On any ONE instrument, how many different pieces do you (or your pupils) normally work on at once? What about scales and other technical work? And extra bits and pieces (which vary according to instrument - e.g. for organ, hymns, choral accompaniment, etc.)?

Do you practice everything on your current list of 'stuff to work on' every time you practice, or do you spread it out across several practice sessions?

How d'you strike a balance between working on too few things (and maybe finding it hard to maintain interest) and too many (and finding it hard to get through everything)?

Is it better to learn one or two piece(s) at a time and get it/them right before you move on, or have several in progress at once?

T.

I generally have three piano pieces on the go at any time, and also work on sight reading, hymns for Sunday, scales etc. During each practice I usually work on all the pieces, and a variety of the rest depending on time.

The number of Kodaly things I'm working on varies according to how excitable Cyrilla is feeling (15 one week!): generally I work on each one until I get it right - which means that I may only work on one in a practice session.

In voice I'm working on about three or four at a time. I work on all of them during each practice.


That said, even when I work on all pieces in a practice session, I'm not working on every part of each piece so I am still spreading it out across several sessions.

EEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!

*makes mental note not to get excitable in Judith's lesson this term*

I only get one lesson this term?

*makes mental note to only pay for one lesson*

*wonders what to buy with the extra cash*

I usually have three pieces on the go - one being polished, one under the fingers but rough and one being explored (working out fingering, hands separate, bar by bar etc). I do scales - the well known ones as a warm up, the newish ones being worked on, Czerny exercises (a couple that are fairly fluent, one that flows but slowly and the one that I have to really concentrate on) sight reading a hymn a day; Bach chorales to analyse (only 1 a fortnight ). I have weekly lessons with a 2 week pattern - scales, exercises, techniques etc one week and Bach pieces the other week. This was my suggestion and I find it works really well.

I have quite a few things that I enjoy playing on my own, depending on what mood I'm in, and which could be brushed up for others' ears at a few weeks' notice. New, difficult pieces with a view to perfecting them - usually only one at a time, though that will change again, obviously, if I do another exam. It's hard to quantify how long I'd spend on something, because obviously it depends on how hard it is, how long it is, and whether I've 'poked' at it is the past. (I 'poke' at quite a lot )

Where pupils are concerned, those who aren't doing an exam are usually on two or three pieces. When one has reached the standard beyond which there is nothing more to be gained from it, it is replaced with another. Sometimes this means we perfect it, but not always.

Probably far too many to be honest!

I always have two or three on the go which I can play but need to polish, we add a couple of completely new pieces every few weeks which require substantial work, others which are polished but need to stay that way and some which I just play for fun.

Scales are practiced continually, with a few new ones added each week, as well as technical exercises and studies. I guess I probably wouldn't be doing so much if it wasn't for exams/recitals.

Usually three but I do find it difficult to juggle things sometimes.
If I spend as much time as I think I need on one thing then even though theere is no actual time problem the concentration has been exhausted.
Given that this practice thing is an ongoing (never ending) cycle then there is usually (and certainly not in the first few weeks of learning a piece) never a time to finish with one and take time on another. There is always more to do on everything and I find it hard to manage things well.
Mostly I will put in some proper work on two out of three each day, rotating them for equal time.
This is just lesson stuff..... I have other things to work on too and to just play for relaxation.

Some of my students have 2 or 3 on the go but some will really only cope with one piece at a time alongside their scales and/or technical work.

Well, currently I have three songs for Woodford, three Grade 8 piano pieces, around 6-8 flute parts for chamber works, and one four-movement suite for flute and piano.

And I wonder why I constantly feel I'm not doing enough practice.

Currently I'm working on 1 piece on clarinet (Sparke Concerto), plus the constant scales/technical work. Bass clarinet, Bach unaccompanied cello suites for bass cleff technical practice. Flute just technical work, I'm currently not working on anything on sax or recorder as my job is requiring most of my waking hours. This is atypical due to the work issue plus wanting a bit of a break over the summer whilst the groups I'm in are having a summer break.

Normal is 1 piece on each instrument plus technical work. About 1/3 of my practice time is spent preparing parts for the groups I'm playing in. The balance varies depending on time to rehearsal/concert and impossibility of the music.

It varies. Usually I'll have somewhere between two-four clarinet pieces 'on the go', plus technical work.
Not so much for my other instruments/voice, but certainly enough to keep me going!

There are a few items I'm preparing for Woodford - two short songs, two piano trios, a vocal duet and the choir work I'll be conducting. The vocal items don't take a huge amount of my practice time, but do have to be kept fresh, the others take a bit more effort.

On top of that, I'm currently in the process of building two recital programmes (one solo, one joint) for performances next year, so there's a fair bit of work in each of them. And I'm working on three or four recorder pieces and a couple of violin pieces plus scales and studies.

I'm also trying to finish my essay for a crack at the teaching DipABRSM, and chipping away at Grade 8 theory.

And then, of course, there's Cyrilla's Kodaly homework.....

oops, should've put that on my list...

no gold stars for me...

Generally, with classical piano, for the last 6 months it has been 4-5 at a time, though that doesn't include "having a go" at other stuff short term. More than that and it gets hard to keep up with in lessons due to lack of time, though once I get past grade 8 I'm sure there will be more.

In the days when I played guitar and sang a bit more regularly at folk clubs I have been known to hand members of my audience a numbered list of 40 songs and challenge them to pick a number! Despite this, I only actually learned them one or two at a time.

Er - another 10 lessons??? Sorry, it was late when I wrote this (but not as late as you were!).
Am I forgiven???






*gives gold star*




*takes away gold star*

Far too much probably, 3 easy jazz pieces, around 4 pieces - all difficult, difficult study, orchestral excerpts and random bits and bobs when i feel like it.
Now I should go to the playing pieces too hard for you thread.....although doing very well with the LRSM Martin Ballade, would happily perform in a concert. Others could do with some work though.