Dear Friends,
I'm sending this on a Monday instead of my usual Sunday - but better late than never! ๐
Before we get started, I want to let you know that Butler University's Piano Camp is happening June 16-20, and this year, Chopin is our featured composer!
Camp will take place in Indianapolis at Butler University for pianists ages 12-18. We will offer private lessons, performance opportunities, ensembles, movement and theory classes, and more. If you, your students, or a young pianist you know is interested in a week of immersive music-making, including private lessons, ensemble work, and performance opportunities, I'd love to see them there!
Please note that this year camp will be for commuters only. However, in the past, some students have come with a parent and stayed locally - there are many accommodation options near campus.
Now let's talk about variable practice!
Lately, Iโve been reading Learn Faster, Perform Better by Molly Gebrian, an incredibly informative book about the neuroscience of practicing. In this book, Dr. Gebrian looks at various practice techniques and describes the scientific research that explains why they do or don't work.
One issue many pianists struggle with is mindless repetition: playing something over and over without real engagement.
Students often tell me how easy it is to "zone out" while they're practicing; they get into a mode of just playing their pieces over and over, without really understanding why they're doing it or what to do next. (Sound familiar?)
We know that repetition is needed to solidify note-learning and improve skill at the instrument, but repeating mindlessly can actually be counterproductive! Without giving something our full attention and making it engaging for ourselves, we risk reinforcing mistakes or wasting our time, rather than building true mastery.
In her book, Gebrian discusses variable practice, the idea that intentionally changing how you repeat something, rather than trying to play it exactly the same way every time, leads to stronger learning and retention. This concept has always made intuitive sense to me, and in both my own practice and teaching I encourage students to introduce variations. For example:
- Play a passage legato, then staccato
- Vary the dynamics: soft, then loud
- Play "opposite" dynamics of what is written in the score (piano instead of forte, etc)
- Play a section silently on the keys, moving the fingers and hearing the music in your head
- Practice with rhythmic variations
An interesting study Gebrian mentions involved children throwing bean bags at targets. One group practiced with a single weighted bean bag, throwing consistently from the same distance, while another used bean bags of different weights, throwing different distances. The second group, who experienced more variability, performed better when tested. The same principle applies to music: our brains learn more deeply when we experience a skill in multiple ways.
Iโve been applying this approach myself as I work on Fanny Mendelssohnโs "August" from Das Jahr. I already know the notes, but it's a very fast and virtuosic piece; Iโve been using variable practice to solidify the piece as I learn it.
Variable practice is most useful when you already know a piece pretty well. In the early stages of learning, itโs best to repeat it the same way in order to establish consistency first, but once you can play the notes and rhythms at a reasonable tempo, adding variations to the way you practice can help you internalize and solidify the piece better.
So the next time youโre practicing a passage you already know, try mixing it up! Your brain (and your playing) will thank you.
๐ Have a great week! Happy practicing! ๐น
-Kate