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Other researchers have found that novice adolescent musicians tend to exhibit inconsistent practice habits. Rohwer and Polk (2006) categorized the practice tendencies of students as holistic/noncorrective, holistic/corrective, analytic/reactive, or analytic/proactive. They described analytic practicers as those who were prone to remediate sections of their music both proactively and reactively, and they found that these students made significantly more gains than did the holistic practicers. Barry (1990, 1992) focused on the use of structured practice time and supervision in middle school instrumental students and found that the students were significantly more able to prepare a musical etude when practice was carefully structured and supervised. Like McPherson and Renwick (2001), Barry found that students who engaged in unstructured practice tended to play their music faster, use a metronome less, use fewer mental practice strategies, and self-assessed less than those who engaged in structured and supervised practice.

Barry and Hallam (2002) argue that this is because novices who have not yet developed strong aural schemata are often unaware of their own errors, whereas more capable musicians are more aware of their strengths and weaknesses.

The ability to self-regulate, or self-teach, is a learned skill requiring individuals to make a number of decisions related to goal setting, self-efficacy, attention, strategy use, and assessment.

In order for teachers to improve the way in which they teach their students to practice, it seems apparent that they must first understand the ways in which their students think during practice.

retrospective think aloud protocol. Ericsson and Simon (1993) describe this method of data collection as a process in which subjects are asked to describe their thoughts immediately after performing a given task.

Though they stated that they knew which pieces needed work, they did not have a specific idea of what aspects of the music needed work.

When students encountered difficulty, they reacted in one of three ways. First, although each student exhibited different levels of tolerance for frustration, at some point they each demonstrated the tendency to move on to a new activity when something began to cause frustration.

Second, students would retreat to easier passages when things became too difficult.

Finally, student ability to maintain focus over the span of the practice period also affected motivation.

Although the ability to maintain attention and self-efficacy may be beyond a teacher's realm of direct influence because of the unique personalities of the children, it appears that teachers can improve student motivation by providing students goals for improvement rather than simply recording practice time.

The ability to clearly define goals that are specific, proximal (short term), and moderately challenging is a major component of effective practice (

The factors influencing the use of practice strategies can be broken down into three categories: strategy repertoire, appropriate use, and motivation. Using the metaphor of having a "practice toolbox," students need to have a number of tools from which to draw on, but they also need the knowledge and skill to use them appropriately and the motivation and self-discipline to make the effort to take the tools out of the box.

Educational leaders commonly emphasize the importance of teaching students how to critically think and learn on their own. Musical practice is an important way in which music teachers can provide their students with these opportunities.

It seems to follow that helping instrumental music students develop self-regulation would result in improved ensembles and more efficient rehearsals. Methods for teaching practice skills to middle school and high school students must be developed through continued research and best practice in order to develop independent musicians.

the students’ enthusiasm fuels two purposes: bravado and attention-seeking behavior.

Left uncorrected, this rowdy behavior can be a pain in a band director’s side.

One example of the use of fear would be my weekly summer camp challenges

The challenge could occur in any section of any piece and this was a very effective tool at getting me to practice

Over experience and time, after attending numerous workshops, reading about this subject, and conducting research, I’ve come to the conclusion that students can be pushed to learn out of desire rather than fear

calm classroom rather than a happy classroom

A calm classroom has a lot of structure in place: the procedures are practiced and understood, there are rules and consequences for inappropriate behavior, and students are aware that learning is often a messy business.

The secret to developing a mature attitude comes from a love of sharing music and teaching patience.

Students need to be reminded why they’re doing what they’re doing.

When we develop our procedures and rules for the year, I make it a deliberate point to explain why the items were deemed important.

Treat your students as young adults. Another way to think of it would be to treat them as you’d like to be treated

A different mouthpiece and reed combination. The classical and commercial genres require different sounds, approaches to articulation, etc. While the performer mostly accomplishes this, a purpose-built, high-quality mouthpiece will make their lives easier

Many charlatans are lurking in the world, touting their instruments as “perfect for jazz” or “great for classical playing!” In truth, a quality saxophone is a quality saxophone, and all reputable brands are manufactured to allow for absolutely any type of playing. The student should simply be on the highest-quality instrument possible

two “pants pockets.” In one, a saxophonist keeps their classical skills, and in the other they keep their jazz skills. The two different styles shouldn’t mix, but they should both be handy for any given musical situation.

classical alto performance include the Selmer S-80 C*, the Selmer S-90 190, the Selmer Concept, or the Vandoren Optimum AL3. For jazz alto, the Meyer 5M, Vandoren V16 5M, Jody Jazz HR 5M, and the D’Addario Select 5M are all great choices.

As far as reeds go, it’s really up to the preference of the student. Some players use “classical” reeds and “jazz” reeds, while others use the same make on both setups. However, since classical and jazz mouthpieces are designed differently, the student will normally need to play reeds that are slightly lower in strength on their jazz mouthpiece.

teachers advocate different embouchures for jazz and classical playing, I am of the opinion that one can serve both purposes

One of the biggest differences between the performance of commercial and classical styles is articulation

Classical and jazz saxophone sounds are vastly different

how are students supposed to know what a great classical or jazz sound is? How are they supposed to learn about style? As always, the musician’s greatest tool is a busy set of ears.

Young saxophonists, from the first day, should have quality recordings available to them. With online video-sharing and streaming services, it is incredibly easy to give a student a list of names and let them start exploring for themselves