Home Practicing

We hope music lessons are a high priority, but even more important is the practice you do at home!

Careful consistency is the most important ingredient in the recipe of progress. Parents of younger children should practice each day with their children and attend all of the lessons, taking careful (and probably copious) notes. Click here for a sample practice chart. Note: Cell phone cameras are an amazing shortcut in note-taking!

Pretty much anything we do in lessons should be added to the list of things to be done at home. Most items should be done multiple times a day during home practice. That means practice takes longer than your lesson. Also, nothing should be removed from that list unless you get specific instructions/permission! (Ask if you’re not sure if an activity belongs on your list.) So, yes, you will probably practice longer each week than you did the last. But as you get better and faster at older things, they will also take less and less time.

Listening

Every student family should own their current Suzuki book CD (or recording). Students should listen to the recording for 40–50 hours a week, or 6-8 hours a day or night. (At night, just turn it down to barely audible.)  Excessive listening boosts progress as much as any other one factor, including time spent practicing. Practice 5-6 days a week, but listen to the Suzuki CD every blessed day.