Two birds with one stone when practicing #music #MusicEducation #MusicEd

While the heading seems dreadful, supposedly its origin was in the unlikely notion that a philosopher could solve two arguments with one solution, similar to the unlikely ability to kill two birds . . . (a strange thought anyway). So back to modern idea of getting two things done at once. I have a ton of repertoire to learn for the Octokats and I have a couple of performances coming up this week. I also know that I need to work on my sight-reading. So, I have put the two together. I pull up a new chart, set the metronome and read it down (skipping extended rests of course). This is repeated to see if I can catch some of the trickier rhythms and perform more notes in the intricate patterns the second time around. Seems pretty straight ahead, but the trick is not to stop and work on the passages right away. That is the temptation. However, if you do this, you will lose the sight-reading practice. Pretend it is a concert and you can not stop. Do your best and finish the piece. Be sure the metronome is at the right tempo for performance and if it is a swing number, put the metronome on 2 and 4. This work does not take long and then you get into your normal wood-shedding. Best of luck.