Ways to practice WITHOUT your instrument!

      

• When you are away from home without your instrument
• When you are watching a video or listening to your music recordings
• When you are bored waiting (in a line, after an assignment is finished, etc.)
• When you are too sick to play
• When you are warming up to get ready to practice with your instrument
• These ideas work for all instruments, piano, violin, viola and cello included. (with the exception of the bow hold, #3)

   

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1. LISTEN  Find a professional recording of each song you are learning (or listen to your Suzuki Recording) and make a playlist you can listen to in the car, around the house, or while doing homework, reading, etc.) You will reinforce tricky rhythms, changin tempos, dynamics, etc. each time you hear it being played accurately.
2. PRACTICE HAND SHAPE If you have a squishy ball, pick it up and look at your hand shape - you should be able to see all three knuckles. After observing your hand, put the ball down and keep the same hand shape. You should be able to touch the desktop with all four fingertips and the side tip of your thumb.Be Sure your wrist is straight and lifted off the table top. Now try tapping finger individually without letting the knuckles wiggle or collapse.
3. PRACTICE BOW HOLD Put a pencil on your desk. With your right hand, make a circle with your thumb and middle finger. Use these two fingers to pick up the pencil in the middle of the pencil. Now  the index and ring fingers can relax around the pencil and the pinky can sit on top of the pencil. Make sure that the thumb is still bent and has a 'bump' on the first knuckle.  Now you can also practice other bow hold exercises with the pencil in the correct bow hold.
4. ELIMINATE TENSION If you typically feel like our muscles are all knotted up after you finish a practice session, you are probably allowing tension to build up without even knowing it. Being aware of how tension fells and where you feel it the most, as well as when you feel it the most, are the first steps toward elimination it.
5. TRY THIS EXERCISE Start with your spine and think about your posture. Center yourself from the bottom up. If you are near a wall, stand and let the back of your head rest on the wall. Go back to your seated or standing playing position and hold this position quietly for 10 seconds with the correct posture. With consisten reminders, your posture will improve. When standing to play, make sure that feet are shouler width apart and the violin is in line from left foot to left elbow to nose, all pointed the same way, with head balanced on the violin and the jaw and collar bone holding the violin without squeezing too tightly.