Should I Practice Before My Lesson?

 Q. Should I practice on the day of my lesson?

A. It depends.

Short Answer

No if it precedes the lesson.

Yes if it follows the lesson. 

Explanation

Honestly? The very best time to practice is as close to immediately after the lesson as possible.

Few people do this.  Those that do reap the benefit.

The more time between your lesson an your first practice session, the less able you are to remember what you learned during the lesson.

Even a few minutes reinforcement makes a difference in how quickly you progress.

 THE WORST TIME TO PRACTICE

The worst time to practice is right before your lesson unless you are just doing a few scales or exercises to warm your hands up.

Too many students  (or parents of students) panic right before lesson time, especially if they have not practiced as much as they had hoped they would. 

They want to impress their teachers and are worried they will not play at their optimum during lessons.

I say, “Chill out.”

No teacher is worth their salt (archaic saying) if they expect you to play to your top level for them.  They understand that is reserved for when you are most relaxed, probably at home when you think no one Is listening except the heavens (and they are thankfully silent and inscrutable). Though sometimes, quite unexpectedly, we do play at the top of our ability with an audience.  It’s rare enough that no teacher expects it. 

We want to hear where you are struggling so we can help you figure out how to overcome whatever problem you are encountering. It is our job to help you, not to judge you.

So Practice AFTER your lesson NOT before!