3 Ways to Focus on the Big Picture in Practice

One thing I’ve noticed about students and families that are successful in the Suzuki Method, is their ability to stay focused on the big picture.

There are endless details to keep in mind when learning a musical instrument, and it’s easy to get over focused on some of them and forget what is really important.

As a teacher I like to think of three basic ways for students and families to focus on the big picture: Tone, Technique, and Character.

If you are working on a piece in practice and you are unsure of what to work on next, Tone is always a good answer.

Tone is defined (by the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary) as “the quality of sound produced by a musical instrument or singing voice.” It goes beyond playing in tune. How warm is the sound? Does it having a ringing quality or harsh quality to it?

Beautiful tone is hard to describe, but we tend to know it when we hear it. It is the kind of sound that makes music pleasing to the ear and helps communicate emotion and feeling. Very simply, you can think of it as playing with a beautiful sound.

Depending on your instrument, the techniques and exercises you will use to develop beautiful tone will vary. But focusing on tone as part of the big picture will be important whatever you play.

Another part of the big picture is that as a Suzuki student, you are learning the technique to play your instrument well. That may seem like a very obvious statement, but it is easy to get so focused on learning new songs and music that we forget to use those songs to build up our ability to play well.

It is very typical for students to get really excited about anything new and that’s great if it motivates them to practice more. But, whether you’re practicing a new piece, or a review piece, how you play it and how you’re using the music to develop your skills on the instrument should be a main focus.

Play close attention to posture, hand positions and the other little details about playing that your teacher talks about in lessons each week. This is what will support your ability to play more advanced music later!

It’s important to step back and look at the character traits we are developing while studying music too. Your child may be struggling to learn something, or you may feel stuck and frustrated, but sticking with it and overcoming challenges like this is how students develop perseverance.

You may wish your child was in a different level group class or orchestra, but sometimes being the most advanced in a group is what allows a student to develop confidence and leadership skills.

Your child may not feel like practicing today, even though there is plenty of time to do so. But, following through and doing at least some kind of practice teaches them commitment to their goals and discipline.

Sometimes there isn’t a clear music answer about what to do, but there is a clear answer for developing good character in our children or students. It’s an important part of the big picture to keep in mind. For a list of character qualities developed through music lesson you can read my post here.

Focusing on the big picture isn’t always easy to do, but it’s so important for keeping focused on our bigger goals. What else do you think needs to be included when talking about the big picture with your child or your students?  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments . . .