As both a violinist and violin teacher, I have noticed that many of us inherit certain ideas about practising that we accept without questioning them.
For me, one of the biggest myths was that practising longer automatically means practising better. Some of my most productive sessions have actually been shorter, but much more focused and intentional.
Another common one is that mistakes should simply be repeated until they disappear. Over the years, I have found that repeating mistakes often consolidates them, while identifying the cause and focusing on careful problem-solving is usually far more effective than sheer repetition.
I have also found that, with experience, paying attention to your body's signals can help enormously. It gradually becomes a kind of 'inner compass' that reveals whether an approach feels natural and efficient or whether an underlying issue still needs attention.
What is one practice belief or piece of advice that you once accepted as true, but later discovered was not helping your progress?
Whether you are a beginner, an adult learner, an advanced student, or a fellow teacher, I would love to hear your experience.
I look forward to reading your thoughts and learning from your perspectives.
"Practice makes perfect," instead I tell students practice makes permanent.
Thank you for your brilliant insight, Melvin! Quality over quantity, always.
'Practice makes permanent' is the perfect antidote to the old 'practice makes perfect' trap. It forces students to slow down and build conscious awareness of what their fingers and body are actually recording. Depending on how practice is done, it can either consolidate unhelpful habits into mistakes, or improve the quality of playing/singing. And this brings me to the next question: can self-awareness be taught to students?
One of many mistakes piano teachers tell gifted students that you have to practice and repeat a lot even if you don`t understand the problem that your practice has to solve. Russian method known as "quantity will produce quality". I am a student of German pianist school that promotes quality above everything else. So i always explain everything to my students so that they can practice inteligently and produce quality faster. One of my MO`s is "There is no such thing as an unsolvable problem. Only a different solution."
Problem solving while practicing is one of these best skills we can teach students...
Thank you both, Djuradj and Melvin, for pushing this conversation into such profound territory.
Teaching independent problem-solving requires us to train the student’s mind, as well as their muscles. When searching for different solutions, we become facilitators who teach students how to think. The ultimate success of a lesson is when students become their own best teachers at home.
This brings me to the next question:
What are the most significant challenges and rewards you have found in teaching a problem-solving approach to your students?