Practiceopedia: The Big Book of Practice Help

by Philip A. Johnston

The ultimate guide to practicing - a massive 376 color illustrated pages of practice ideas, tips, tricks and traps. Written especially for today's busy students (and their parents), in a bright and breezy format that invites browsing - plenty of subheadings, pullquotes, and fully cross referenced. Just look up the issue that's bugging you (say "speeding pieces up" or "preparing for performance") and the troubleshooting index will recommend all the Practiceopedia entries that will help...and will even tell you how they'll help...so you're now equipped with a smorgasbord of possible solutions to try. A mammoth compendium of practice wisdom from the author of The Practice Revolution.
Also by the same   The Dynamic Studio   ( just released ) , The Practice Revolution  and  Scales Bootcamp . Previews and more information at the author's website at  insidemusicteaching.com .

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

376 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2007

Reviews

[Douglas Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the concepts that the author presents are revolutionary in the arena of music education. Written in a general style for any musical instrument, it switches the focus from practicing x hours per day or per week, to instead selecting achievable goals for each week and then practicing as many hours it takes to achieve that goal.

The format of the book is a collection of articles, each on a different aspect of practicing. There are articles on sight reading, counting, rhythm, memorization and many more. The book is written in the format of an encyclopedia and not designed or intended to be read cover to cover, though you could do that if you wanted to.

Each article contains an index to related articles.

The tone of the book is written with the young musician in mind and most of its illustrations are targeted to that same audience. While all of the concepts are valid and apply to any age musician at any level of skill and ability, I found myself wanting a more mature prose style. Never the less, I still gave this 5 stars.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very useful reference of techniques used to get the most out of practing a musical instrument. I am going to read it again to help me with my piano playing.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful resource for teachers and students alike. The amount of hints, tips, practice suggestions, and ideas is overwhelming. A must-have for every music teacher's library.

[Phyllis]

Good book and more detailed than his other book. : )