Scheduling Practice for Success (Part 3)

Piano Practice

How to structure a successful practice regime for ABRSM exams

An effective practice regime is essential if you want to progress when taking piano lessons. A practice schedule will look different for all types of students. For example a beginner piano student shouldn’t have the same practice schedule as a student studying for ABRSM Grade 8.

Firstly, students/parents need to assess how much time is available to commit to piano practice. At Phillips Music Tuition we would suggest that if a student can not commit to 15-20 minutes 4 times a week then it will be difficult to see consistent improvement. This often leads to stagnation and boredom, culminating in stopping playing the piano entirely.

For ABRSM exams these are the time percentages which work most effectively for most students practice sessions. 25% scales and technical exercises, 25% sight reading 50% repertoire. Obviously, as students progress these percentages may fluctuate, with more time being allocated to weak areas. Below you can see how these timings would work.

Beginner Student Practice Schedule

20 minute session

5 minutes - scales and technical exercises

10 minutes - repertoire (ABRSM Graded Pieces)

5 minutes - sight reading

Advanced Student Practice Schedule

60 minute session

15 minutes - scales and technical exercises

30 minutes - repertoire (ABRSM Graded Pieces)

15 minutes - sight reading

These timings are a very broad and basic outline for a well rounded practice schedule and can be changed to fit a students individual needs. For example some of our advanced students will split an hour session into 2 30 minute sessions. One of which is scales, technical exercises and sight reading, whilst the other is just repertoire. This can help students who have a busy schedule with lots of extra curricular activities and shorter attention spans.

Ideally beginner students should be practicing 4-7 20 minute sessions a week, intermediate students 30 - 60 minutes 4-7 times a week, and advanced students anywhere from 1 hour daily as a minimum to 3-4 hours daily.

In our next blog post we will discuss how to construct an effective practice session for students who are studying Jazz and Popular Music in piano lessons.

Book your piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.

Scheduling Practice for Success (Part 2)

Piano Practice

Learn The Importance of Goal Setting to Measure Improvement

At Phillips Music Tuition we often get piano students who have reached a plateau and stagnated. This can happen whether students are learning independently, using YouTube videos etc or have lost motivation with a different piano teacher. Consistent goal setting and an effective practice schedule can all remedy a lack of progress.

An example of an ineffective 30 minute practice session would be as follows:

1. 5 minutes of mindlessly playing through scales (usually the ones students already know) without focusing on dynamic control, utilising a metronome to maintain a consistent pulse and scale shaping.

2. Playing an ABRSM grade piece from the beginning until they make a mistake then going back to the beginning and repeating this process. Usually without a metronome and relying on memory rather then using the sheet music to help.

3. Avoiding doing any sight reading as it is too hard.

4. Clock watching to see when 30 minutes has passed.

Practice sessions should be consistently evolving depending on the needs of students. For example, a student studying Jazz would focus on learning major and minor II-V-I progressions in all 12 keys, learning some simple jazz standards such as Autumn Leaves, Misty etc. Working on a swing feel and practicing improvisational techniques using scales and arpeggios etc. Then as a Jazz student becomes more advanced they may focus in on more complex skills such as drop 2 voicing, using tritone substitution, and using modes to harmonise a melody differently. Some of these topics can take months of consistent practice to understand on a deeper level.

In our next blog post we will discuss how to construct an effective practice session depending on a students level or interests.

Book your piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.

Scheduling Practice for Success (Part 1)

Piano Practice

Learn The Importance of Practice For Your Piano Lessons

There are many obstacles that can prevent students, of all ages, achieve consistent progression in their piano lessons. Lack of discipline, extracurricular activities, work commitments and school exams are just a few examples. Before starting piano lessons it is important to assess whether you or your child has enough time to commit to regular piano practice. At a minimum, a beginner piano student should be aiming for 10 - 20 minutes practice, 5-7 times a week. As students advance and the subject matter in piano lessons becomes much more complex this will need to increase to between 1- 3/4 hours daily. Students need to practice practicing, becoming an advanced pianist takes time, dedication and perseverance. In the coming weeks we will discuss how to organise practice, what to practice, setting goals, measuring improvement and much more. Good quality practice is an essential part of successful piano lessons.

Book your piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.

Piano Lessons in Alderley Edge →

Piano Lessons in Alderley Edge, Manchester

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in the Alderley Edge area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our tutors can deliver piano lessons in the comfort of your own home. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Didsbury and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book piano lessons in Alderley Edge please fill out our contact form.

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ABRSM Piano Performance or Practical Grades?→

ABRSM Grades

Should you take Performance or Practical Grades?

Over time students can become overwhelmed with the ABRSM practical grades. Once they have passed Grades 2-3 and reach the intermediate grades they can become overwhelmed with piano lessons. A lot of students struggle mastering key signatures up to 4/5 sharps or flats and their sight reading skills don’t match their technical ability. We also have numerous students who feel extremely uncomfortable throughout the aural test section of the practical exams. In addition, we have numerous students who suffer from performance anxiety and find the traditional exam process extremely unpleasant and traumatising. Since the release of the performance exams we have had numerous students transition to performance grades. In our piano lessons we feel it is extremely important that students studying for performance exams continue studying sight-reading , scales and technical exercise etc. Without learning the foundations students just learn how to repeat pieces, cannot self learn and once stopping lessons its like they never had piano lessons at all. Therefore both avenues are perfectly fine and you should pick whichever path best suits you or your child. Just remember, choosing performance exams isn’t just an excuse to take the easy option and only play 4 pieces. Without learning the fundementals you will never become a well accomplish pianist or musician. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Wilmslow, Cheadle and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons whilst delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book ABRSM focused piano lessons in Manchester please fill out our contact form

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Piano Lessons in Didsbury→

Piano Lessons in Didsbury, Manchester

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in the Didsbury area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our tutors can deliver piano lessons in the comfort of your own home. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Didsbury, Wilmslow, Cheadle and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book piano lessons in Didsbury please fill out our contact form.

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Piano Lessons in Cheadle→

Piano Lessons in Cheadle, Manchester

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in the Cheadle area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our tutors can deliver piano lessons in the comfort of your own home. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Wilmslow, Cheadle and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book piano lessons in Cheadle please fill out our contact form.

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Popular Music Piano Lessons in Manchester and Online→

Popular Music Piano Lessons

Pop Harmony, Improvisation, and Accompianist Skills.

If you are looking for popular music focused piano lessons in the Manchester area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our Piano Tutor Ryan studied Popular Music and Production at Leeds College of Music earning a bachelors degree. Ryan has over 15 years experience performing popular music at luxury venues across Manchester, Leeds and NorthYorkshire. He is a professional musician who performs multiple times every week in a band, as a solo pianist and as an accompanist. He helps students use advanced harmonic techniques in real world scenarios. For example in pop focused piano lessons he will cover how to use support a vocalist with secondary dominants, how to tastefully use tritone substitution and which scales and modes for improvisation etc. To find out more about Ryan please visit our piano lessons page.

To book popular music focused piano lessons in Manchester or Online then please fill out our contact form and we will be in touch.

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Piano Lessons in Wilmslow→

Piano Lessons in Wilmslow

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in the Wilmslow area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our tutors can deliver piano lessons in the comfort of your own home. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Wilmslow, Cheadle and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book piano lessons in Wilmslow please fill out our contact form.

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ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory Lessons in Manchester

Music Theory Lessons in Manchester

Elevate your musicianship to the next level

In Music Theory lessons, our skilled tutors will help you learn the specialist knowledge you need to pass Grade 5 Music Theory. We offer music theory lessons both online, at our Manchester Studio or in the comfort of your own home. Our tutors have years of experience delivering high quality Music Theory lessons and we have a 100% pass rate.

Achieving ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory is an essential foundation for advanced study. Students may only take Practical or Performance Grade 6, 7 or 8, on any instrument, if they have passed Grade 5 Music Theory. This ensures that students have the knowledge and understanding needed to perform and interpret music at the advanced grade level. Therefore to keep progressing through the ASRSM grading system Grade 5 Music Theory Lessons are a must.

The concepts learned when taking Music Theory classes will greatly enhance your musicianship. Understanding how music is composed enhances how well musicians interpret pieces. The syllabus covers an extensive selection of topics, such as, intervals, chords, rhythm, music in context, and cadences. Understanding these concepts helps build a strong foundation for advanced study.

If you are interested in Music Theory Lessons or need Grade 5 theory as you have practical/performance Grades 6-8 then please contact us.

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Piano Lessons in Manchester or Online→

Piano Lessons in Manchester

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in Manchester then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. We are based at Pollard Yard which neighbours hip Ancoats and New Islington. Phillips Music Tuition is only a 20 minute walk from the city centre along the canal and a 10 minute drive. Our Piano Tutor Ryan has over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To find out more visit our Piano Lessons Manchester page

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