#365practice Busy times and Rests
Sometimes life will get in the way of music! Sadly we've had one of those weeks. So apologies for not posting out daily practice tips this week!
Our students have done amazingly well this week. They've gone from tears and stress over exam preparation to suddenly being able to play every element of the exam perfectly. No doubt the stress will come in to play nearer the exam date, but for the time being it's all going well.
A quick word on rests today:
During your sightreading it's very easy to skip out the rests. It's understandable as you're focusing on notes and rhythms and 'argh its an exam' and other such things.
But - do remember your rests!
If you've been given them then treat them as if they're more important than the notes in the piece. Rests not only give you time to breathe, but they also give you time to think about what's coming next. If you accidentally skip a rest it can unsettle the piece as a bit of the bar is missing and it will throw your counting.
We remind our students like this:
If you've got four beats in the bar - thats a bit like four legs on your chair.
If you skip a rest - thats a bit like a leg on your chair suddenly vanishing.
It'd be a bit wobbly wouldn't it???
So next time you're practicing your sight reading - don't forget your rests!
