Music Ed Mentor Podcast #052: Connecting Rehearsal with Home Practice

July 12, 2019 Elisa Janson Jones

Music Ed Mentor Podcast #052: Connecting Rehearsal with Home Practice

Today we talk about something that can make or break your music classes: at-home practice.

This is something that continues to come up in discussions between music teachers: how do you get kids to stay engaged enough that they want to practice at home? How do you track or grade it when they do?

To help me answer these questions, and share tips to help your students get more out of at-home practice, I’ve brought on my friend, Dr. Giovanna Cruz. Giovanna is the education services manager at MakeMusic as well as an experienced orchestral and chamber musician, college and private studio teacher, and public school orchestra teacher.

Giovanna shares some great, actionable advice based not only on her own teaching experience, but also from the many teachers she’s met and worked with in her work at MakeMusic.

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Key Takeaways

Plan, implement, and evaluate rehearsals. Then rinse and repeat.
Model the behavior you want to see in your students
Demonstrate HOW to practice in class.
- Use SmartMusic as visual and aural aid in class every day.
Build a culture of practice.
- Assign the content and excerpts worked on in class at the desired tempo.
Set expectations for your students regarding practice.
Listen to student recordings and provide feedback.

Additional Resources