Practicing Violin and Viola- Making the Most of Practice

Practice is one of the most important ways to make the most of your violin lessons, and progressing as a musician. One of my most impactful practicing influences recently has been Hilary Hahn's #100daysofpractice on instagram. Seeing the places and ways she practices has influenced my own view of the practice room, both for me and my students. So how can we make the most of practice? Many times students and families think of practice as repeating the piece over and over until you get it. And while practice does include elements of repetition, repetition is only useful if what you are repeating is being played well. So how do we get from the struggle of first learning a piece to playing it well? Problem solving. Practice is problem solving first and foremost. While we are learning a new piece we have to be aware of our bodies, our instruments and the music so we can be aware of what needs to be addressed and why. Ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. What is happening? Questions about the what can focus on the specifics of what exactly is happening: Is this too fast? Are my fingers able to play this passage clearly? Is my bowing correct? Is this the sound I want?

2. Why is it happening? Questions about the why can focus on what the obstacle is. Are my fingers flying too high off the fingerboard? Are my bow pressure/contact points a struggle?

3. How can I fix it? Taking the what and why and flipping them can help show us a fix. If you are struggling to play fast passages because your fingers are flying off the fingerboard too high, the solution can be to practice keeping fingers close to the fingerboard between notes. If you are dissatisfied with your sound, and struggling with contact points with your bow, the solution can be to focus on how you are aware of and controlling your contact points.
   

This can be a hard process to do alone if you're not as experienced, but starting to ask these questions during practice is practice of its own in noticing what is happening and finding a solution to it. Every student, no matter how young or new to violin lessons, can starting asking these questions during practice. If you can't find a solution, you can always discuss one with your teacher after you're able to share what you're noticing is happening with your body and instrument.