Hi, I’m Benjamin Jones and I have been going to piano lessons with Samantha
for seven years now. These years have been extremely fun and educational.
One thing that I have found crucial to my learning is keeping track of my
practice at home, especially since I will have two practical exams this year. I
have a calendar that sits on my piano stool at home, and every single time I
practice, I write what I did on whatever day it is. For example, if I practise my
lesson book and my exams songs on the 27th of March, I will go to my calendar
find the 27th of March and write, lesson book and exam run through. Being able
to see every time that I have practiced really shows me if I’m practicing
enough, and it encourages me to practice more so I can try to fill up the
calendar as much as possible.
There are many ways to keep track of how much you have practiced, and not
just piano, anything. You could have a tally sheet so every time you practice
you add to the sheet. You could have a ‘5 practices in one week challenge’ and
tick of the days as you go. After playing and learning piano for the past seven
years I have learnt that the key to success is being consistent. Paul Merson
once said “If you want to be successful, you need consistency and if you don’t
have it, you’ve got no chance”. This means not just playing two days a week, it
means to try to set at least four or five days where you know that you’re not
busy and you are free to practice.
When I struggle with a song when I’m practicing at home, I take a break and
work on another song that I know better to clear my mind and relax me, then I
go back to the tricky song. So I encourage you to try your best and track your
progress.
written by Ben
