December 9, 2025: Tuesday Upbeat
Teachers: Happy Tuesday
Slow Down Teaching, Slow Down Playing
Going slower is likely the single most significant thing we can do to improve our teaching. And, going slower is likely the single most meaningful thing we can do to improve our playing and practicing.
Yet, it is one of the hardest things for everyone to do – teachers and students alike.
There are myriad ways in which we can strive to slow down. Now and again I will offer some suggestions. Here are a few:
Helping Chronic “Rushers” Who Play Sloppily and Too Fast
Help them slow down by treating every single note in the song or piece as a whole note. Count to 4 every note. For the whole song. Don’t follow the rhythm of the piece, go super slow by counting to 4 every single note (or stack of notes), regardless of actual duration.
Example: Play (and count) Happy Birthday like this:
Hap-2-3-4 py-2-3-4 birth-2-3-4 day-2-3-4 to-2-3-4 you-2-3-4,
Hap-2-3-4 py-2-3-4 birth-2-3-4 day-2-3-4 to-2-3-4 you-2-3-4,
Hap-2-3-4 py-2-3-4 birth-2-3-4 day-2-3-4 dear-2-3-4 some-2-3-4 one-2-3-4,
Hap-2-3-4 py-2-3-4 birth-2-3-4 day-2-3-4 to-2-3-4 you-2-3-4.
Do this many times, in many lessons, and over time, you will see improvements in control.
Don’t Move on to the Next Piece Yet
They say the mediocre musician works on something until they finally get it right. But the great musician works on something until they cannot get it wrong.
Repetition is a musician’s friend. Repetition requires patience and stamina, and not moving on to something else too quickly. Work on specific things, don't just play through pieces. Break something down, chunk it, slow it down, and repeat it many times. When they finally get it right, reinforce it, repeat it; don't move on too quickly to the next thing.
Demonstrate Slowly
When we demonstrate things, sometimes it feels like we want to get it out of the way as fast as possible, and then ask our student to do what we just did. We demonstrate at top speed, and then say, “Do you get it?” Of course, they don’t, even if they say they do!
Demonstrate very slowly. Half-speed or quarter-speed or even slower. Start as slowly as you can possibly stand. It will probably feel too slow, but in reality, it will probably still be too fast.
I encourage teachers to regularly practice slow-practice on their own instruments, to become more at peace with going slowly, and reaping its rewards both in our playing and our teaching.
—
Have a magical Tuesday, a musical week, and enjoy happy, healthy and tension-free teaching and learning with your students.
Thank you,
Dennis Frayne
"Dr. Dennis"
Laguna Niguel School of Music
Dennis Frayne Music Studios
30110 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suites 105/107/108
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 844-9051 (office cell)
(949) 468-8040 (personal cell)
www.lagunaniguelschoolofmusic.com
Piano Lessons | Voice Lessons | Music Lessons
Music is... Creative, Thoughtful, Fun, & Rewarding!