Practice Routine for all instruments

How to Organize Your Practice Time

1. Practice any warm-ups:
   a) Brass Instruments: buzzing and lip slurs
   b) Wind Instruments: practice playing long tones just mouthpiece/neck, mouthpiece/head joint, mouthpiece/barrel
   c) ALL: Bb Concert Scale (first whole notes, then 2 half notes, then 4 quarter notes)
   
   
2. Practice Long Tones
   Winds/Brass: holding one note for 4 beats or more without changing the sound. Percussionists: should practice keeping steady eighth notes for different durations (30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, etc)
   
   
3. Practice assigned examples from method book – do not need to do every assigned example each time you practice; choose 1-3 to work on each time.
   
   
4. Practice something for fun! Review an old song and try playing it at different tempos. Try sight-reading something further in the book. Find a pop song and play it. Try composing your own song and playing it!
   
   

How to Practice an Example in the Method Book

1. Read/Say note names (not in rhythm) 5x
   
   
2. Read note names in rhythm 5x
   
   
3. Read note names in rhythm and:
   a. Clarinet/Flute/Sax/Trumpet: finger along 5x 
4. b. Trombone: move slide 5x
5. c. Bells/Snare: Air stick 5x
   
   
6. Play the song 5x perfectly. If not perfect, start counting again
   
   Once you have completed the steps and can play the song perfectly 5x, then go on to the next song.