Practice for Progress

Preparing music for a lesson or a recital is important for growth in our instrument. How can we strike a balance for ease and challenge? Performance psychologist, musician, and educator, Noa Kageyama provides new evidence to support a healthy ratio for practice: 70% ease, 30% challenge.

How can you quantify what to improve in your practice sessions? Kageyama provides a few examples:

If you’re getting a passage right too consistently, maybe you’re playing it too slowly. Or with too constricted a dynamic range. Or maybe you’re not playing a pianissimo section as quietly as you could. Perhaps your bow changes could be smoother. Or a passage is not as expressive as it could be.

If you are ever in doubt about your music development, connect with your instructor for a plan and heed this advice: “If practicing feels easy, you’re probably doing it wrong.”

Learn more about how to practice for progress here!

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