Mistakes can be our best teachers; when we experience something that doesn’t work, it often makes it much easier to find a more effective way. In this issue, we touch on seven of the most common practice mistakes, like practicing too little or too infrequently, or avoiding the things that need to be practiced the most. If you notice that you’re falling into some of these common practice mistakes, see what doing the opposite might do for your playing!

Each month, the Creativity Corner will feature a quick and easy way to bring more creativity into your everyday life, whether it’s by shifting your perspective or tossing new and interesting things into your routine. While this column is great for everyone, it’s designed with our Summerglen parents in mind!

Enjoy!

With Thanksgiving coming up, we’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude, especially in terms of how it relates to young musicians. When you’re learning to play an instrument, it often can be easy to focus on the negative–all the bad auditions you have to live through, all the things you want to play but can’t pull off yet, and all the times you have to listen to your teacher’s fussing at you to practice. Here we challenge readers to look at their musical progress from a more positive, gratitude-filled standpoint (and in the process, make playing more fun!)

Also, check out our improvisation corner, style challenge, and concert calendar. There are lots of FREE concerts in the Triangle this month, as well as some treats like Ornette Coleman and John Fedchock. Enjoy, and keep practicing!

The first article in the series shows you how to carve out your own special place and time to practice each day. Making practice a routine event that happens every day (like a shower) can make you more likely to get into the habit of practicing consistently. In my experience, it hasn’t been the duration of my practice sessions that has helped me improve, but rather their frequency! If you check out the article and try designing your own special practice place and time, don’t hesitate to email and let your Summerglen friends know how you’re doing!