A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

Kennedy Burgess
Mentor: Caron Collins
MUCE 505: Action Research in Music Education
SUNY Potsdam
June 30th, 2016

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

Abstract
The object of this study was to determine if and/or why students practiced less over the
summer, and beyond that, delve into how practicing can be made more approachable for
a student. Through use of investigative triangulation, data was collected from several
different sources via interviews and public Internet posts. These sources included
colleagues, past students, and teachers of different musical subjects and areas. After
analysis, the data showed that overall, students practiced less in the summer due to less
structure and because they were never taught how to make practicing efficient. Teachers
also shared several ideas on how to make practicing a fun and rewarding activity during
anytime of year. This data helped to create a plan of action to make practicing an
important activity during the summer months for a student.

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

Introduction
As a fledgling music educator, I have had many chances to observe and reflect on
the practices and habits of many other more experienced music teachers and their
students. I, Kennedy Burgess, am a senior Music Education and Performance double
major at The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Being a music student at Crane
has afforded me many unique and exciting opportunities, whether it is in performance or
in education. I have had experience in teaching general music to second and third graders,
as well as teaching beginning band. Since my junior year of high school, I have taught
private flute lessons to students ranging from age five to age sixty-five. While my
experiences may seem limited, I am looking forward to having my own music program in
the future.
Through observations of public school teachers, and through five years of private
flute teaching experience, I have found similar problems coming up within music
programs and with many individual music students. This problem is the issue of students
not keeping up with their practice habits over the summer, thus leading to a loss of
musical and technical skill in the beginning of the next school year. This causes teachers
to go over old concepts, and to have to spend precious rehearsal time on things that
should already be in the students mind.
It is my belief that students either do not form the proper practice habits during
the year to know how to practice effectively over the summer, and/or many students feel
like practicing is a chore, rather than something they find interesting. It has been my
experience that most students do not have private instruction over the summer, which for
those who do is their main source of motivation for summer practicing. Through my

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

research, I hope to devise a way to make practicing fun and interesting for students
during the summer, while still making sure they are learning and retaining important
musical concepts. Some guiding research questions I have for my study are:

1. Why do my students practice less over the summer?

2. What are ways that my students can build up a regular routine of practicing
daily?
3. How can practicing become a fun and interesting activity for my students?
Several studies have already been conducted that focus on similar issues to mine.
Looking at information from all of these prior experimentations can be helpful in my own
research.
One study, created by Hannah Smeltz, focused on redefining practice for students
to be more productive, while still being fun. She sought to redefine practice from the
traditional method that is often associated with the aspiring classical musician, and
looked to find new ways to keep her students engaged. She states:
Across the board, my students' practicing seemed joyful but lacked the structure,
organization, and self-awareness that numerous studies have shown to be most effective
for acquiring technical skills in classical music. Although I believed I had addressed and
modeled various practice strategies in their lessons, in the videotaped practice sessions
my students almost exclusively started at the beginning of every piece and played straight
through to the end. (Smeltz 2012, p. 51-55)
She has already begun to delve into the question of finding out how it is best for
students to practice, and to continue to practice. She found that many students did in fact
enjoy practicing, but the way that they were practicing was not conducive to learning and
improving on their technical skills.

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

Another study, focusing on creating self-regulating practice habits in young

musicians, focused on several different factors that go into practicing. This study was
particularly useful in knowing what students needed more guidance when they practiced.
The preliminary predictive validity evidence suggests that the questionnaire may be
useful for teachers who wish to identify students who are in need of instruction in how to
practice. Music teachers could use the questionnaire at the item or subscale level to help
identify particular weaknesses in their students practice approaches (Miksza 2012, p.
333). This utilizes charts and data to easily tell the results of each student.
The last study, conducted by Darren Johnson, focused specifically on the use and
reinvention of the practice chart. If teachers want their students to be successful, they
must show them that practicing can be a valuable, positive experience (Johnson 2009, p.
64). When showing students how to practice, they must learn that practicing is more than
just practicing for the next lesson. If students are taught that practicing is a time to
explore their instrument and their interests on their instrument, they will be more inclined
to practice. Then, it is a matter of forming good habits so that a student will practice a
little every day, even when they dont have a teacher there to keep them on track over the
summer.
These findings provide me with a good starting point and background information
as I begin my study. They already consider how practicing can be made more efficient
and more fun for musicians, which is helpful to me when applying my study to my
students. Through the information provided by my sources, and with the data I gather
throughout the study, I hope to come to more of a conclusion on how to answer my
guiding questions accurately.

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

Methodology

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

The problem at hand deals with how students practice less over the summer, leading
to setbacks when the school year starts in September. Students dont practice as much in
the summer months because they havent learned the importance of practicing and
retaining musical skills and concepts, and they often dont have the motivation that they
had to practice or play during the school year. Another reason that students might not
practice is because they might think that practicing is more of a chore, rather than
something that is fun and enjoyable. To help guide my research, I have formulated these
questions:

4. Why do students practice less over the summer?

5. What are ways that students can build up a regular routine of practicing daily?
6. How can practicing become a fun and interesting activity for a student?

To research this, I connected with several people of many different ages. I connected
with music educators, colleagues, peers, and former private students. I learned about their
own practicing habits, and ways that they inspire their own students to stay motivated and
inspired over the summer. In total, twelve music educators with different ranges of
experience from different school districts participated in my Facebook post. They ranged
from general music teachers, to band or orchestra teachers, all with students of different
ages. This was my most diverse group of people in my data collection, due to the large
amount of people that can freely comment on a Facebook post. I interviewed ten of my
colleagues. All of these people were either in college or just recently graduated. The last
group of people I interviewed was three of my former students. These students were in

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

the band program while they were in elementary and early middle school, but dropped
out of the program by eighth grade.
I used be using three separate data collection methods to ensure that my data
collection process was valid and comprehensive. By using investigative triangulation, I
approached my problem from several different facets, and this helped me to come to a
more accurate conclusion.
My first method of data collection was through the Music Teachers Facebook Group.
Music Teachers Facebook group is an online gathering of music teachers from all over. I
asked music teachers how they help students to stay motivated and inspired during the
summer (see Appendix A). My question elicited many different responses from many
different teachers. Because every classroom is different, every music teacher has a
slightly unique experience, even if the concept of the problem is the same. I hope to have
gathered many different answers from many different music educators. By asking this, I
answered my third research question, How can practicing be a fun and interesting
activity for a student?
My second method of data collection was through interviews of several of my
colleagues. Both my first and second research questionsWhat are ways students can
build up a regular routine of daily practicing, and Why do students practice less over
the summer?were answered by the responses in the interviews. Since my colleagues
are all my age, I asked them questions about how they felt about practicing in grade
school, and things they found that worked and did not work to stay motivated to practice
over the summer (See Appendix B). Many musicians remember when they were young
before they turned practicing into a habit.

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

My last method of data collection was interviewing a few of my former private

students (See Appendix C). These students vary in age and some have not continued in
music in school, but their insight to how they feel about practicing in general and during
the summer is very important. My first research question, why do students practice less
over the summer? was answered by this method of data collection.
I have determined that my data collection tools are valid and reliable. By using
several different methods of data collection, my results are reliable. I was given a window
of observation into three very different groups of musicians. My Facebook post is easy to
understand and does not mislead the educators answering them. The interview questions
are clear and concise, and the student interview is worded in a way that a school age child
would understand. The questions do not lead the subjects to answer in a certain way.
These questions secured reliable answers from anybody taking them.

Results
To reiterate, the guiding questions posed in this study were:

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

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1. Why do students practice less over the summer?

2. What are ways that students can build up a regular routine of practicing
daily?
3. How can practicing become a fun and interesting activity for a student?
The data collected in this study began to shed some light on these three main
questions. All three questions were answered in some form throughout the research
process. It was interesting to hear about college students practicing habits, and how they
have changed over time, as well as learning about ways that music educators get their
students to practice over the summer. Many of the interview answers were very similar to
each other in terms of feelings about practicing and practicing habits. Many of the
answers to the question posed over Facebook dealt with the NAFME National Standards:
Creating, Performing, and Responding.
There were several different people who participated in this study. The first were
colleagues, all people who are majoring in music or music education. They answered
interview questions about their musical background, their practicing habits, and their
feelings about practicing. There were ten colleagues who participated in the interviewing
process.
The next group of people who participated in this study was music educators.
They answered my question, What are some ways you motivate and inspire your
students to continue to practice over the summer? I posted this question in the Music
Teachers Facebook group, as well as on my own personal profile. This allowed my
question to reach a bigger audience. Twelve people participated by answering this post on
Facebookthey provided me with many ideas about inspiring summer practice.

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The group that participated in research was several of my former students. Some
of these students did not continue on in the band program, but still play their instrument
for fun. From them, I was able to learn about what made them stop participating in the
band program, and if they had felt any different about practicing, maybe they would have
continued in the program. There were three students who completed an interview.
Overall, all of the people I interviewed, except for one, stated that they practiced
less over the summer. Everybody said something about having less structure and/or
deadlines and requirements to meet, which made it harder for them to develop a
practicing schedule. Everybody agreed that it was important to not completely stop
practicing over the summer, because there is always something to work on. Everybody
also stated that they did not like practicing for the first few years of playing because they
found it to be a boring or tedious task. One even stated that they hated practicing until
college because they were never taught the proper way to practice.
Clearly, my colleagues all felt similar about practicing when they were
younger. They all wanted more focus on practicing as a creative outlet, and they wanted
to have better tools to practice from the start.
In analyzing my results from posting on Facebook, I found that many
music teachers had so many different and creative ways to get their students to practice
over the summer. Most of these methods centered around more creative and
nontraditional methods of practicing, such as playing and arranging pop songs, getting
together to practice or perform with friends, and doing composition projects. It was very
interesting and enlightening to hear all different music teachers and musicians answers.
Table 1: Facebook results broken down into NAFME National Standards

12

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

BINGO Practice
Card
Mini Recital for
Friends and Family

Performing
*
*

Showing
Recordings of them
from beginning to
now
*

Give them music

for the next concert

Extra credit to email

a recording of them
playing

Teach other things,

like music theory
and ear training

Packet of Pop
Songs- Challenge
them to learn some
with no music
Fun composition
projects

Creating
*

Reflecting
*

*
*

Practice with
Friends
Routine to Start
every practice
session that they
can do themselves

Reflective Practice
Logs
Arrange Songs for
Students

Responding
*

*
*

*
*

Clearly, established teachers found creative ways to keep their students excited
and motivated to practice over the summer. They have created many games to make sure
students stay engaged with their instrument.

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When I interviewed my former students, they also provided me with interesting

answers to the interview questions. One stated that they liked being in band because
their friends were in band, but practicing was boring to them and they never had the time
to do it at home. Another student stated that they enjoyed practicing, but only when they
were playing music that interested them, like popular tunes. They also said that they
didnt like to practice the same thing over and over when they practiced, and would rather
do several different things in one practice session. Two of the three children also went to
summer camp, so they said that practicing became harder in the summer because they
had less time and other obligations.
These answers by the people involved in my study helped to inform my guiding
research questions. My first research question was answered by both of my interview
groups. Usually it was a lack of time, or the fact they wanted to focus on songs and other
things that they truly enjoyed learning. My second question was also answered by my
two interview groups. The colleagues I interviewed provided insightful and helpful
answers to aid my research. The fact they all felt mostly the same way about practicing
says that starting to change how practicing is viewed while the students are in school is
extremely important for them to get into the habit. My third research question was
answered by the music educators on Facebook. They provided me with several examples
of how to make practicing enjoyable and an easy to understand activity over the summer.

Action Plan
I emerged from my research with clear results, and a bold conclusion. The guiding
research questions answered in some way by my research, and the several facets of my

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subjects helped to generate a wholesome view of my study. The issue of not practicing
over the summer is actually an issue of not knowing how to practice during the school
year. The tools need to be learned under the guidance of a music teacher so the students
can build good habits and practice techniques that they can implement on their own time.
My first question, Why do students practice less over the summer? was
answered in my colleague interviews. The overwhelming majority of people that I
interviewed said that they practiced less over the summer because there was less structure
and less to strive for, and because practicing on their own was a daunting task, or they
just were never taught how to practice. Most said they never even settled into a practicing
routine until their first or second year of college!
My second question, What are ways that students can build up a regular routine
of practicing? was also answered by my colleague interviews as well as by my former
students interviews. These answers reflected experiences that they wish they had done,
or wish had happened to aid them during the summer. The most common answers were
examples like: setting goals for the day, playing fun and popular music, set a deadline to
learn passages and songs, and practice with friends.
My last question was answered with the help of teachers via Facebook. I received
many helpful answers to my question, How can practicing become a fun and interesting
activity for a student? Some answers I received were: play a mini recital over the
summer for family and friends, get together to practice with friends, form a routine before
the summer that the students can start off every practice session with, and have them do
fun composition projects. It was clear that many of these teachers have already been

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

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thinking about how to lessen this problem in their own classroom, and they have
formulated successful ways to keep their students engaged year round.
From all of this information, it seems to me that shifting the focus of practicing
from something that is done alone with no distractions or other people aroundto
something that is more social would benefit students and their practicing habits,
especially over the summer. Making practicing something fun and exciting, adding games
and elements of composition to tap into creativity, would inspire students and make them
happy to practice.
The way to solve this problem is to engage the actions of teachers and their
students. By teaching my students how to practice effectively on their own during the
school year, and by giving them creative assignments, they will be able to practice more
successfully on their own during the summer. I can give my students a practice packet
full of tips and challenges they can complete over the summer to bring back during the
next school year. The practice packet could include several different activities, such as
guidelines to compose their own piece, or a challenge to transcribe their favorite pop
song. It could also include instructions on how to put on a small recital for their friends
and family. They could bring the practice packet back during the first week of school to
share some of what they practiced, and could play short musical examples from the
packet. Turning practicing into an approachable, interesting task is the first step to
developing good habits.
Because my research mostly only involved teachers, or colleagues looking back at
their time before college, I would like to have involved younger children in my study. I
can infer that their answers would be similar, but it would be nice to hear from students in

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fifth of sixth grade to get their opinion on this. I would like to ask for assistance from
teachers in my old school district in the future to be able to give interviews and surveys to
the students in their program. I would be able to conduct a more in depth study, and could
monitor the students over the course of several months rather than several weeks.
Overall, I have found success with my research. I was enlightened and surprised
by some of the answers I received, but I was able to gain important information on how
to better my class and to best benefit my students. My guiding questions were answered
clearly and fully, and I was able to draw clear conclusions from that information.

References
Smeltz, H. (2012). Reframing Student Practice to Facilitate Lifelong, Joyful

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Musicianship. Music Educators Journal, 99(2), 51-55.

doi:10.1177/0027432112463248
Miksza, P. (2012). The Development of a Measure of Self-Regulated Practice Behavior
for Beginning and Intermediate Instrumental Music Students. Journal Of
Research In Music Education, 59(4), 321-338.
Johnson, D. (2009). More than Just Minutes: Using Practice Charts as Tools for
Learning. Music Educators Journal, 95(3), 63-70.

Appendix A
Data Collection Method 1: Music Teachers Facebook Group

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

Question: What are some ways you motivate and inspire your students to
continue to practice over the summer?

Appendix B
Data Collection Method 2: Interviews with Colleagues and Peers

18

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

19

(A Study in Formulating Good Practice Habits Over the Summer) Colleague

Interview
Instructions: Meet with the students individually in a comfortable, professional, private
setting such as an office. Inform the students that their answers to these questions will
help you to determine how to make their music program better. Their answers will be
kept confidential and if they may skip any question that they do not feel comfortable
answering. If they do not understand a question, you may re-phrase it in simpler or more
specific language without leading them toward a particular response. Take accurate notes
or tape record their responses.
For questions 8, 9 and 10, you will have the student compare two different approaches to
their summer musical experience (control versus experimental). You should substitute
appropriate descriptions such as week one, yesterdays, regular music program, etc.
(control) and week two, todays, summer music program, etc. (experimental)
Interview Questions:
1. Why did you participate in your schools music program?
2. When did you join your school districts music program?
3. What do you like most about participating in the school music program?
4. What do you like least about participating in the school music program?
5. Did you ever participate in a summer music program?
6. Did you take private lessons? If yes, when did you start taking them?
7. What did you like least about participating in this summer music program?
8. Did you practice more or less over the summer than you did during the school
year? Why?
9. When was/is practicing most enjoyable for you?
10. Do you feel that making regular practicing a habit (even without the support of a
teacher) is important for musical growth?
11. Did you ever view practicing as something that was/is not enjoyable? If so, why?

Appendix C
Data Collection Method 3: Student Interviews

A Study in Formulating Good Practicing Habits Over the Summer

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(A Study in Formulating Good Practice Habits Over the Summer) Student

Interview
Instructions: Meet with the students individually in a comfortable, professional, private
setting such as an office. Inform the students that their answers to these questions will
help you to determine how to make their music program better. Their answers will be
kept confidential and if they may skip any question that they do not feel comfortable
answering. If they do not understand a question, you may re-phrase it in simpler or more
specific language without leading them toward a particular response. Take accurate notes
or tape record their responses.
For questions 8, 9 and 10, you will have the student compare two different approaches to
their summer musical experience (control versus experimental). You should substitute
appropriate descriptions such as week one, yesterdays, regular music program, etc.
(control) and week two, todays, summer music program, etc. (experimental)
Interview Questions:
1. Why do/did you participate in the school music program?
2. How long have you participated in the school music program?
3. What do you like most about participating in the school music program?
4. What do you like least about participating in the school music program?
5. Did you ever participate in a summer music program?
6. Did you ever take private lessons? If so, what grade were you in when you
started?
7. When was practicing the most enjoyable for you?
8. When was practicing the least enjoyable for you?
9. Was there somebody/something motivating you to practice?
10. Did you practice less over the summer than you did during the school year? Why?