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An essay from a student

 
 
 
Hello all! I'm Paige! In fourth grade, I took up the violin in the public school systems, more than a year ago I started taking private violin lessons at this fine establishment of Keys and Strings, and now I am a part time employee here. Being a junior in high school, it is not easy for me to be juggling not only school work, but also my job hours and violin practices, lessons, and ensembles. For many instrument players, this is a common situation, some even have sports added to the list. So how do you manage all these activities without hindering your instrument practice?
Well for starters, PUT DOWN THE PHONE. Easy right? Nope. This is the new struggle of people living the 21st century generation. We are the first to actually grow up and live around all these high tech gadgets. These gadgets effect people of all ages, but the same technologies that make you glued to them can actually help you un-glue from them. Many apps from Apple and Android let you lock your phone and focus at the task at hand. Fingers twitching from being away from your phone for too long? Too bad, you still have 10 minutes, keep practicing!
For all my middle school and high school students; use study hall or flex periods to your advantage. Again, get off your phone and do your homework. Then, you can focus more on your practicing and job (if you have one). If your schedule isn't packed then of course you can do whatever you want. For me, I don't have a study hall for the first half of this school year and I have to work my part time job, practice for CMEA auditions, Keys and String's Baroque Ensemble, and high school ensemble(s) and complete my homework including AP assignments. So yes, I'm regretting not having a study hall right now. Please don't take it for granted, it is there to help you not hinder you.
Now for the actual practicing part, space it out, DO NOT CRAM. If you were studying for the SAT coming up would you study everything the night before and hope your brain is still functioning properly the next day? I would think not. Not only is your brain working hard, memorizing notes while practicing, but your fingers and wrists are too. Too much practice can lead to serious muscle problems. From personal experience, last year when auditioning for CMEAs, I would practice so much in one or two days of the week that the ulnar nerve in my wrist would flare up, causing ring and pinky finger (and wrist) to throb. I wore a brace for about 2 weeks after CMEAs; fun times. Point is, practicing for 1-2 hours at a time will do more harm then good. 15- 30 minutes a day is more than enough. That will also give you more time to do the more fun stuff like doing homework or chores . And if you feel like you're still lacking in practice, give you hands at least 2 hours to recuperate from the last practice you did. Doing finger and wrist exercises before and after will also benefit you. And if you didn't practice like you should've, just be honest with your private tutor. Telling them will help them plan out your lesson accordingly.
So these are some of the points that help me, I hope they help you too. Feel free to ask questions down below. Have a wonderful day!

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