Tips and Hints

Say Finger Play

This strategy can help a musician learn a difficult passage of music.

First, say the name of the notes you are trying to play. Repeat this until all hesitation is gone.
Next, finger the instrument while saying the name of the note . Repeat this until all hesitation is gone.
Finally, play the instrument. You should do better. If not, repeat steps one and two.

This strategy breaks down the many steps a musician must go through to play an instrument.

Practicing Tips

Set aside a specific time and place to practice
Practice in a room without distractions, TV, video games, etc.
Practice for short periods of time (10-30 minutes) rather than 90 minutes in one day.
Perform for family members on a regular basis.

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Flash Cards

On one side of an index card, have the student write the name of a note that they have learned.
On the other side of the card the student should draw the musical staff (5 lines), the clef for their instrument (treble, bass, or alto clef), and the note named on the opposite side of the card.
Repeat these steps until they have a stack of cards for every note they have learned on their instrument.

Try the following activities with the flash cards:

A parent can hold up the note side of a flash card and have their child call out the name of the note. Begin by giving them a certain amount of seconds to answer. Decrease the amount of time as they get faster at answering.
A parent can hold up the letter side of a flash card and have their child play the note. Again, begin by giving them a certain amount of seconds to answer. Decrease the amount of time as they get faster at answering.
The student can also do these activities without a parent by picking a card, answering the question, and turning over the card to see if their answer is correct.