Practicing with Purpose: An Indispensable Resource to Increase Musical Proficiency

I first saw this book when I visited the Juliard School of Music bookstore in 2018. It was prominently featured on a separate table--something that definitely caught my attention.The book presents many novel ways of practicing and scheduling different practice techniques to optimize skills. The book presents 50 different practice ideas, each the one thoroughly but succinctly covered in two pages. The overall structure of the book is arranged according to philosophies, strategies, and tools. The practice methods include three broad categories: (1) learning new musical material, (2) refining musical material, and (3) beginners. The author includes three helpful appendices: Daily Practice Journal, Advice for Teachers, and Practicing with Purpose "In a Nutshell."The author alludes to the book "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise" by Ericsson and Pool (which I also recommend) and is spot on, that the quality of practice is what makes a critical difference.I recommend this book for both teachers and students of music wanting to gain the most benefit from their practice sessions. This book is insightful, practical, and readable--even for non-musicians striving for excellence in their discipline(s) of choice. Highly recommended.

I’m learning the banjo and it requires lots of practice. After reading only a few chapters, I noticed I was progressing faster and was more focused on what I was doing while playing.It was cheaper than an in-person lesson which doesn’t provide the kind of instruction this book does. Well worth the investment.I highly recommend this book.

Several tried and true strategies that I have heard from my teachers. Nice having everything in a concise format-I use it often as a reference. A must have for any music student regardless of instrument.

Need a reason to practice? This is an awesome book for the beginner and pro. For use by teachers in the studio and the classroom.

Wonderful resource and reference with concrete ideas to help create intentional practice sessions.

Although it lacks some information for pianists (strategies to study several voices, etc), it is the best book I’ve read so far on practice for musicians.

Practicing with Purpose is a great tool for any musician at any level. This book has been very helpful to me in that I have eliminated some ineffective practice habits and replaced them with more efficient habits and am actually getting more done in less time.

Great book

À qui le plaisir de traduire ce livre essentiel pour tout musicien qui désire s'améliorer!