Practice, Practice, Practice
If you ever ask a musician what will help improve his or her musical skills they will say just three things: practice, practice, practice. This is true whether you are practising music or any other skill such as writing, spelling, solving math problems, drawing, playing a sport or trying to use technology.
For musicians the repetition of phrases that prove difficult are necessary. We understand that the process although sometimes painful, will ensure a performance of quality as well as increase our own confidence in mastering a particular technique or musical selection. Here is a humorous example of how musicians rehearse:
Sometimes we feel like Billy from The Family Circus comic strip – that no matter how hard we try we just can not play anything properly. That is the time to walk away and do something else. So . . . come back to that difficult passage the next day and try it again. Usually we are our own worst critic and our negative thoughts or lack of confidence will affect the success of our practising.
Knowing we have support or can work together with others such as our peers or our teacher can also promote successful playing. I have included the story of “The Really Awful Musicians” to demonstrate how working together and practising can accomplish a common goal. This is a musical story that I have often read in class and hope that you enjoy listening to wonderful musical phrases played by each character. Just remember to not give up but to try, try again no matter what you are trying to accomplish.