Preparing for Practice

Make sure you have the right equipment, such as:

- A stool at the correct height - back should be straight, and when
- hands are placed in the middle of the strings, you are reaching
- forward, not up or down.
- An electronic tuner and tuning key
- A music stand (not a table or couch)
- A tape recorder
- A pocket dictionary of musical terms comes in handy as well.

Practice Guidelines

Find a nice quiet spot in which to practice, preferably a quiet room with a door. If the only place to play has a television or stereo, make sure that they remain off or used by others with headphones.

Practice daily. Be dedicated to this practice time. It is the only way you will grow and improve. It might seem like a chore at first, but it can be relaxing as you grow more comfortable with playing or exciting when you hear yourself improve.

To parents: let the student create the practice schedule by selecting the daily practice time (as long as it is a reasonable time, of course). For example, the student will decide, "At 3PM every day, I will practice". I have observed that practicing is a very personal habit and that practice time must feel like "my time with my harp".

To adult students: set aside the same time every day to practice. Change this time if you find it is regularly conflicting with other responsibilities.

Here are my general recommendations for a practice session though this may change depending on what we we are concentrating upon: Read your assignment book first. Warm up second. Practice the pieces you are working on third.

Practice for at least half hour to an hour. You might not need to practice more than a half hour at first but later you might need the whole hour, especially if you are preparing for a performance. Take a break every 30 minutes to stretch, get a glass of water, etc.

Don't practice for more than four hours a day. If you do practice for more than a half hour, make sure to take a break every 30 minutes.

To parents: try not to be overly critical when the student is practicing. Remember that practicing will only make the student improve and criticism may work against his motivation to practice.

To parents: please keep in touch with me about how practicing is going. If there is a problem, maybe I can help during our next lesson.