Practice Tips

-Divide music into small sections and rehearse those areas. After you are comfortable with each area, only then begin to put the pieces together. Always strive for smooth playing between every measure. 
-Find the hardest notes/sections and start there. Practice those sections often. If you tackle the most difficult areas of a song first, the rest will be a down-hill process. 
-Make notes to yourself with a pencil. You can write yourself reminders so you don’t continue to make the same mistakes on certain sections. 
-Slow down! The most common mistake any student makes is trying to play their music too fast. When you practice too fast, you practice mistakes!
-Practice for accuracy! If you have o pause in between measures or stop due to mistakes, then you need to slow things down and play at a more manageable speed.
-Ask a band director for extra help! If you are repeatedly having trouble on a particular piece of music or musical phrase, ask for advice. We will always make time to give you help!

 TRY THIS PRACTICING GAME! 
Pick a section of music that needs work. Tell yourself you are going to play it 5 times without mistakes. If you make a mistake, you start over at one. For example, you play the first two times without a mistake. On the third attempt, you mess up. You then start over at one. If you can make it 5 times through without a mistake you’ve got it down!