The Practice of Practice

Talent means nothing when it comes to getting better at music. Practice is everything. But exactly what is good music practice? How do I practice in the most efficient, effective way possible? How does good practice create talent? And what in the world does a pinwheel have to do with practice?

This book covers essential practice strategies and mindsets you won t find in any other book. You ll learn the What, Why, When, Where, Who, and especially the How of great music practice. You ll learn what research tells us about practice, but more importantly, you ll learn how great musicians in many genres of music think about practice, and you ll learn the strategies and techniques they use to improve. This book will help you get better faster, whether you play rock, Bach, or any other kind of music.

Whatever instrument you want to play, The Practice of Practice will help you get the most out of your practice. This information will help you become a more aware musician, a more informed teacher, and a more effective parent of a young musician.
Don t practice longer, practice smarter.

Jonathan Harnum is a multi-instrumentalist with over 30 years of experience practicing, performing, and teaching music. Harnum earned a PhD in music education at Northwestern University, and is the author of five music-related books.