The weather this winter has actually been pretty nice, so it seems a little silly to be discussing Spring Weather when we've already had it! Still, I've found that nice weather usually means less practice time for kids who are hoping to play outside again. Here are a few ideas and tips to make sure practicing doesn't get pushed aside when the weather is better.
*Try early morning before school or evening before bed. My son practices in the morning after breakfast and it works out well for him. Other kids may do well practicing in the evenings when it is too dark to play outside.
*Break up practice time to a little bit several times in the day. Maybe 5-10 minutes in the morning, 5-10 in the afternoon, and 5-10 in the evening would work, depending on their practice goals.
*Allow them to do theory outside, if possible. Then at least they could enjoy the weather while learning more about music!
*Have students practice more on days when the weather is worse. This may take some planning and watching the news in advance to make sure there are enough "bad" weather days to get practice in for the week.
*Focus on specific goals rather than just time. Usually when students are trying to get comfortable with a song, focusing on a little bit at a time is best. Maybe a parent could encourage them just to work on one hand a day, 1-2 lines of music a day, or even just problem spots. Running through songs can get tedious and build in problems if not fixed soon enough. I always encourage students to break things up a bit so that little sections are done right and help the whole piece work better.
The Spring Recital is coming up soon! Please help your student be ready by encouraging practicing as the weather gets better so that we can all be ready for this fun recital!
