Piano Practice Assignment Guidelines

You do not need to record the amount of time you practice but you need to practice long enough to
achieve your weekly goals in each area. The best way to complete your goals is to practice every day
and to practice smart. The following guidelines can help:

Amount of Practice
Plan a time to practice. Depending on your level you can expect to spend this amount of time per day:
Beginner:30 minutes
Intermediate:45 minutes
Advanced:60-75 minutes
If you find you are accomplishing your goals with less practice time then you expected, then ask me to
challenge you more. If you are having a hard time accomplishing your goals, then you may need to
increase your practice time, practice more carefully, or set more achievable goals.

Smart Practice Tools

Hands separately
Write in fingerings and follow them
Mark and practice by sections
Practice small chunks
Clap and count first
Count aloud with metronome
Silent practice
Creative repetitions of difficult passages
Block chords
Practice big jumps and moves
Practice slow most of the time-half speed is good
Listen to recordings of songs you are playing
Always make sure you are using good hand positions and sitting correctly at the piano
Ask a parent to listen to you and make sure you are doing it correctly

Don’ts
Wait until right before your lesson to practice-the best practice day is after lessons
Decide you can skip technique because you are too busy to practice everything
Never open your notebook to see how you should practice
Practice with a sloppy hand position and collapsed fingertips
Practice fast most of the time
Practice by playing your piece from beginning to end several times-it is best to practice small sections
Decide you can skip counting or using your metronome because you know how it goes
Ignore dynamics until you have the song learned
Ignore articulation until you have the song learned
Ignore fingerings or never write in fingerings