploration that I feel are essential to finding this balance:

• Curiosity (Are you, the performer, curious about the music in a way that allows you to continue to discover new layers?)
• Clarity (Can you share all the contents of the music in a way that if another musician was given a blank copy of the score and had to fill in the articulations, dynamics, phrase markings, etc., it would align pretty closely to what the composer wrote in your copy of the score?)
• Conviction (Can you play in a way that leaves no doubt as to what you are communicating? The audience may not agree with you - but they must believe you at that moment). 

As performers, we should remember that the majority of the audience usually does not have a relationship with the pieces we are playing that is nearly as intimate as the one we develop through the learning process. The audience is not looking at scores as we play (thankfully!). They are there to enjoy, feel, and experience the soundscape we convey to them. But, because they get to hear the music that is second-nature to us just once - we must help them connect with it instantly. 

What a neat challenge and special responsibility!

Have you ever practiced for 8 hours and wished that you could just keep going for a few more?

Looks like I've got your attention. Great! From April 4-25 I'll be touring Lithuania with my family's ensemble, The American Virtuosi. I'd love to share a few highlights from the the first part of our trip.

​A week ago today, I left my home in New Hampshire and flew to Maryland to start rehearsals with my family. I landed at 2pm. An hour later, I was seated in front of a piano. We stayed in the practice studio 'til almost midnight; though we had each been working on our individual parts, there was a lot of work to do with putting together our ensemble and synchronizing our artistic visions. My face *almost* turned blue (see picture). My eyes did turn a bit red.

Sunday... more practicing. Monday morning, we hit the road. Agenda:

• Drive from my parents' home in Baltimore to Washington Dulles Airport: 1.5 hours
• Wait at the airport: 3 hours
• Fly to Moscow: 9.5 (arriving on Tuesday morning)
• Plane change and waiting in Moscow: 2 hours
• Flight to Vilnius Lithuania: 1.5 hours
• Customs & Luggage: 1 hour
• Van from Vilnius to Siaulia: 2.5 hours

Total travel time: 20.5 hours

So, what did we do after we checked into the hotel and had a bite to eat? We gently asked if we could have access to the music school to practice, of course. I got the concert hall (below) and we each put in a couple hours.

Wednesday morning we met the Mayor of Siauliai (pictured in blue suit, below). We talked about music, education, our travels, teaching... and a bit of politics as well (though we tried to avoid the US Presidential race...).

On Thursday, we woke up to see a picture from yesterday's meeting in the paper. We practiced and rehearsed most of the day, and then performed our first tour concert. We shared the stage with the renowned Dagilelis Boychoir - and at the end of the concert we played a beautiful selection together: "Ave Maria" by Guilio Caccini.

Friday... rehearsals & practicing. Never enough!

In the afternoon we were special guests at a national boychoir festival in which they performed their instrumental talents (solo and ensemble). WOW! We enjoyed the recital, and then were invited on stage to close the festival with our selection "Music from Around the World." I guarantee it to be the fastest ticket around the world!

Today we almost played basketball instead of a concert. Our performance took place at the Siauliai arena, and our greenroom was box seats above the basketball court. The game started during the concert, so every time we came back to the room we caught a bit of it. Lithuania is known for having great basketball players and it was fun to watch them (believe it or not, this was my first time watching a live basketball game). 

I am thrilled to have been asked to write a guest blog for Your Best Moment - the blog of my friend and fabulous performance coach, Elyssa Smith. 
http://www.yourbestmoment.com/blog/mindset-matters-part-i-a-teachers-perspective/

http://www.yourbestmoment.com/blog/mindset-matters-part-2-self-reflections-of-a-performer/

Elyssa's blog has so many helpful ideas (reflections, inspirations, motivations...) for performers . Be sure to read and subscribe!

My grad school roommate had a wonderful philosophy on practicing when you don't feel like it: "just try a little." 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. If you don't get past that point, at least you tried (and some practicing is better than no practicing). But chances are 5 minutes will turn into 10, to 15, to 20, and maybe more, as getting started is often the hardest part.

Here's a neat blog entry from The Bulletproof Musician that does a great job explaining this.

http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-to-get-yourself-to-practice-when-you-dont-feel-like-it/

Not many students would call practicing scales fun (at least, until they become fluent in them). When I ask students why we practice scales, broken chords, cadences, etc. I usually get a blank stare, unhappy face, and a response that goes something like this: "Because... we have to?" 

Scales are an essential skill for every musician. They develop:

• A practical understanding of theory. In western classical music we have 24 keys: 12 major and 12 minor. When we learn a new piece of music, one of the first things we need to heed is the key signature. A strong understanding of the hierarchy of the notes in that key (tonic, subdominant, dominant, relative minor... as opposed to just "trying to remember the sharps and flats") will very much expedite the learning process. In addition, we can better recognize and memorize patterns and understand the relationships between various sections of the piece (e.g. relative and parallel keys).
• Easier performance of scales in music. So many pieces have scales and scale fragments built into them! Once we know our scales, it becomes so easy to identify and play the scales within the music. 
• Coordination between the hands. There is a variety of fingerings for scales, and there are also a number of different ways to practice the scales that will very much increase the independence and coordination of the hands and fingers. 
• Stronger and fast fingers: All fingers are used and none should stick out as being too loud or too soft. If you can successfully play a scale at a slow tempo, you're not done your job yet. Work (with metronome) on increasing your speed. Try a variety of articulations. Listen to your tone quality. It's limitless!
• Keyboard topography: The ability to find notes without looking at your hands is really essential. Scale practice develops a strong familiarity with  the keyboard layout.

Performance psychology is a very interesting field and important topic for performers of all sorts (musicians, athletes, public speakers, etc). There are many approaches to building and maintaining confidence under pressure. Here are a few of my thoughts on preparing for a successful performance:

• It may seem obvious, but keep in mind when practicing that you are preparing for a performance (especially if the date is already set). If we forget or completely dismiss the performance aspect and forget to plan accordingly, the performance comes as a shock. We can and should look forward to the performance (anticipation) and prepare for it in a methodical manner. This includes creating specific goals (e.g. memorize this 2 page piece in the next two weeks) and a timeline for achieving them (memorize 1 line per day), and objectively evaluating the status of the piece ("how close to ready am I for the performance, and what do I have to improve?"). 
• When a piece is learned, we do need to balance practice (problem-solving, addressing specific issues, slow work, hands separate, rhythmic exercises, metronome) and performance (playing through, non-stop, in full tempo) during our at-home practice sessions. Be aware that playing through repeatedly from beginning to end (as many students like to do) will not improve the performance. Nor does it count as practice. The ratio of practicing to playing should be about 4:1, both in time and repetitions. In addition, playing through should be followed by an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the performance (thus, recording and listening back... or asking the audience for their feedback... is extremely helpful). 
• Keep it in perspective: performances are not life and death situations. We want to do our best, and we should make every effort to do so, but the reality is that mistakes happen to every performer, at every performance (yes, even the stars). We do have to learn to recover quickly (very important) and keep going. Performances sometimes are humbling experiences - but less because of audience judgement (audiences have great sympathy for performances, especially for students!) and more because of self-judgement/ego/pride. A mistake does not mean we are a bad person, bad pianist, etc. It means we are human. We learn from our mistakes and challenges and aspire to make the next performance better. The journey is endless! 
  
• The venue/occasion can and will impact the level of comfort or anxiety. When we practice at home, we are relaxed. When we play in a lesson, we may feel nervous and make some mistakes. When we play a new piece in front of others (family and friends, or recital) we may feel even more so, and the degree may depend on our level of comfort with the piece (and how long we have been playing it), recent success or challenges in playing/practicing it at home, past performance experiences, and the importance of the performance occasion. 
• We need to remind ourself that we are worthy of a good performance, and that we have done the work. We can repeat this mantra in the hours and minutes before the performance. Leading up to a performance we experience a flood of negative and paralyzing thoughts; that we have not practiced enough, that we will be judged, or that we will get stuck if we mess up. This is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, as by thinking about it we lose our confidence. One of my favorite musicians, Brian Ganz, says that he tells these voices "thanks for sharing" and then focuses on the positive thoughts and energy that is crucial to a successful performance.
  
• Some things that seem basic are very important to take note of in practice: what notes do I begin on and in which octave? This seems obvious when we do it at home, but in a performance, we may look at the keyboard and blank. If we have mentally prepared for this (oh, the RH starts on the D 2 octaves above middle C, with the 5th finger) we have a better foundation to begin. :)
• It's very useful to practice the music away from the piano. E.g. Sit in bed (or in chair, at desk, etc) with eyes closed. Do NOT move fingers. Try to imagine the entire piece from beginning to end. This is an excellent memory test, and quite hard (usually, if the memory is weak, at some point we will get stuck). Pull out the music, look at the spot that was a challenge, then do it again...

Begin your practice with a sense of calm and peace. Remember that practicing is a process and that it can’t be rushed.  Set your intention as you begin and as you go through the practice session, remind yourself why you are practicing.

1. Begin by spending 10-15 minutes (time it!) on scales, arpeggios, chords (solid/broken) and exercises (e.g. Czerny of Schmitt). Try playing the exercises in the key of the pieces that you are currently working on. Start slow (always!), gradually increase your speed while maintaining control, clarity, precision and a steady pulse (work with metronome!). Use a variety of articulations and dynamic levels. Be picky and listen for unevenness and accents. Make sure you use the correct scale fingering. 

2. Spend at least 10 minutes on your etudes and any sight-reading exercises. For Czerny, pick 1-2 per week (starting at #35). Use it as a warm-up and a chance to pay attention to all your fingers and exercise them. Use rhythmic exercises and really press into the keys. Check them off as soon as you are able to play cleanly at full-tempo. For sight-reading – look first (time signature, key signature, clefs, patterns, rhythms, etc), then imagine the sound, and finally play.

3. Review notes from recent lessons and look over your music. Spend 25-30 minutes practicing short (4-8 measures maximum) trouble spots in each of your pieces. Practice super-slow and with patience. Aim for relaxed, flexible hands. Breathe!

4. New pieces: refrain from playing them… You have to keep your brain in investigative mode and analyze them so that you soak in every detail and let nothing escape. Be really, really, really picky. As you get better and can play the music, start to record yourself and listen back. Count!

5. Review/refresh older pieces. Practice trouble spots first (WITH music out!). Look carefully at all the comments written into the music.

6. Fun music, improvisation, etc. At the end of practice (or separate from practice session), try some sight-reading!