THE MUSICAL MUSE

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Rhona-Mae Arca 10/30/20 Rhona-Mae Arca 10/30/20

Practice Planning (2020 edition)

My detailed walkthrough of my Trello Board and how I use Trello to plan not only my daily practices, but any studio livestreaming and recording projects.

This year, I have been using Trello to plan and organize my own music practicing. Check out my vlog where I do a detailed walkthrough of my Trello Board to plan not only my daily practices, but any studio livestreaming and recording projects:

My Music Practice Trello Board Walkthrough

Reference Links

Here are some links to other sites and playlists that I referenced in my vlog:

Kanban - A Brief Introduction
Trello.com: a web-based Kanban-style list-making application
Bulletproof Musician Blog
How to Bullet Journal for Music Practice on YouTube

Finally, here are links to my content related to practicing music:

What practice planning strategies do you use? What practice ideas work for you? What doesn’t? Please add them to the Comments and let’s discuss!

Rhona-Mae Arca 7/28/20 Rhona-Mae Arca 7/28/20

Fostering Self-Assessment with Cross-Training

For someone who trains in four somewhat rare martial arts, the Zoominar was a priceless opportunity to work with some of the top instructors in Canada, to listen to one of the highest ranking instructors in the world from his home in England, and to meet practitioners from around the world.

The focus of all the sessions was to give attendees tools to take ownership of their physical distancing training. Immediately, I could see how these self-assessment tools and drills could be adapted to help music students do the same. Here are some of the tools and tips that my students and I have added into our practicing.

Originally published in the July 2020 edition of APTA News & Views.

One of the positives from the COVID-19 pandemic is that we are able to attend classes and seminars from the comfort of our own homes. On the May long weekend, I was able to participate in an international martial arts seminar that was hosted in Guelph, Ontario. For someone who trains in four somewhat rare martial arts, the Zoominar was a priceless opportunity to work with some of the top instructors in Canada, to listen to one of the highest ranking instructors in the world from his home in England, and to meet practitioners from around the world.

Galligan Sensei’s Quadrants

Carole Galligan sensei is the highest ranking female in Canada for Iaido, the art of cutting from the sword draw. With her preparing for her 7th degree black belt grading, she shared how she was continuing to train without the benefit of being in the same room as her sensei. Like music teachers, sensei normally physically adjust arms, hands and body position or demonstrate concepts via partner work.

She held up this diagram while saying that each of our techniques contain these elements. Then she led us through various exercises to identify our dominant quadrant. Our weakest quadrant lays kitty-corner to it.

Galligan sensei holds up her quadrants for us to work through during the 2020 Guelph Seminar.

In discussion with my students, this is how we adapted sensei’s quadrants for music:

My teen and adult students have set out to identify their overall dominant quadrant, as well as their dominant for each piece. That done, they are now focussing their practices on “levelling up” their weakest. The younger students are picking one quadrant to focus on per practice.

Whether my students think that Galligan sensei is cool or they love the tool, I am seeing and hearing immediate results.

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

Galligan sensei also showed us several photos of her doing various techniques incorrectly and asked us to identify what was wrong. She then challenged us to do the same when reviewing photos and videos of ourselves practising. Some practitioners admitted that they were uncomfortable watching themselves. Sensei recommended they start by studying photos and videos of other people.

This translates extremely well to music practice. This past week, I have played videos of other people performing my students’ repertoire, asking them to identify what was good (and not so good) about the performances. Some of them have already jumped to Stage 2, which is to record and review their own practices.

Play it Backwards Drill

Galligan sensei confused several of us when she asked us to execute a kata (form) from end to start. It jolted us all out of complacency, forcing us to really concentrate. By the time we performed the kata normally, we noticed that overall, we were cleaner and smoother.

Several of my students have jumped onto this drill, immediately applying it to all of their troublespots. Others needed more repetitions or smaller practice chunks. The improvement has ranged from noticeable to incredible.

View this post on Instagram

I asked my student to try a practice drill that Galligan sensei had us try at the Guelph Iaido and Jodo Zoominar, which was to do everything backwards. My student ran through the Coda of Dennis Alexander's Nocturne in D, reading from right to left. Then she played the Coda normally. The improvement in flow had us both excited. #pianolesson #onlinepianolessons #practicemakesconsistent #practiceideas #practicedrills

A post shared by Musespeak/Rhona-Mae Arca (@musespeakstudio) on May 20, 2020 at 11:19am PDT

Green Sensei’s Adaptability Drill

In his session, David Green sensei (6 degree black belt in Iaido) covered changing one or more elements in our practice space and routine to jolt our brains out of complacency and challenge our ability to adapt. For example, training on a different surface or facing a different direction.

With us being housebound we, along with our students, have lost a bit of our adaptability savvy developed from performing on different pianos. My students came up with these changes to practice adaptability: change the lighting, practice with eyes closed, move objects and music to a different spot in the room, change chairs, and to record practices.

Tribe Sensei’s Tips on Dealing with Conflicting Advice

Eric Tribe sensei (6 degree black belt in Iaido and Jodo) is the CKF Head Examiner for Jodo in Eastern Canada (the art of the Japanese short staff), as well as the President of Jodo Canada. In his session, he presented video clips from two different instructors on the subject of technique.

On the surface, it seemed like they were coming at it from opposite sides. Tribe sensei had us try the technique, following the advice of each instructor. He then asked us to find the common ground between the two viewpoints. Between the commonalities and discussing what felt natural and logical, we were able to find our middle ground.

This also translates very well for music. My teen students have been listening to three or more performances of their pieces. Not only have they been comparing and contrasting, but they are also gaining ideas for experimentation. *

It has been a lot of fun adapting these drills and tools for music practice. My sensei have all been encouraging of this type of cross-training. Perhaps there is something that you do as a hobby or for exercise that you can adapt and use with your students. Or maybe there is something that your students do that can have applications to music. A little cross-training is good for everyone.

Rhona-Mae Arca 1/21/19 Rhona-Mae Arca 1/21/19

Reflecting on My First 100 Days of Practice Challenge

Last Thursday, I completed my first 100 Days of Practice Challenge. As I went straight into it after my 30 day challenge, I had practised for 130 consecutive days.

Was it hard? Yes and no. There were definitely days in which it was 11:30 at night and I hadn’t gotten to any practising because of other commitments. There were days when I could only do a short practice. But once I made the commitment to my students and online, I felt honour-bound to see it through.

Did I make any life-changing discoveries? Nope. If you do something regularly, you’re going to see some improvement. There are countless studies on that.

If anything, this challenge was an opportunity for me to get back in touch with the way I used to practice at university and whilst preparing for my ARCT in Piano Performance. Here are a few things that stood out as I look back on this challenge…

Doing something every day for 100 days seems like a really long time. At least, it did back in the fall when my piano students and I embarked on our practice challenges.

Most of them wrapped up their 60 Days of Practice Challenge around Christmas Break, so they are in the early stages of their 100 Days of Practice Challenge. I’ll share some of their thoughts once all the surveys have been turned in.

Last Thursday, I completed my first 100 Days of Practice Challenge. As I went straight into it after my 30 day challenge, I had practised for 130 consecutive days. I don’t think I have ever practised 130 days straight as a student.

Did I make any life-changing discoveries? Nope. If you do something regularly, you’re going to see some improvement. But I knew that going in. There are countless studies on that.

Goalsetting is Important

The only goal I had going into this 100 day challenge was to show my students (as well as any aspiring musician) what practising is like. Yes, practising can be difficult. Yes, it can be unglamorous. However, with hard work and perseverance, you can attain those victory moments. The practice clips I shared on the studio Instagram page reflected this. The majority of them featured me drilling trouble spots in my students’ repertoire as well as my own. It also featured me racing from the moment I got the song list to prepare for church the following day.

It may have seemed like a hodgepodge, unlike the other #100daysofpractice musicians who were sharing the development of their audition or recital repertoire. However, I think the clips gave a good representation of what we as music teachers and those who perform work through in a day.

To help keep me on track, I resurrected the Practice Journal. My daily practice tracker was fine for giving me a bird’s eye view over a month. The journal gave a much clearer insight on what exactly I worked on. More importantly, it showed how each session went and what needs more work. It was nice to just whip out my journal and share an insight with a student that I had with one of their pieces.

Summer & Fall Practice Trackers

As you can see, my practice tracking wasn’t very good before I began my 30 day and 100 day practice challenges. (Credit: R-M Arca)

December 2018 Practice Tracker

Very colourful. And it shows that I got to more items. (Credit: R-M Arca)

January 2019 Practice Tracker

A little on the small side, but again, it shows that it’s been a very productive period. (Credit: R-M Arca)

Practice Journal Entry

Just to give you an idea of what I notated. (R-M Arca)

Practice Goals

Now that Christmas Break is over, it’s time to get serious about this month’s goals. (Credit: R-M Arca)

At the end of most practices, I sketched out a practice plan for the following day. This worked extremely well as the plan and my practice tracker showed that I cycled through my students’ repertoire (Grade 3 - 10) and piano technique quite regularly.

I must admit that in the past few years, my practising consisted of occasionally running through my students’ trouble spots but mainly focussed on racing to get songs ready for church as soon as I got the list for the next day. I did listen to my intermediate and advanced students’ repertoire regularly, however, thanks to my YouTube playlist. Needless to say, my practice frequency wasn’t as regular as it could have been.

Reviewing Your Practices is Important

Often, we go through the motions of a task without much conscious thought, be it exercise, a musical instrument, writing, photography, dance, and so on. If we want to improve however, we need to improve our self-evaluation skills. Effective practice is mindful practice. That means asking yourself if a section getting better? If not, why not? What else can you do to get it? Who can you ask for help if you are stuck?

I used to record my practice sessions fairly regularly during my university days and when I was preparing for my ARCT. Then, I fell off the “Record & Review” wagon hard, although I told my students they should be doing it.

With my public practice log being the studio’s Instagram account, I had no choice but to record photos and/or video of my practices - and to review them. I actually wound up letting the clips play while I was folding laundry or washing dishes, which helped me plan out future practices and lessons with my students.

Flexibility in your Practising is Important

Having practice goals and a plan is all well and good, but what if you just had a crappy day? This was the precise reason why I didn’t specify a practice time length for my students or myself. Quality over quantity.

On the days I was completely drained, mentally or physically (sometimes both), or when I had to work longer than anticipated, I needed a “light practice” plan. For me, that included everything from “playing” with music ed apps, scorestudying (with our without the piece playing in the background), reviewing practice clips, or rhythm work. One night, I was so tired from a long week of teaching and ushering that I fell asleep in the middle of an ear training drill on the Perfect Ear app.

Someone asked me recently how long my daily practices were. They ranged anywhere between two minutes to over three hours.

My 100 Days of Practice Log

For ease, I’ve compiled links to each of my 100 days below, for those who want to check out the clips. If not, scroll down to see what’s the next practice challenge:

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Day 41: Pirates of the Caribbean & Sonata in g, Hob. XVI: 44 (1st mvt.) | Day 42: Mighty to Save | Day 43: French Suite No. 3 in B minor BWV 814 - Minuet and Trio & Mass of St. Ann | Day 44: The Avengers | Day 45: Child of the Poor/What Child is This? | Day 46: Funky scales & trying out the lyre | Day 47: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 48: Technical Exercises | Day 49: Prelude & Fugue in d minor, BWV 851 | Day 50: Be Unto Your Name

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Day 61: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 62: Sonatina in B-flat Major, op. 12, no. 5 & God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen | Day 63: Child of the Poor/What Child is This? | Day 64: Nocturne in e minor, op. 72 no. 1 | Day 65: Cassandra’s Dream | Day 66: Sonata in D, K 33 L 424 & Fly Me to the Moon | Day 67: Go Tell it on the Mountain | Day 68: Perfect Ear app drills | Day 69: Pirates of the Caribbean & Ready the Way | Day 70: Sing We Now of Christmas & Mass of St. Ann

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#100DaysofPractice Round 2

After taking several days off, I’m going to restart the challenge tomorrow. Part of me wants to start tonight, because I did feel a little lost on my days off, but there are some studio administrative tasks I need to take care of first.

I do have a different set of goals for this round. Although I will continue to practice my students’ repertoire and pieces for church, I’ve decided that I’ll focus the public practice log on three pieces, for the most part. That way, I can at least achieve my goal of building up my own repertoire.

I’ve chosen something old, something new, and something for all my non-primary instruments. This will also give you and me the opportunity to hear how these pieces develop over the course of 100 days. The pieces I have selected are:

1 - Danza del gaucho matrero (Alberto Ginastera)

When I first learned Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas for my ARCT programme, it took me one day to learn Danza del viejo boyero ("Dance of the Old Herdsman") and two days to learn Danza de la moza donosa ("Dance of the Beautiful Maiden"). This one, the third dance, took me over two months to learn and then at least another two to bring up to speed. Since I’ve already relearned the first two earlier this school year, it’s time to finish the set.

2 - Papillons, op. 2 (Robert Schumann)

When Irina Ginzburg, one of my most influential teachers, passed away, I inherited her score of Papillons. I dutifully kept it in my music library - untouched - till now. I can’t help but wonder whether there is a lesson in this work that Mrs. G would like me to learn.

3 - Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s version)

What better way to ensure that my non-primary instruments get regular practice than by choosing a song and learning it on all of them? I am thinking of doing a virtual ensemble performance on voice, ukulele, melodica, and cajón.

Join the #100daysofpractice Challenge!

Whether you are a musician or photographer, writer or athlete, consider taking the 100 Days of Practice Challenge. You may start the challenge at any time and set up your parameters anyhow you wish. As a guide, here’s what I set for my first round:

Practice for 100 consecutive days, unless I was too sick. Restart the count if any healthy days are missed.
No time limit. Focus on quality, mindful practice versus quantity.
All instruments counted (piano, voice, cajón, melodica, ukulele, playing & singing, conducting).
Practice away from one’s instrument counted. That means: theory, tap practice, scorestudy, record and review, studying recordings, ear training apps, and my students’ fave: The Most Amazing Sheep Game.
Keep a daily log. After seeing what other musicians and music teachers did, I opted for sharing my posts on Instagram. If your log is online, don’t forget to use the #100daysofpractice and #100daysofpracticechallenge hashtags. Of course, it doesn’t need to be online, but I must say that I’ve enjoyed interacting with others who have been doing the challenge.
Reward yourself once you complete the challenge! Here’s my victory dinner:

Chorizo Carbonara

I enjoyed this flavourful dish at Elbow Room in Britannia. (Credit: R-M Arca)

Lollipops

The peanut butter cheesecake lollipop with dark chocolate coating and hazelnuts was delicious. However, it was the raspberry cheescake lollipop in white chocolate coating and pop rock candy that made me giggle after every bite. Elbow Room in Britannia scored a home run with this treat. (Credit: R-M Arca)

I’m actually planning on taking the challenge with my budo practice as well. Although I’m not grading this year, I have over 120 kata and techniques that I’m trying to keep straight in my head and lock securely into muscle memory. Not sure if I’ll start that tomorrow as well.

You can check out what Hilary Hahn, the originator of the challenge did for hers. Here’s her interview for Strings Magazine and her Instagram. You can also follow other artists and athletes on Instagram by following one of the aforementioned hashtags.

If 100 days seems too daunting, you could start with a smaller number, such as 30 or 60 days.

If you do participate, let me know so we can keep in touch and cheer each other on.

January 22, 2019 update

I forgot to share my challenge parameters for the budo portion of my #100daysofpracticechallenge. They are:

Study/train for 100 consecutive days (at the dojo or at home), unless I am too sick. For each healthy day that I skip, I must restart the count.
No time limit. Focus on quality, mindful practice versus quantity.
All disciplines that I study (Iaido, Jodo, Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu, and Choken Battojutsu Kagéryu). Kata, kihon, waza, and other related drills.
Studying the training manuals, notes, photos and training related videos count.
Martial arts demonstrations count (they are usually on less than ideal conditions, so as sensei says, “Epic training conditions!”).
Keep a daily log.
Reward: Dinner most likely at a Japanese restaurant. Japanese martial arts, after all.

Rhona-Mae Arca 11/16/18 Rhona-Mae Arca 11/16/18

Our 30 Day Practice Challenge: In the Students' Words

Last time, I shared some of my observations and musings while my students and I participated in the 30 Day Practice Challenge. Now that most of them have completed the challenge, it’s time for my students to share their thoughts on practising every day for 30 days.

As they each completed the challenge, I asked them to answer a few questions. Some of them have graciously given permission for me to share their comments here so that other music students and music teachers can read them:

What was the easiest part for you about the challenge?

“Finding ways to practice in simple forms (fingering, theory, listening to pieces").”
“Technique: when I didn’t have time for my songs.”
“Being able to practice in a variety of forms: listening to music, drumming, tapping & piano.”
“I can do my own pieces.”
“The easiest part was doing theory the days I was busy.”
“It was easier to remember to practice because if I just do it everyday, it wouldn’t slip my mind.”

What was the hardest part for you about the challenge?

“Finding the time to practice everyday. Finding ways to practice differently than the norm.”
“Doing more than just technique everyday. LOL.”
“Getting time on the piano.”
“Never having a day off but after a while, I got used to it.”
“The hardest part was making sure I practice every day, even when I’m busy.”
“Actually doing it.”
Practicing every day.”

Has your playing changed since participating in the challenge? If so, how?

“I think so. At home practice, I definitely hear a difference.”
“I’ve been getting my technique and scales faster than I did last year.”
“Yes. I have prioritized music more & have been able to improve on my pieces.”
“It hasn’t.”
“Yes. I’m learning the notes faster and the practices aren’t as hard because I remember the notes from day to day.”
“Yes, since I played every day, my songs got better.”
“Reading music itself is easier.”
“It has changed because I feel that I’m finishing learning music pieces much faster than compared to last year. I feel that every time I notice I am getting better.”

Have you noticed or discovered anything interesting about your musical journey since starting this challenge? If so, what?

“How practicing every day really does help you improve faster.”
“Just that I’ve gotten my scales faster.”
“Yes, I feel more connected & aware of my music schedule.”
“I’ve been able to play more songs because I learn them faster and I don’t mind practicing as much because I know I’m earning something special at the end of the challenge.”
“Got bored faster, so [I] tried to find other things [to play].”
“I’m doing better than I was last year.”

Any other comments, questions or suggestions to make the practice challenge better next round?

“Maybe a free day in case you can’t practice (free space day).”
“Maybe setting alarms of when to practice.”
“It was fun.”

Musings from the Teacher’s Chair

There you have it. The comments should come as no surprise to performing artists, writers, and athletes. They should come as no surprise to scientists who have found a connection between myelination and learning.

However, I think it makes a much bigger impact on my students to see and hear how they have improved over the #30daysofpractice . It will make a bigger impact on my colleagues’ students to read what their peers learned, in their own words.

My students are well into Maestro’s 60 Day Practice Challenge, while I’m plugging away at the 100 Day Practice Challenge. In fact, one of my students is a day ahead of me in the challenge.

We talk more regularly about different ideas for those light practices, because let’s face it: practising every day for 60 days or 100 days seems like a really long time at the moment. I may need to remind them that if they are feeling under the weather, they can take a day off. I suspect that a few of my students are getting some light practice ideas from my practice log on the Studio’s Instagram:

This young go-getter has been practising hard since we resumed lessons in July. Her hard work has paid off! Today, she earned enough Maestro Bucks to take home two prizes. #goodjob #practicemakesconsistent #studentincentives #studentprizes #penguins

I have heard a significant improvement in all of my students’ playing, especially in their technical skills. Ditto for my own. It’s delightful because we can spend more time during their piano lessons exploring their musical expression, bulletproofing skills, and performance savvy.

With fluency comes confidence. I have also noticed that even my shy students are more willing to be the “Instagram Star of the Day,” while some who don’t like performing are actually showing off for their friends at school.

I do hope they realize that practising is a journey. We trip and fall a lot in the early stages, and there’s some “two steps forward, three steps back” in the troubleshooting phase; but with regular practice - mindful practice - we reach those awesome moments more quickly.

Remind me next round to record clips when they start and finish the 100 Day Practice Challenge. I have a feeling that the second half of the school year is going to be full of awesome musical moments.

Special thanks to my students: Claire, Tanya, Erika, Henry, Kateri, Alexandra, P., and Anonymous for giving me permission to share their #30daysofpractice experience.

Rhona-Mae Arca 3/15/18 Rhona-Mae Arca 3/15/18

The First Brain Game Exercise I Learned

This was a brain exercises that I committed to memory and has become a favourite amongst my students.

During the 2015 CFMTA Music Teachers' Convention, educator Terry Small came and talked to us. It was a fantastic talk about engaging the whole brain as musicians. This was a warm-up that I committed to memory and has become a favourite amongst my students:

Terry has some wonderful advice and tips for brain health on his blog, the Brain Bulletin.

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