Re: Do you teach your students how to practice?

[carl-swanson]

Laura- Everything you say is true. And the pearl of wisdom from Alice is wonderful. The point is, we as teachers are all trying to accomplish the same thing where practicing is concerned. The problem though is that habits are very ingrained and difficult to change. The various little ‘tricks’ that we have all been suggesting here are to help the student break out of those old habits that don’t work. I think that once the student sees the better results that come from using these little tricks, he or she will be motivated to think about practicing in a completely different way, which is what you’re talking about. But if it takes a little game, a practice board to isolate a problem measure, a practice journal, or whatever to get the student on a different track, then the little trick has accomplished it’s purpose.