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Write notes in your music during practice because small details are hard to remember.

Lone Tree Symphony Orchestra 2021-2022

*tickets and details at lonetreesymphony.org

New World Symphony                    Friday, October 1st at 7:30 p.m.

Together at Christmas                  Saturday, December 4th at 7:30 p.m.

                                                                   Sunday, December 5th at 2:30 p.m.

Viola, the Viola                                  Friday, March  4th at 7:30 p.m.

Bravo, Beethoven!                           Friday, May 13th at 7:30 p.m.

Practice in a relaxing environment with few distractions where you can concentrate and get things done.

Never play through something until the very end of your practice time. Practice is for improving things, not for playing pieces from beginning to end.

Use different variations to work out a difficult passage. Here are some variations to try:  long short, short long, double each note, play each note of the passage the same length, play the passage at a very slow tempo, work the tempo up from slow to fast in intervals.

Break things down.  Work on short musical phrases or even a few measures and then put everything back together.

If you are feeling frustrated by practice, take a break and come back later.

Schedule practice into your life rather than waiting until you “feel” like practicing

Practice is essential to making progress on any instrument. It is the most beneficial when done regularly rather than all at once in spurts. The best way to incorporate practice into your life is to make it part of your regular routine. Try to practice around the same time each day which is specifically reserved just for practice. If you only practice when you feel like it, you will not have enough contact time with your instrument to improve. This is why practice needs to be scheduled. When you practice choose a relaxing environment where you can focus and work without distractions. Practicing is not the same as performing. You need to feel comfortable playing something that doesn’t sound great over and over again in order to make improvements. It may be best to wait to start studying an instrument when you know that you have the time to dedicate to practice.

Stringed instruments are fragile because they are made of wood. Wood expands in heat and contracts in cold. For this reason it is important to take proper care of your stringed instrument and bow. The bow is easy. Just make sure to always loosen the bow before you put it away when you are done playing. Also make sure it has enough rosin before you play, so it will make the best possible sound. Lastly, never poke things with your bow. The tip of the bow is the most fragile part or the bow, and it can break off.

Your instrument is a little bit more high maintenance. It can’t be in weather conditions that are too hot or too cold because it is made of wood. It always needs to be in heat or air conditioning depending on the current temperature. The biggest mistake people make is accidently leaving their instrument in their car overnight. This is not advisable because the finish of your instrument can melt or your instrument can develop cracks that would need to be fixed by a luthier. If I am running an errand with my instrument in the car, my instrument comes in with me wherever I am going. It is also important to wipe the rosin off of your instrument after every time that you play. If you don’t wipe the rosin, it will build up on the instrument, and it can even eat away at the finish of your instrument. If you live in a particularly dry climate, you may need a humidifier like a dampit for your instrument. Taking care of your instrument and bow ensures that it is always in prime playing condition for you.