Practice Motivation in a Class Setting
In a perfect world, students would practice consistently and effectively in order to achieve personal success and satisfaction and to help optimize their ensemble’s performance. Unfortunately, this is more the exception than the rule.
For 3 years, I have taught an after school non-graded Elementary Orchestra program. Finding ways to motivate these students to practice has been difficult, especially because I cannot attach a grade to practice time (although my experience teaching in a public school has proven this to be fairly ineffective as well). I’ve decided to experiment with a new group practice plan.
The idea behind the plan is that all students in the class need to be held accountable for preparing their music adequately and the group will receive a reward for accomplishing the goal. I decided to have a pizza party after our last concert for classes who meet or exceed their class goals.
The first part of the plan is the individual student record. It allows students to easily track the number of minutes practiced each week and determine if they met their personal goal that week. Each week, one of my student assistants will record the total number of minutes achieved in each class.
The second part of the plan is a group achievement chart that will be posted during class time to show progress made by the group.
Hopefully this plan will help students to all feel accountable and motivated to work together to achieve their goals. I will follow up in a couple of weeks with an update of how things are going. I’m definitely still in the experimenting phase with this! If you’ve got ideas of ways to motivate practice (in a private or group setting) please post them under the comments section!
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Improving Intonation for String Players
All string players, regardless of experience struggle with intonation to some degree or another. A violin (or viola, cello or bass) doesn’t automatically produce a correct note when a button or key is pushed (like a piano), but the fingers must make constant adjustments to achieve the correct pitch. Here are some tips to help your students play better in tune:
1. Emphasize ear training early on (even for beginners). I teach my students how to hear the difference between half and whole steps within the first few weeks of lessons. Gradually build up to bigger intervals. Students must take time to practice this on their own as class or lesson time will never be sufficient (as is the case with most things!)
One great resource is www.musictheory.net where students can identify various intervals when quizzed. Students can even isolate one or two intervals on the site.
2. Teach students to sing in solfege. If a student can learn to “sight sing” a passage, he/she is much more likely to be able to play it in tune.
3. Practice having students identify matching notes by playing a pitch on a tuner, then playing the note on the instrument. Start out with the note really out of tune (either too high or low) and have students point up if the pitch needs to go higher, or down if the note need to go lower. Determine a signal for when the note is in tune (in a large class, I have students close their eyes as they do this so that I can asses how each student is doing.)
4. Have students practice familiar songs in new keys (i.e. playing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” starting on 1st finger E on the D string.) They will be more focused on how the song sounds than just reading the notes.
5. To improve intonation in upper positions, have students try playing some familiar tunes using only one string. For free downloads of shifting exercises using only one string, click here.
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How to teach memorization
Many teachers simply say to a student, “Memorize this piece by your next lesson.” Without guidance, students can feel overwhelmed by such a daunting task. Teaching a musician how to memorize music is an important skill.
It wasn’t until I was in college that my private teacher taught me memorization skills. Having these skills throughout high school would have saved me a lot of frustration!
There are 3 methods that your brain and muscles should use to memorize a piece of music:
1. The way that it feels. To practice this method, have students sit and finger the notes (without bowing or plucking). Really concentrate on how it feels. Your muscles will actually memorize the feeling of the shifts and finger patterns.
2. The way that it looks. Students should be able to write out passages of music that they have memorized. I usually don’t have a student write out an entire concerto, but maybe a small passage. Students can also close their eyes and visualize the music. I’ll ask, what happens at the top of the second page?
3. The way that it sounds. Students should be able to sing the entire piece of music. I tell my students that they can practice while in math class by singing through the entire song in their head. (Hey, who hasn’t been bored in math class before?)
By having memorized the music three different ways, students can rely on more than one method. For example, if they forget how a certain passage feels, they can visualize the music in front of them, or sing the melody in their mind. Students that memorize using these three methods (rather than just relying on one or two) are more likely to feel confident performing memorized music.
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Objective-Based Teaching
As a string teacher, I’ve found that there is an overwhelming amount of information to teach beginning students. Most beginners go home unsure of what to practice so they end up trying to play songs with incorrect position and technique.
One remedy to this is to give students “homework” that can be completed over the course of a couple of weeks. I call these “Skill Sheets” (see sample here). These skill sheets cover the most important information learned in class and give students simple assignments to reinforce the objectives taught.
For example, one of the skills on the first skill sheet is to teach the bow hold to two adults using a straw. If students can teach this important skill to others, they have mastered it. As a teacher, using these skill sheets helps me stay focused on what I really need to be teaching.
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Practice Techniques for String Players
Often when students begin taking lessons, or attending a group class, they believe that the teacher has some “magical formula” to make them great players. I always emphasize to my students that the real “magic” happens at home in their practice sessions. With this in mind, it is important to teach students proper practice techniques so they can avoid playing a passage over and over and never really achieving anything. Eventually, every student should become their own best teacher.
Here are some specific practice techniques for violin, viola, cello and bass players: (Remember the whole goal is to MAKE IT EASIER!)
1. Clap and Count
2. Silently Finger
3. Play Pizzicato
4. Airbow
5. Take out all slurs
6. Stroke 4 times on each note (this works great in fast eighth note passages)
7. Stroke 2 times on each note.
8. Play it slowly. Gradually increase speed using a metronome.
9. Play the rhythm only on an open string
10. Say the note names
11. Say the finger numbers
12. Sing it
13. Play it on the piano
Often, when students struggle with a passage, I ask them to list 5 different ways they can practice it. Teaching students how to effectively practice is one of the most valuable things you can do as a string teacher.
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Practice Makes Perfect?
When asked to complete the following sentence, “Practice makes ____________” most students will answer with confidence “Perfect!” After shouting “NO!” (this always gets their attention!), I demonstrate the following:
I play a passage of music very poorly (poor posture, intonation, rhythm, etc).
I play the passage over and over (students are usually annoyed by the 3rd time through).
I ask “Is it Perfect?” (The answer, of course is “No”)
I say “But I practiced it over and over and over!”
I then ask the question again “Practice makes ___________.”
Students try to come up with answers and eventually I fill in the blank.
PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT!
Therefore, if you practice correctly, you’ve made permanant the correct way to play and if you practice incorrectly, you’ve trained yourself to play incorrectly.
For a great article on productive practicing, check out Dr. Robin Deverich’s article on Practice Tips.
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Teaching Tone to String Players
When teaching a string class or a private student about tone, the first priority should be seeing that students understand what tone is. I usually demonstrate a good tone, then a poor tone. All students can hear the difference, but it may be difficult for them to put into words. Point out that a good tone occurs when there are even string vibrations, which are affected by the following factors:
1. Speed of the bow: If the bow is moving too fast or too slow, an even tone cannot be achieved. Have students demonstrate pulling their bow too fast, then too slow. Having them exaggerate the movements will make the lesson memorable and a lot of fun!
2. Weight of bow: If the bow has too little or too much weight, an even tone cannot be achieved. Again, have students exaggerate the two extremes, then find the middle ground.
3. Bow and Bridge must be parallel: Demonstrate to students an exaggerated bow stroke that is crooked to show how the tone is affected. I like using the “Bow Right: product. (see my review here: Bow Right Review)
4. The bow must stay in one lane. Demonstrate to students that even if the bow and bridge are parallel, if the bow is “skidding” across lanes (between the bridge and fingerboard), good tone cannot be achieved.
This is a lot of information for students at once, so after this lesson, have students focus on one thing at a time while playing familiar songs or scales. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to comment! Thanks
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Buying or Renting a String Instrument
As a public and private school teacher, I often deal with student instrument purchases and rentals. After years of frustration with substandard selections, may I offer a few suggestions to parents and students considering purchasing or renting an instrument.
1. Go through a local, reputable dealer. Although you may get a great deal on the Internet or at a discount store (such as Sam’s Club), most of the time, you pay for what you get which is an instrument that is so low quality that it is pretty much impossible to play, much less make a good sound. Students with these instruments usually become frustrated because they cannot make the same sounds that their classmates are making. Also, much of my time as a teacher is spent trying to tune these instruments that don’t have custom fitted pegs (so they basically are never in tune). I spoke recently with a friend of mine who works at a local violin repair shop and asked him about these instruments. He said that in general, his shop won’t even attempt to repair one of these cheap violins because it’s pretty much an impossible task.
2. Rent before you buy. The main reason for doing this is because your child will most likely outgrow their first instrument at some point. Also, students often change their mind during the first year of playing (possibly switching to a different instrument or losing interest), so it’s best to be prepared. Parents who are tempted to buy an instrument right away often end up with a lower quality instrument than they could have rented and their student can easily become frustrated trying to make a good sound.
3. Make sure that you purchase the instrument in the same climate that it will be stored. For example, if you live in Arizona (dry, hot climate), it’s best not to purchase a string instrument from Georgia (a very humid climate). Because these instruments are made of wood, they will expand and contract based on the climate in which they are stored. Once again, if you purchase from a local, reputable dealer, you shouldn’t have to worry about instruments cracking or warping.
4. Consider an insurance plan through the music store. Although you may be trying to save money, these plans often pay for themselves. I had a student last year who dropped her viola and the neck broke (this is a major repair). She took it to the music store and they traded it for another instrument that was the same quality because she had the insurance plan. Not only did she avoid a costly repair, she also didn’t have to wait for the repair to be completed.
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Choosing Repertoire
Choosing music can be one of the most difficult tasks for any music teacher. When I first started teaching junior high, I spent hours sifting through files of music that my school owned. I found it very overwhelming and frustrating. Here are a couple of suggestions for any orchestra teachers trying to choose music:
1. Ask around! Most teachers have favorite pieces or arrangers that they will be happy to recommend. (For instance, I know that anything arranged by Sandra Dackow will be a great arrangement that is true to the original composition.)
2. Attend concerts of groups that will be playing your students’ level of music. My mother plays in a New Horizons Orchestra (which is an orchestra geared towards adults over 50 learning a string instrument for the first time). The level of music performed at her concerts is comparable to music I would choose for my Junior High aged students. The conductor of the group is a well respected university music education professor, so I know the music selection will be carefully thought out. I have gained many great suggestions from these concerts and other Junior High performances.
3. Use resources such as the book, “Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra.” (see link on the right) This series of books lists repertoire for all levels and even gives lesson planning ideas including historical background, form and structure, and suggested listening. CD recordings are also available and can be used in class while teaching the piece.
Orchestra teachers, please comment on this post and leave your favorite suggestions of literature for school orchestras. I’m working on putting together a list of my favorite pieces and I’ll post it within the next couple weeks.
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Motivation in an Orchestra Class
Most students begin playing an instrument are fairly motivated. They want to know everything there is to know about their instrument and constantly push the teacher to challenge them. After a few months, this motivation can wane as students possibly become frustrated or bored. Having taught both in a junior high (where grades were assigned) and in an after school program (where no grades were given), I’ve found that motivating students to achieve requires some creativity.
Giving students a grade will not usually motivate them to become better musicians. In my experience, giving a grade (although necessary in a school setting) often encourages students to do the minimum amount required for the grade desired (i.e. How much do I have to do to get a B?). It can also foster dishonesty (especially where practice records are concerned).
I’ve found that younger students (Grades 4-7) enjoy having charts where they can visually see their progress. I typically buy large charts that students can put stickers on as they complete or pass off each skill. Every month or so, we have a drawing in which students can put their name in for every 2 achievements they have completed. I’ve gotten local music stores to donate many of the items in the drawings.
I’ve often used a piece of music that my students really want to play as motivation for them to learn the basic skills. I’ll tell them that if they want to play this specific piece of music, they need to master certain skills.
If you have any ideas on motivation, please add comments as I’m always looking for ways to improve in this area!
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