Five Steps to Better Practicing, Part Two

2. Keep Track of Practicing with a Practice Record.

Once you have communicated the need for practice to your students and their parents, you will need to hold them accountable with a practice record. There are many different practice records from which to choose. The most basic component is a list of the days of the week with a blank or box next to each day where the student may record practice time. Most practice records also include room to write down assignments and some even include a few blank staves. The practice records serves as a journal that confirms the amount of practice. For children, I usually require a parent's signature to verify the times stated.


What incentive does a child have to use the practice record? More about that next week.