The Practice Environment

When students practice, they should have the following:

1) A pencil to mark notes on fingering and bowing in their music as they practice

2) A metronome

3) An A440 pitch reference (can be built into metronome, tuning fork, keyboard, etc)

4) Mirror (preferably a wall or door mounted mirror) so they can study their bowing, posture and left hand technique

The practice space should be free from distractions. Student should have a water bottle and drink 16 oz. of water an hour. Every hour the student should take a 10-minute break to rest.

Many teachers encourage their students to have a stretching routine before they practice. Stretching muscles releases tension and can prevent injury.