Beginning a Practice Journal
This semester I have had one of my students begin a practice journal. We have kept it really simple. It’s not even a journal of all of her practice. It’s just one part of her practice. I want her to start being very intentional and observant during her practice. I have found that most of my tween and teen students ca:
1. Tell me what they did incorrectly. (Identify the problem)
2. They can tell me how to fix it.
BUT THEY DON’T! They don’t really need a teacher! So, why do wait until their lesson for me to tell them what they already know? I’ve asked them why? And I usually get a shoulder shrug with a smile.
I would propose that they don’t take the time to full identify the problem. It takes some mental work to stop and give yourself feedback. We think that practicing is simply the act of playing. It’s actually the act of listening, thinking, and playing. But let’s be honest, it’s a lot easier to show up at your lesson and let your teacher tell you, then go home and do it the next week. I think they aren’t in the habit of asking questions during their practicing. They have to learn to ask questions of themselves; become observers of their own playing and then find solutions. But all of that takes a lot of maturity.
But I’m a Suzuki teacher. One of the fundamentals of Suzuki is to break something down into the smallest step that the student needs to learn and be successful. So over Christmas break I began thinking. What would the first step to becoming a good practicer be! And I decided to try having them write something down about their practicing.
So the practice journal was formed. I don’t want them to spend all their time writing and not actually practicing. So, I wanted to keep it really simple. 3 questions/ prompts to answer each day:
1. My goal for today is….
2. I was successful or saw progress today when….
3. Tomorrow I want to work on…
A tween student began using it a couple weeks ago. She fills out one line of the journal each day.At her lesson the following week, we have talked through her practice journal. We talked about how she can sharpen her goals. How to make goals for each day defined, simple, and measurable. But the most important box to me is I’m hearing how she is thinking about her practicing.
I’ve seen good engagement and good growth in just a couple weeks. Flexing that muscle of goal setting. Observing and hearing what she is actually doing on the instrument. She’s creating solutions on her own and seeing progress and growth. Download and have your tween or teen start flexing that practice journal muscle for the next mon
For more ideas on practicing, observing, listening and thinking, check out Burton Kaplan’s Book, Practicing for Artistic Success. This book is worth every penny!
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