Rushing Through Music Practice

Rushing: It’s a common problem with music students.

How do we get them to slow down enough to play well?

How do we get them to stop rushing without nagging over and over again?

Here are a few suggestions that work for my students:

1. Ed Sprunger suggests students walk to the beat of their piece while playing in his book Helping Parents Practice

I have found this to be really effective when students are practicing review pieces. They can only walk or march so fast and it keeps them from racing along.

2. Creativity:

Another favorite way to get students to take their time and play carefully in my studio is choosing an animal to represent the speed of the piece. We have had sloths, and turtles, and elephants. The possibilities are endless and they don’t just have to be animals. This is a great way to get the result we want in a positive way.

3. The Metronome:

Older students can work with the metronome to keep their pace steady and to help them notice if they are rushing. It can even help some younger students. I have one 7 year old student who really loves the metronome and it has really helped her to take her time while playing.

4. Playing Duets:

This won’t work at home unless you, or another family member plays an instrument, but it works quite well in lessons. Students can usually see why it’s important not to rush as soon as they need to play with someone else. It’s a great tool if you’re able to use it.

5. Pick a focus point:

My podcast co-host Abbey Peterson mentioned this one when were answering a listener question about the topic on our podcast and I couldn’t agree more. Asking students to pick one thing to think about the whole time they play can really help them stay engaged with what they are playing rather than rushing to get to the end of a piece of music.

How do you get your child, or students, to stop rushing when they play their instrument?