Practice Makes Progress: Effective Violin Practice Techniques for Beginners

Society tells us that practice makes perfect. While this sentiment has good intentions, it is untrue. No human performance is perfect, and that imperfection is part of what makes music so fascinating to study. Perfectionism is a mindset that can either hinder or bolster a student depending on their personality type.

We all strive for flawless technique and stellar performances. These things do not appear overnight, though. Effective practice techniques will make learning feel more enjoyable, rewarding, and help facilitate positive performance experiences.

Create a Safe and Predictable Environment

Great practice begins with a good environment. Select an area away from a lot of noise, television or computer screens, or other distractions. Practicing in a distracting space is not only incredibly difficult, but it also interferes with the way your brain learns. If this space is for your child, be sure to decorate it to instill a sense of safety and comfort. 

Remove Distractions

Silence cell phones, remove any devices that might ring or flash in the middle of a practice session, and try to keep pets or other siblings at a respectable distance. For many children, learning to practice is one of the most useful and transmittable skills to other disciplines, since practicing an instrument requires mental focus, diligent work, and incremental goal setting.

Establish a Routine

When creating a practice routine for your child, aim for a time in the day that they are alert, comfortable, and playful. Our brains learn well in a playful and creative environment. Forced practice can work in a smaller subset of individuals, but many children learn intrinsic motivation through the growth of their love of music and playing their violin.

Many parents believe that the amount of practice in one period is key. This approach has been scientifically proven to be false. Many focused and efficient practice sessions dispersed frequently throughout the day and week will actually see the most progress. Younger children tend to have shorter attention spans due to the stages of human development. Please do not try to force your child to practice beyond what their attention span can handle! Interspersing games with practice in order to create fun new ways to approach a new song can help your child immensely on their learning journey.

Set Achievable Goals

Rome wasn’t built in a day. You don’t learn to play the violin in a day, either. Consistent practice across many days, weeks, and years will result in the cumulative scaffolding required to play the violin at a professional level. 

With this understanding, try to break practice goals down into smaller pieces, especially for young children that are just beginning to learn to play. Celebrate the small successes, and let your child experience their natural growth and development along the way. Set short term (daily or weekly objectives) and long term goals (month or quarterly milestones). It is recommended that you record your child frequently and let them watch those recordings after they have felt success. This will reinforce the learning trajectory and build confidence as they understand how far they have come through their consistent practice efforts.

Warming Up

Similar to sports, warming up to play the violin will help prevent injuries and improve performance. Examples of simple warm-ups for beginners include one octave scales and arpeggios, string crossings, and bowing.

Dealing with Frustration

It can be frustrating to work diligently on a difficult passage in a song. It is important to take breaks during practice sessions and to remain positive while dealing with challenges. Remember, incremental progress (even if your child has only learned one new note in a passage) is still a success. Use recordings to help bolster confidence and understanding of the learning process. A positive mindset goes a long way when facing challenges.

Do you have practice tips or experiences from your practice journey that you’d like to share? Send us an email at triadsuzuki@gmail.com.