Relax but have good posture while playing a musical instrument. At first I worried that this picture would scare kids. but when I finally decided to try it for sale at festivals, it was a winner. Boys especially seeked it out and it got purchased!

Proving that I am practicing for the fun of it.

Race Responsibility -
My first book, Have Fun with Your Music, is compiled of paintings that I produced about practicing an instrument. innocently enough it includes paintings of my own kids and musicians that I personally know. But it has hit me that I need to include all races in my paintings in more prominent spots…

Remember to Bring your pencil to practice, lessons and rehearsals and USE it!

Have you thought about discussing out loud why you or your child are playing music? Can you think of ways to improve your musical expressions? What do you want to communicate with your audience?

It is so easy to fall into the habit of playing repetitive segments without putting thought and heart into your music. Putting a small breath or space between phrases can highlight them. Varying dynamics, varying tone, tempo and possibly phrasing can add interest. Or keeping the sound exactly the same repeatedly may also be making a point. Just put thought into what your options are, and what kind of feel you want to portray to your listeners. The end result is to communicate a feeling to your audience.

What should you learn when practicing a musical instrument besides the notes? There are so many things to concentrate on during practice, that you should pick specific goals for each session. What are goals that should be included in all practices? Perhaps you should get in the habit of always practicing with good tone and intonation?

I have told this practicing story before, but I will tell it again because I don’t think anyone reads to the end of my blogs.

“…If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On...” For purposes of practicing, planning to playing music for others can inspire you to play. If you play for family or friends, it can be informal with mistakes and corrections. It is a great way to practice playing in front of people before a formal performance.

Why is it great to start classical music lessons for kids? The music repertoire covers a whole lot of technique. And one thing that is needed is to learn to love your metronome!

Music Scales - there are several reasons why it is great to warm up for practicing with scales and scale patterns. If you think of any that I missed, please write me.

What Motivates You to Practice?, including quiz for kids learning an instrument.