It's Harder to Practice than You Think

Yesterday, I was talking to the extraordinary bebop saxman and private instructor Christopher Hollyday about the value of having a steady practice routine.

Same practice time, same practice place, and so on.

Also, the need for setting goals. Without goals, there will be zip in the way of any real progress.

But, he said, (and I agree with him) life conspires to interrupt one's goals.

Now comes the bigger rub:  private lesson goals often run counter to my student's own goals.

Quite a few of my students fall into Generation Z. These are the post-Millennials and as such are studying music as an elective either in elementary or middle or high school.

Gen Z teens are the single most Internet-connected generation yet. They literally have the world at their fingertips, are online more than they sleep, text instead of call, and within this culture of instant information-connectivity all the time have learned to curate their own lives.

They have an eight-second attention span. That, and they are a highly social bunch.

Practicing an instrument is pretty much the opposite of  most of the above. It requires systematic application, takes what time it takes,  and requires a lot of alone time.

Especially doing those dreaded long tones.

I often joke with my students that I must be genetically defective, for I look forward to long tone practice.

In fact, I love it all. Practice for me is a labor of love, because I not only love music, I love to share it.
And this is what Mr. Hollyday said we can (and need) to teach -- the love of music. He seemed to think that it all starts there, as it did for him in his childhood home (and in mine as well.)

Another problem that kids face today is that in most cases, their instruments stay at school during the week. Most of them only bring their respective horns home on the weekends, and weekend time is generally already spoken for.

Gen Z kids are way busy.

In the final analysis, my students really only get to work with their instruments in band class, and that time is limited to band assignment work.

I'll be working on this challenge over the next few weeks...instilling a love of music, and goal-setting, and putting together practice routines for the connected generation. And as always, I'm open for any suggestions that you, my valued students, may have.