A week of....

Chopin.

Celebrations in his native Poland.

200 years since he was born.

There is disagreement about his actual birth date.

So, they are holding a WEEK long performance.

It covers both the suspected dates.

Day and night you can hear his piano music.

Which has got me thinking.

Do you have an exam or performance soon?

How about a week of YOUR music?

Think of it, playing those pieces whenever you get the chance?

Maybe not the same ones all day AND night. Hz

Little notebook

Some people are great at remembering things.

They know exactly what their teacher asked them to work on.

Others are useless at remembering things.

They use it as an excuse to work on nothing all week.

Which kind of person are you?

Hmmmm. I thought so.

Why not buy a little notebook?

Ask your teacher to write your homework in it each week.

Read it before you start each practise session.

And try to do everything on the list.

Remember to take it to each lesson.

Let me know if it works for you. Hz

Polishing

I know it's only November, but the countdown has begun.

Lots of people are already planning for the end of year.

Rehearsals for festivities, celebrations and shows might have begun.

Far away relatives and Great Aunts might be coming to visit.

So, how about preparing a unique gift?

You could prepare some pieces to play, maybe with a friend?

Maybe for a gathering or event?

Choose a piece you enjoy playing.

Polish it into a thing of great beauty.

And you know what? They'll just love it.

Go on. Look through your music and find that lovely piece you've forgotten about. Hz

362 times?

362 times might be enough for one day!

I know, your teacher said to keep trying that bad bit.

Well, your Mother is being driven insane by your endless repetitions.

The dog is hiding under that prickly shrub in the garden.

And after hearing you, I'm saying - THAT'S ENOUGH FOR NOW!

With a bad bit

try to play it so that it improves each time

and then discover how it fits with the rest of the piece.

Don't ever be satisfied with messy or mindless work.

Aim to do it well.

Remember - good practising can save you lots of time. Hz

More than a lot of note bashing

Did you know that while you are learning to play an instrument you are also building up useful qualities that affect the rest of your life? Such as -

• patience
• confidence
• self-esteem
• improving your work
• setting achievable aims
• persistence
• satisfaction at seeing a job well done
• learning to work well alone
• communication
• and it's something you can still enjoy when you are old like me!

Lots of reasons to get that instrument out tonight, then. Hz

Doing it well

Ready to try something new in your practising this week?

How about you do your work as well as you possibly can each time?

Every scale.

Every exercise.

Every part of every piece?

Paying attention to making the most beautiful sound you can make.

See, a lot of the time, we make do with the minimum.

We think of other things while we work and then rush out the door at the end.

Sounds like someone released from jail.

With a bit of extra effort, we can transform our work.

Guess what? You'll feel so much better about it. Hz