🌟 5-STEP PRACTICE ROUTINE 🌟

1. Score Study

1. Have a copy of the full score
2. Do basic harmony analysis for main key areas

2. Listen

1. Listen to at least 3 different recordings of the piece/movement (the more the BETTER)
2. On a spare sheet of paper, take notes on the timings that you liked
3. If you sense a different color or emotion while following the score and recording, jot down an adjective to describe that change in your music
4. If there were parts that you didn't agree with in the recording, write down how you would do it differently

3. Break It Down

1. Look at the score and separate the piece into specific isolated sections
2. Either into exposition-development-recapitulation, Variation 1-2-3, etc, or into page numbers, or even just separate practice blocks
3. Separating the piece into different chunks of music will help with time management when practicing, and with memorization later on

4. Metronome

1. Slowly and steady wins the race!
2. Avoid practicing at concert tempo when starting a piece
3. Focus on intonation and beautiful sound production at each tempo
4. Start with a slow metronome marking and create a metronome chart
5. Increase the metronome speed daily or as needed
6. Ex: ♩=60, 63, 66, 69, 72, 76, 80, 84, 88, 92, etc

5. Record

1. Record yourself playing through the blocked sections from Step 3
2. Watch the recording and take notes
3. You don’t need fancy recording equipment to do this step; a phone or audio recorder will do (there are many free resources online to record as well)

REPEAT!!!

🌟 5-STEPS TO MEMORIZATION 🌟

1. LISTEN

1. Listen to your favorite recording DAILY
2. If you have more than one, alternate each day
3. Whether you’re listening and following allow with the score, or having it as background music, keep it in your ear consistently

2. REPETITION

1. The more you play something, the more familiar it becomes with time
2. Keep a consistent practice routine that will keep the technique in your fingers
3. Set a deadline for when you want to have the whole piece memorized and go from there

3. RECORD

1. Record separate chunks of the music from memory to test yourself
2. After recording, watch with a score in hand and take notes
3. What went well? What didn’t? What do you need to work on?

4. PERFORM

1. Perform!
2. Nothing is better than a real live performance to get your nerves going
3. Perform for friends and family
4. Record the performance; when watching the video/listening to the audio, take notes

5. MENTAL PRACTICE

1. Without your instrument, sing through the music in your head/finger through it
2. If you can sing through the whole piece in your head, you know it by heart

REPEAT!!!

• All Steps can be done in any order