More Thoughts on Student Practice

accountability practice practicing time management tips Oct 01, 2024

Estimated Read Time: 5-7 minutes

By Rob Chilton

I’ve often been plagued with the question:

Some time ago, I discovered it wasn’t that my students stopped practicing, they never started in the first place! Here are a few ideas to encourage students to practice more.

How to Routinely Talk About Practice

Students only know practicing is a thing if we talk about it… often. Early in my career, I performed an experiment where I tallied how often I discussed practicing in detail; meaning, multiple sentences, not just a casual, “you should practice!” I discovered I wasn’t talking about it as often as I thought. Per class, I was averaging just once or twice a week! Upon further reflection, I realized I was so concerned about getting through the curriculum in class that I rarely discussed the follow-through at home.

I decided to increase practice talk to approximately three times a class. I found the easiest time to do this was during transitions, such as going from warm-ups to scales or one selection to another. To increase engagement, ask students to touch the assignment. For example, I’d say, “everyone touch measure 5.” Then, deliver the assignment in a way that implies action, such as, “when you practice tonight” versus “if you practice tonight.” Finally, add elaboration or a recall activity as time allows.

Creating a Suitable Practice Space

Over the years, I did recorded assignments where students submitted videos of themselves performing various excerpts. These days, I have mixed feelings about recorded assignments–related to the workload it creates for all parties–but that’s an entirely different subject. The point is, when I first started these, I was shocked to discover students practicing in various inadequate spaces and seating. Oftentimes, they were slouched on a couch or on the floor not using a music stand. This led me to invest more time into teaching them about setting up a proper and dedicated practice space. We even gave them an easy assignment at the beginning of the year where they took a picture of their practice space so we could see what they were working with.

If your students use folding wire music stands, set aside time the first week of school to teach them how to use them. Go through each step of assembly and disassembly. Then, ask them to demonstrate it on their own to ensure they can do it at home. This might surprise you, but I found that before I started teaching this, many of my students took their stands home and just left them in the box! I assumed they knew how to use them, and boy, was I wrong!

Getting Students to Take Their Instruments Home

In order to practice at home, students first need to take their instruments home. At my last two programs, we required students to take their instruments home daily. Before leaving campus each day, we did a locker check, collected instruments left overnight, and locked them up in our office. The next day, when the student(s) came to class, they would have to sign The Book to get their instrument back. The Book was a three-ring binder with a printed spreadsheet like this:

We pre-listed alphabetically the names of every student, leaving blank lines at the end for move-ins. Students signed The Book in the presence of a teacher by writing the date and signing their initials. The consequences changed over the years, but the general format was the following:

1st Offense: Warning
2nd Offense: Writing Assignment
3rd Offense: Phone Conference with Parent(s) or Guardian(s)
4th Offense: Detention
5th Offense: In-person Conference with Parent(s) or Guardian(s)
6th Offense: Office Referral

We liked The Book because it was concrete, fair, and non-emotional. Like a physics equation, The Book made clear that for each action, there is a corresponding result. Also, it should be noted that we usually called home for every offense except the first. No parent or guardian likes being surprised, especially when a situation has already escalated. Early communication is key to fostering cooperation versus confrontation.

When They Say They Can’t Practice at Home: Reality or Perception?

Not all students live in environments conducive to practicing. Small housing, sharing rooms, atypical parental work schedules, and infants at home are just a few examples of challenges many kids face. For some, practicing at home really isn’t an option. These situations should be handled on a case-by-case basis. For others, the inability to practice at home may just be a perception—a belief shaped by their current experiences and priorities.

Sometimes, time spent working on new and often challenging skills are uncomfortable for them. Other times, it’s an inconvenience to their routine. For example, they may have grown accustomed to hours of gaming or social media in the afternoons and the thought of giving up any of that time for practice feels impossible.

There are those, however, where the perception is more extreme. Perhaps they tried practicing and were scolded for doing so at an inappropriate time or place, such as late at night while family members were sleeping, or on an apartment balcony disturbing the neighbors. Maybe they were teased by an adult for their developing sounds. Incidents like these can lead children to avoid practicing rather than seeking a viable solution, like working together with family to find a time and place when they can practice, such as practicing in a closet to diminish sound production; or practicing right after school to avoid disturbing a baby or younger sibling during bedtime. In these more extreme situations, best practice is to talk directly with the parents/guardians to better understand the issues.

Final Thoughts & Questions

In a short-form article like this, it’s hard to discuss all of the intricacies of getting students to practice. Some additional questions I'll address in the future include:

What if they don’t have music stands?
What about athletes on game days?
How do we best facilitate bus riders?
What about large instruments?
How often do you restart The Book?
What happens if they sign The Book six times?

Keep in mind, every situation is different. Use your best judgment and do what is best for you and your students. If you’d like to read more, check out On Time Management & Practice, by clicking the linked text or the linked image below:

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About the author:

Rob Chilton is the creator and owner of Readymade Music, LLC and its content. Previously, Chilton was a middle school band director from 2007-2021. His most recent teaching position was the Head Band Director at Killian Middle School in Lewisville, Texas from 2014-2021.

Under his direction, the Killian Honors Band was named the 2018 Texas Music Educators Association CC Honor Band and performed at the annual 2018 TMEA Clinic/Convention. In 2019, the Killian Honors Band was invited to and performed at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago. Additionally, the Killian Honors Band was named a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honors Project in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Chilton is a graduate of Southern Methodist University where he had the opportunity to study music education under the tutelage of Lynne Jackson and Brian Merrill. During his years as a middle school band director, Chilton continued his professional growth under the guidance of his primary clinicians, John Benzer and Brian Merrill.