Good musicians practice consistently. There are two aspects of successful practicing: time and method. This means that HOW you practice is as important and HOW MUCH you practice. Follow these guidelines and you will make better use of your practice time, and you will improve on your instrument faster.

1. Warm-up: long tones (w/ a tuner), buzzing, lip slurs. 3-5 min.
2. Technique: scales, rudiments, method book. 5-10 min.
   - Practice scales slowly for tone and intonation, fast for technique.
   - Practice rudiments slow-fast-slow.
   - New material from method book should be clapped, counted and fingered first if needed. Play it slow at first, getting faster as you master it. FIX MISTAKES.
3. Concert Music: practice the difficult sections first and often.
   Clap, count and finger. Work steadily toward your goal: to
   play the music without mistakes and with your very best
   tone. 10-15 min.

• Pick a consistent time to practice. Don’t plan to practice “whenever I get the time.”
• Your practice area should be quiet and well lit.
• Always use a tuner and metronome.
• Fill in your practice record after you practice.

Many musicians experience a let down after a concert or series of concerts. Performances, giving them and working toward them are fun exciting. Getting back to the routine of practicing and rehearsing can seem less exciting by comparison. Here are some ways to stay motivated.

1. Keep up a consistent practice schedule. The best way to stay motivated is to know that you are getting better.
2. Set goals for yourself that you can reach within a few weeks. Examples of such goals are:
   - learning a new scale, or playing a familiar scale faster.
   - memorizing a scale you already know.
   - increasing your range (high and low)
   - learning a new song.
3. Practice with a friend at least once a week.
4. Go to the music store and pick out music you like. Any kind of music is good: jazz, classical, pop, folk,etc.
5. Tape yourself practicing and write a critique. What sounded good, what still needs improvement?
6. Prepare 3 songs from your method book and perform them for your family. Do this once a week.
7. Go to concerts (middle and high school bands, college, service bands, Baltimore Symphony, solo recitals). I will keep you informed as these come up.
8. Focus on our goals for the spring: to become better musicians and to give a great spring concert. The practicing we do NOW determines how we will play in the spring.