PRACTICE TIPS #8: Self-Monitoring, Part 2

[Brent Hugh <bhugh@griffon.mwsc.edu>]

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PRACTICE TIPS #8: Self-Monitoring, Part 2

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Last week's Practice Tips had an article about a powerful technique for 

changing habits and behavior: Self-monitoring.  This week's article has 

some specific ideas for applying self-monitoring to your piano practice.



Self-monitoring consists of two steps:



    1. You monitor--pay careful attention to--some behavior or

       action you want to change.



    2. You create some actual, physical response to rate or evaluate

       the behavior.  You *don't* just evaluate it in your mind,

       but you:

            write it down

            make a mark

            push a button

            say a word

            keep a record

            move a marker

            respond in some other physical way





Self-monitoring works (among other reasons) because



    1. Where you put your attention, there will be improvement.



    2. Responding with an actual, physical movement or action makes

       a MUCH stronger impression on the mind than simply thinking

       something mentally.  If you, for instance, play a section

       and at the end think in your mind "that was good" or "that

       wasn't so good", that is a pretty weak reinforcement of that

       behavior.  Picking up a pencil and actually making an actual

       mark in the "Good" or "Bad" column, or even simply saying--out

       loud--"Good" or "No good", makes a MUCH stronger impression on

       your mind, and will change your behavior much faster.



Don't believe it really makes a difference?  Try it and you will soon see!



Here are ten specific ways to use self-monitoring in your piano practice:



  1. Keep a chart of your practice time and fill it in daily.  You *will* 

find yourself practicing more!



  2. For each piece you practice, keep a record of how and when you have 

practiced  (different tempos, different size sections, different practice 

techniques, along with the date you did each).  You can keep this in the 

music itself or on a separate sheet.



  3. When practicing your music in sections (which you should be doing for 

most of your practice time) put a mark at the beginning of the section each 

time you play that section flawlessly.  Or write down metronome tempos for 

sections as you practice with metronome.



  4. Record a performance and while listening to the playback, notice any 

mistakes in your performance and write an X in the corresponding spot in 

the score.



  5. Play a section and when finished, write down how many mistakes you 

made while playing that section.  Keep practicing the section until you 

have played it with no mistakes at least three times.



  6. If you have trouble with tension or soreness while practicing, before 

*and* after practice write down a "soreness rating" for each trouble spot 

(wrist, shoulders, neck, upper back, lower back, etc.): 1=good, 5=tired, 

10=very sore.



  7. If you are trying to memorize new music, write down an "M" at the 

beginning of each section of the music as you memorize it.  Or, make a 

chart and at the end of each practice day, write down how many new measures 

you memorized that day.



  8. If preparing for a recital and juggling many pieces in your practice 

schedule, make a chart with all the pieces and write down a brief summary 

of your daily practice on each piece (just a few words daily for each 

piece, such as "straight run-through only", "thorough practice of slow 

section", "reviewed memory points", etc.).



  9. Any specific thing you want to practice but often forget (flashcards, 

sight-reading, scales, technique exercises) make a chart and check-off 

daily when complete.



  10. Many of the techniques on the "PIANO PRACTICING PRINCIPLES AND 

METHODS" page (http://www.mwsc.edu/~bhugh/piano-practice.html) use 

self-monitoring as an important component.  For instance, in "Three Pencil 

Practice" you move a pencil to the right when you a play section well, and 

to the left if you made mistakes.  In "Metronome Up-Down Practice", you 

move the metronome up a click if you play the section well, and down a 

click if you make mistakes.  The fact that you have to listen and evaluate 

yourself, and then make a *physical response* is what makes these 

techniques so powerful.





Happy Practicing!



--Brent



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PRACTICE TIPS is by pianist, teacher, composer, and internet nerd

Brent Hugh.  Brent knows about practicing mostly because he *does*

it, and in fact is toddling off to do some of it just about now . . .



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