The Violin Channel recently caught up with violist and respected pedagogue Victoria Chiang, from the Peabody Institute, in Baltimore and the Aspen Music Festival & School – where she discussed the 5 essential skills for ensuring efficient practice.
“I think about it a lot in my own playing, and I talk to my students about it quite a bit, and over the years I keep coming back to 5 things,” Ms Chiang has told VC.
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VICTORIA CHIANG | PEABODY INSTITUTE | ‘5 ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR ENSURING EFFICIENT PRACTICE’
“Today I would like to talk to you about practicing.
Practicing efficiently is one of the most important skills that we as musicians can have.
I think about it a lot in my own playing, and I talk to my students about it quite a bit, and over the years I keep coming back to 5 things that I would like to share with you:
1. Slow down – patience is so important – don’t rush yourself. Take the time that you need to think and process what it is you have to do.
2. Practice your problem spots – resist that urge to run repertoire and zero in on what it is that really needs to be practiced.
3. Take the time to break down a problem to one fundamental issue – whether it’s breathing, or connecting a shift between 2 notes, master that skill – and then from there build.
4. Practice slowly and musically – allow yourself to hear more and be aware of several things at once in a musical context. Gradually then you can speed up the tempo.
5. And finally, and most importantly, be positive – trust yourself and believe in yourself – your attitude is so important to having a really productive practice”
