Welcome to the April edition of the Bach To Basics newsletter. A few exciting things are happening this month at my studio. I’m starting a new course on Outschool and sending students their login information so they can log into their student area on the Bach To Basics website. We also discuss developing excellent study and practice habits for learning the piano.
I’m launching a new ongoing music theory course on the Outschool platform. It will cover basic music rudiments, and students can continue lessons once they complete the first course to move on to additional music theory levels. Students can take these lessons through my online studio website or sign up for Outschool.
The Bach To Basics student area is still new and being developed. Although some materials are already posted and ready for use, more is to come.
Developing good practice and study habits is essential when studying music. It’s not only the time you spend practicing or studying; it’s the frequency of your study sessions. For example, studying a little each day is more important than studying excessively the day or two before. To see the best productivity in your practice and study sessions, set aside a specific time each day in a quiet place to practice or study.
When setting up your practice and study time, it’s a good idea to devote a particular amount of time appropriate to studying the material, such as thirty, forty-five, or sixty-minute sessions. You don’t want to practice or study too long, as that could develop other problems, such as fatigue, and you will notice this when making mistakes where previously there were none.
The second thing to consider, apart from the time you spend studying, is setting a goal for what you wish to accomplish in your study session. If you meet your study and practice goals before the time you set aside to study lapses, so be it; you have completed your practice for the day. If it takes you longer to complete your goal, so be it; your study session becomes a little longer than you planned.
It’s a good idea to keep track of what study methods work for you; sometimes, it may be a combination of things. For example, you may want to accomplish a set goal for the day, but after 30 minutes, you are not making any progress; you may say to yourself I’ll give it another 15 minutes, and if I’m still not making any progress after that, I’ll call it a day. This strategy is usually perfect because some practice and study days are better than others; you may spend hours trying to absorb material that may only take minutes another day.
These are just a few suggestions for setting up your practice and study sessions. Different approaches work for other people. During my career of over 25 years, this method seems to have been the most successful, according to my students. Have fun practicing, and see you at your next lesson.
