Music Is Not for Insects

Check out the great free tools for music educators at PracticeSpot
(the Manuscript Genie is worth the price of admission alone….FREE!)

Here is a sample list and description of what you’ll find

Music Crosswords
PracticeSpot’s crossword collection – all dedicated to the subject musicians know best

Chord Wizard
Decode any chord, any time, anywhere in any key. Gb Minor Major 7th with added 13th? No problem.

Practice Spot’s Manuscript Genie
Infinite supply of free manuscript paper, in a variety of sizes.

Sight Reading Chef
Randomly generated sightreading sheets, so you never know what you’ll get

Scales Chef
How scales manuals should be – filled only with the scales you ask for

Rhythm Gym
Randomly generated sightreading sheets, so you never know what you’ll get

PracticeSpot’s Theory Sheet Center
The web’s largest collection of free printable theory sheets.

When it comes to practicing an instrument, I was always told what to practice but never how. I was also told that more time spent practicing created results. This meant as a young musician, I focused more on watching the clock than practicing with purpose. This same attitude of more practice (TIME)=better musician carried over into my teaching.

It wasn’t until I read The Practice Revolution by Philip Johnston I realized my approach to practicing was flawed. This book has given me the tools I need to help students understand the how of practice that is outcome based and results oriented. Geared toward parents and teachers, Johnston makes a compelling argument for quality vs. quantity when it comes to practicing; all in an easy to read, conversational style.

In his third book, Practiceopedia, Johnston has written “the world’ first complete practice room reference; a comprehensive 376 page fully-illustrated A-Z of practice ideas, strategies, tips, tricks and traps – in a breezy full-color magazine-style format that is browsable, fun to read, and bursting with information. “

Here is a list of my favorite articles from Philip Johnston’s web-site The Practice Spot:

The Practice Revolution (Chapter 1 from the book with the same title)

The Role of Parents

Nintendo Practice
Don’t let the title fool you on this one…excellent read, especially for parents of “screenagers” a.k.a “videots” or gamers.

Practice Props

Why some students don’t practice