Play Every Day!
The Louisville Academy of Music’s February Practice Initiative
As a school, we believe in progress over perfection. This practice challenge celebrates self-growth and improvement in our musical community.
Here’s how to join in:
Pick up a practice booklet from your studio, from the LAM office, or feel free to print one out yourself with the link below.
Find an accountability partner. This can be a friend, family member, or your teacher. Your accountability partner will check in with you throughout the challenge and sign off on your practice log at the end of the month.
Follow the instructions inside your booklet, and share your progress with #PlayEveryDay!
At the end of the month, we will celebrate everyone’s progress with a pizza party! Depending on how far you made it in your practice booklet, you will have the ability to choose from one of our prize pools. Fill out your practice log, bingo card, or both to get entered to win a FREE spring semester of lessons. If you complete both, your name will be entered twice.
Feel stuck? Reach out to kent@laofm.org for any help.
Happy Practicing!!
Practice Tips
Getting Started…
Set aside a time of day that works for you and your family. Consistency is key! Start with 10 minutes and work your way up. try to practice every day, with a day “off" for lessons.
Find a special spot to practice where you can keep your music and instrument.
Have young students work with an adult. Make a practice plan to break up the time. Singing, clapping rhythms, listening to a recording, and analyzing all count as practice!
Stretch! Playing music is physical- even if it's small movements. Take a few minutes to stretch, breath, and transition into "music brain" at the beginning of practice.
Use your ears! If something sounds wrong– stop! go back and find the problem, and see if you can solve it like a detective! Then, play it without the mistake at least 3 times before moving on.
Feeling Stuck?
Mix up the routine- draw a picture or write a story to bring the piece to life. Try improvising or writing your own music based on a theme you are learning- give yourself some creative freedom during practice to stay engaged.
Use practice time to zoom in and zoom out. Practice tiny details but also save time to practice performing- even if it's for your sibling, cat, or plant. You have to practice going through your piece without stopping and letting go of mistakes too!
Break hard passages up into two bar ‘bites.’
Use a metronome. Pick out difficult sections and start slowly, eventually working your way up to your desired tempo.
Pay attention to articulation, dynamics, and other details in the score. You can use highlighters or colored pencils to color code the dynamics and help you remember to incorporate them!
Take notes of any ideas or questions you have while you practice.
Reach out to the LAM office if you’re interested in being paired with a practice buddy!
Remember that the ultimate goal of practicing is growth, not perfection.