Tag : practice

Grit for Musicians: Practicing and Parenting

Is Grit the Secret to Success In Music? I first heard about Angela Duckworth and her research on “grit” on a Freakonomics podcast. Duckworth talks about how persistence, not talent,

Marking Rhythms (Miss It? Mark It! part 4)

Marking Rhythms (Miss It? Mark It! part 4) This is the fourth article in a series about “marking music,” providing visual solutions to problems musicians encounter during practice. Our brains

New Ideas for Marking Music (part 5 of Miss It? Mark It!)

Miss It? Mark It! part 5 A new student arrived at her lesson this week with music beautifully colored. Last week, I had encouraged Madeline* to write in her music.

Choir Practice Ideas

Choir Practice. Many of my blog posts have focused on practicing the flute, but today we will look at some special considerations for choir practice. As a musician who wears

Practice Research: study shows faster, better learning

New practice research suggests ways to make learning more efficient. Thanks to cognitive researchers we are understanding more and more about how the brain processes information. A practice research study published in

The Weird and Wonderful Uvula

The Weird and Wonderful Uvula What do uvulas have to do with flute playing and teaching? Quite a bit, actually. Read on for a wacky slow motion video of the uvula

Goal Setting for the Practice Room

Goal Setting should be part of every musician’s practice session. There are many kids of goals in music. Some goals will be achieved within a single practice session, others will take longer

Karate Chops for Woodshedding

Use Karate Chops to break up the notes and make woodshedding fun! Karate masters break boards and bricks to show their mastery of a skill. Musicians can use music “karate chops”

Flute Resources Online

Flute Resources Online There are many places on the internet offering materials related to the flute. Here are a few of my favorites. http://www.kimcollinsflute.com/resources-and-info.html This private flute teacher’s website has links

Improvisation Inspiration

Improvisation Inspiration As part of my “file cabinet” method for organizing practice, I encourage everyone to add improvisation to their daily practice. Remember, improvisation can take lots of different forms