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This Sounded Better at Home

  • Writer: Rose Fife
    Rose Fife
  • Aug 16, 2025
  • 2 min read

Updated: Sep 17, 2025


"This sounded sooo much better at home." Cue the frustrated sigh.


I get it! I, too, sound better in my studio, after a long warm up, and not worried about playing perfectly!


So how do you sound good at your lesson?

How do you ACE that gig?

How do you walk into the audition or competition knowing your piece is under your fingers?


Here are my 5 tips for Properly Preparing:


  1. Practice Effectively: There are many schools of thought on this, so I'll share what works best for me. Divide your piece into sections and then subsections. The more difficult the piece, the smaller the sections.


  2. Tuner/Metronome: Turn them on, (yes, I recommend both), and practice at a tempo where you will not make a mistake. Don't be afraid to go slowly! You won't be there forever. And, in my experience, when I start slowly, I learn the piece faster in the long run.


  3. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: Practice is repetition, but effective practice is intentional repetition. It's not helpful to randomly play sections at whatever tempo and then just hope it's under your fingers for your lesson/audition/gig. (Sound familiar? That was my plan for many years.)


  4. Practice Consistently: If your practice goals are 100 minutes/week, it's better to do 20 minutes a day over the span of five days than ALL100 minutes the day before your lesson.


  5. Up the Stress: If playing in front of people is something that stresses you, tackle it in chunks. Start by playing it (close to) perfectly with a metronome. Then record yourself on your phone, computer, or recording device. (I use a simple Zoom recorder.) Then play for your friends or family. A mock audition or lesson will show you any gaps in your preparation.


    Your turn! What helps you prepare for your lesson/gig/audition?


I'm Rose. I'm a private flute/piano teacher in Duluth, MN and a Music Director at a church. I've been teaching since 1997 and I'm passionate about helping people reach their goals.

Interested in studying with me? Visit my contact page.

 
 
 

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