Ok, so, you've signed up for music lessons. You've met with your teacher. The teacher has given you a list of items to practice. With great excitement, you sit down at your piano, your books at the ready......now what? Where do you start? Do you simply plow through each until you hurriedly finish each piece? Do you painstakingly work through each note on the page until everything is perfect? This is a situation most musicians find themselves in at one point or another. Let me share with you what I have learned about effective practicing.
First, let me say there is no "right way" to practice, but there are most definitely some "wrong ways." This is not to say that no musician is ever allowed to waste a moment of their practice time, but there are definitely a few key ideas that can help any pianist use their time more efficiently.
1. Start with technique.
You have more than likely been assigned some type of "technique" exercise. These are exercises that may not sound beautiful but are necessary to develop some kind of skill. They are usually repetitive in some way and are often uncomfortable when first done. They are also, however, one of the most important parts of your practice time. No maestro has ever become a maestro by ignoring these types of exercises. Playing the piano - or any instrument really - is unnatural. Your fingers must learn how to perform correctly, and this is done through technique exercises.
Quick Tip: When practicing your technique exercises, use this time not just to learn this new skill, but to also engage your whole body in the playing process. Use your technique practice time to relax your shoulders, make sure your hands are correctly positioned, check that your feet are on the floor, etc.
2. ALWAYS sight-read.
This is so incredibly important. One of the best ways to develop quickly as a pianist is to regularly sight-read music. There are many good pieces of advice out there about how to properly sight. However, I will leave you with just a couple. First, don't sight read something that is much too difficult or much too easy. Neither will benefit you much. Second, don't practice it. Sight-reading music is for sight-reading purposes. Once you have played through it several times, you are no longer sight-reading. If you want to actually learn the song, that's fine. Just realize you are no longer sight-reading.
3. Break down the pieces.
When working on a more difficult piece, play straight through the music once. Then, break it into smaller pieces. Perhaps, learn one section each lesson. Some pianists will learn the ending first. Some will find the most difficult section first and conquer that right away. Some will simply start at the beginning. Whichever you choose, do not get overwhelmed trying to do the entire piece at once.
Learning an instrument doesn't happen in a day. It doesn't really even happen through lessons. It happens through practice. So always remember that practice makes permanent. Practice is incredibly important, but the way you practice is the way you will learn it. So, regardless of whether or not your teacher is present, you should always use proper fingering, proper timing, and proper posture. It is always easier to learn it properly the first time than to re-learn it properly the second time.