Over the last two decades, a bunch of researchers have looked at how professional musicians practise and prepare for performances.1–3 One of the findings of these studies is that musicians use performance cues in their practice sessions and performances. This article gives an overview of what performance cues are, how they can help musicians, and […]
Performance cues: What are they and how can they help musicians? Read More »
As musicians, we spend literally thousands of hours practising. We often measure our practice in quantity (e.g. “I practised for 2 hours today…”) but it is important that we practise effectively. Apart from being a waste of time, ineffective practice can actually hinder your performance. You are also likely to practise more to compensate for
5 things you can do to practise more effectively (Part 2) Read More »
I’m very excited to be able to say that I have had my first ever article published in a peer-reviewed journal!! The article is on findings from a study which looked at characteristics of tertiary piano students’ practice that lead to better performance quality. Since reading scientific papers is not everyone’s cup of tea (nor
You have probably heard many times that you should set goals – perhaps it was from a motivational speaker, your high school teacher, or a personal trainer at your local gym. There is a good reason for this: literally hundreds of studies have shown that goal setting works extremely well.1,2 This has been proven in
Goal setting for musicians: How to practise proactively, not reactively Read More »
Self-regulated learning is essentially about learning how to learn. It originally developed in the context of academic learning and has been recently used to understand effective practice. Long story short: to practise effectively, you need to self-regulate. Read more to find out what that exactly means… For a long time, academic researchers asked themselves this
The Key to Effective Practice: Self-Regulated Learning Read More »
“Oh wow, you’re a musician! How many hours a day do you practice?” “I’m going to practise 3 hours today” “Can’t go out yet, I need to practise more – I’ve only done 40 minutes today” Stuff I’ve said/heard throughout my life at some point Do any of the above sound familiar? They are some
Stop asking yourself, “How many hours did I practise today?” Read More »
As musicians, we spend literally thousands of hours practising. We often measure our practice in quantity (e.g. “I practised for 2 hours today…”) but it is important that we practise effectively. Apart from being a waste of time, ineffective practice can actually hinder your performance. You are also likely to practise more to compensate for
5 things you can do to practise more effectively Read More »