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Practice Is a Dirty Word
Helps developing musicians to 'work smart', enjoy their playing and realise their potential. This book shows how to: set goals; plan your practice time; program your brain for success; fix mistakes and weaknesses; demystify scales and arpeggios; and, achieve confident performance.
- GenresMusic
118 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 7, 2013
As a teenager, even into university days, I have to admit that I didn't really know how to use my practice time to improve. So I wrote the book that would have helped me then and that uses tips that help my students.
Here are some reviews:
Ruth Bonetti has inspired me. I’m off to make music. – Good Reading
Stimulating, thought provoking, and engagingly written by an experienced professional musician and teacher … highly recommended for music teachers, parents and music students. – AccessEd
Your books help now my daughter’s lost interest in her music – but I wish I’d had them in the start-up package! – Stephen Oddy, Bardon, Qld.
This easy to read, gem of a publication gives lots of practical, down-to-earth advice… written in a sympathetic, user-friendly style and is highly recommended. – The Studio
…Mandatory reading for all would-be performers, seasoned or otherwise. – Stringendo
excuses that prevent students from achieving good practice habits and thereby becoming competent performers. By recognising and solving those issues and the many pitfalls associated with practice, students can achieve the skills and confidence that will result in musical and interested players.
I particularly like the almost opening statement that “Practice does not make perfect” ; Bonetti explodes that myth in a no-nonsense way that immediately sets up the book as one that simply must be read, exploring as it does, the ‘head-stuff’ that is the bogey of many a student’s attitude towards practice. Her strategy of comparing practice to computer programming will appeal to students as will a system that equates note values with money and difficult scales with speed bumps.
There are numerous tips for students to keep them motivated and wanting to practise: how to manage time effectively; how to set goals, plan practice and achieve realistic results; how to keep practice fresh and interesting; and a chapter that is sure to appeal, entitled “Managing teachers and parents” takes a student’s-eye view of those two important components of music education.
Whilst advice on how to handle teachers and parents is one of the delights of this book, the whole is sprinkled with the author’s underlying, wry sense of humour particularly noticeable in the many wonderful one-liners to be found throughout the book [for example, “Mum’s sick and my tuba has gone out in sympathy”; or “It’s my mother’s fault. She didn’t make me practise this week, she only reminded me”, or “I did so much writing at school my fingers are sore”.] This is a book that contains a myriad of information relevant to the whys and wherefores of practice, presented in a common-sense and interesting way that students can easily identify with and understand.
Ms Bonetti’s writing style is always user-friendly, uncluttered and relevant.
- Rita Crews, Studio
Your books are so good they should be bottled! - Dr Anna Burrows
Music and its practice is a wondrous journey of exploration that teaches young people discipline, creativity and self-reliance along the way and enhances all other facets of their lives.
Ruth's book is a 'must-have' for every budding musician, for every frustrated parent and for every jaded teacher!
Australian Music Teacher, Reviewed by Mary Nemet
Australian author and music educator, Ruth Bonetti has written another 'gem' of a book whose many facets sparkle with sensible and practical suggestions for the budding musician. Her engaging and humorous writing style and lively lay-out of the book, all serve to deliver vital information about the serious business of practice, in a user-friendly fashion.
Anyone who takes on the study of music will find that there are always physical and mental challenges to be met, before arriving at the level of 'ultimate performance'.
Ruth presents strategies to cope with mistakes and problems finding time to fit practice in a busy daily schedule scale learning, counting and many other aspects of learning.
She even suggests rewarding yourself with a jellybean!
The book deals with what all teachers know are classic 'time-wasters' and excuses: ' my baby sister ate my only saxophone reed! '. It also gives students information as to how to manage teachers and parents, and how to impress an examiner.
I particularly enjoyed the sections on how to 'work smart' to learn a new piece. Ruth and I have for many years thought along similar educative lines and she has encapsulated many of the teaching techniques that I too have found to be effective in the teaching and learning of a new piece. These include: recommending analysis of structures and patterns and presenting scales in graphic form, along similar lines to the patterns which appear in many of my own educational publications.
Finally, the book is published in A5 - a size that fits into the handbag easily, and is just the right length to allow you to read it and still have time to get back to practicing. I highly recommend it to both students and teachers. (PS - parents will like it too!)
- Music Teacher Magazine - Review by Margaret Brandman
Practice is a Dirty Word is not so much a new practice and performance technique, as much as a suggested guide to making music more fun. It was written to be reader-friendly even to young students, and contains many tips for teachers and parents.
Classical Music, Reviewed by Ralphine Harris
Here are some reviews:
Ruth Bonetti has inspired me. I’m off to make music. – Good Reading
Stimulating, thought provoking, and engagingly written by an experienced professional musician and teacher … highly recommended for music teachers, parents and music students. – AccessEd
Your books help now my daughter’s lost interest in her music – but I wish I’d had them in the start-up package! – Stephen Oddy, Bardon, Qld.
This easy to read, gem of a publication gives lots of practical, down-to-earth advice… written in a sympathetic, user-friendly style and is highly recommended. – The Studio
…Mandatory reading for all would-be performers, seasoned or otherwise. – Stringendo
excuses that prevent students from achieving good practice habits and thereby becoming competent performers. By recognising and solving those issues and the many pitfalls associated with practice, students can achieve the skills and confidence that will result in musical and interested players.
I particularly like the almost opening statement that “Practice does not make perfect” ; Bonetti explodes that myth in a no-nonsense way that immediately sets up the book as one that simply must be read, exploring as it does, the ‘head-stuff’ that is the bogey of many a student’s attitude towards practice. Her strategy of comparing practice to computer programming will appeal to students as will a system that equates note values with money and difficult scales with speed bumps.
There are numerous tips for students to keep them motivated and wanting to practise: how to manage time effectively; how to set goals, plan practice and achieve realistic results; how to keep practice fresh and interesting; and a chapter that is sure to appeal, entitled “Managing teachers and parents” takes a student’s-eye view of those two important components of music education.
Whilst advice on how to handle teachers and parents is one of the delights of this book, the whole is sprinkled with the author’s underlying, wry sense of humour particularly noticeable in the many wonderful one-liners to be found throughout the book [for example, “Mum’s sick and my tuba has gone out in sympathy”; or “It’s my mother’s fault. She didn’t make me practise this week, she only reminded me”, or “I did so much writing at school my fingers are sore”.] This is a book that contains a myriad of information relevant to the whys and wherefores of practice, presented in a common-sense and interesting way that students can easily identify with and understand.
Ms Bonetti’s writing style is always user-friendly, uncluttered and relevant.
- Rita Crews, Studio
Your books are so good they should be bottled! - Dr Anna Burrows
Music and its practice is a wondrous journey of exploration that teaches young people discipline, creativity and self-reliance along the way and enhances all other facets of their lives.
Ruth's book is a 'must-have' for every budding musician, for every frustrated parent and for every jaded teacher!
Australian Music Teacher, Reviewed by Mary Nemet
Australian author and music educator, Ruth Bonetti has written another 'gem' of a book whose many facets sparkle with sensible and practical suggestions for the budding musician. Her engaging and humorous writing style and lively lay-out of the book, all serve to deliver vital information about the serious business of practice, in a user-friendly fashion.
Anyone who takes on the study of music will find that there are always physical and mental challenges to be met, before arriving at the level of 'ultimate performance'.
Ruth presents strategies to cope with mistakes and problems finding time to fit practice in a busy daily schedule scale learning, counting and many other aspects of learning.
She even suggests rewarding yourself with a jellybean!
The book deals with what all teachers know are classic 'time-wasters' and excuses: ' my baby sister ate my only saxophone reed! '. It also gives students information as to how to manage teachers and parents, and how to impress an examiner.
I particularly enjoyed the sections on how to 'work smart' to learn a new piece. Ruth and I have for many years thought along similar educative lines and she has encapsulated many of the teaching techniques that I too have found to be effective in the teaching and learning of a new piece. These include: recommending analysis of structures and patterns and presenting scales in graphic form, along similar lines to the patterns which appear in many of my own educational publications.
Finally, the book is published in A5 - a size that fits into the handbag easily, and is just the right length to allow you to read it and still have time to get back to practicing. I highly recommend it to both students and teachers. (PS - parents will like it too!)
- Music Teacher Magazine - Review by Margaret Brandman
Practice is a Dirty Word is not so much a new practice and performance technique, as much as a suggested guide to making music more fun. It was written to be reader-friendly even to young students, and contains many tips for teachers and parents.
Classical Music, Reviewed by Ralphine Harris
July 9, 2022
As a adult beginner of learning music, this book got from book fair is very good to point my daily bad habits and show the correct thinkings if I want to make more progress of my learning in a long term. I feel some time wasters mentioned in the book just talking about me. I do set a bit better attitude and practice routine after the reading.
October 14, 2020
Very good tips on improving efficiency of practice. Reinforcing the learning from the teacher.
April 9, 2024
The scales and arpeggios info is finally making sense. Lots of helpful info
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews