Practice Tips – Paul Cotugno Piano

Optimum practice session times
I would suggest practicing from 15-90 minutes a day, depending on the age and level of the student. It may be more efficient or necessary to break up the days practice time into two segments.
Your instrument
The best instrument to have for practice is a well maintained acoustic piano, tuned at least once a year. The student will be spending a lot of time at the piano, so a piano that is in tune and has well regulated action is important for developing good listening skills and proper technique. The next best instrument would be an 88 key keyboard with weighted action. Smaller keyboards with keys that are not full sized would only be useful to the student for a few months.

Make it a routine
I believe that routine and consistency are important for success. Like homework, exercise, sports practice, or walking the dog, piano can become a daily routine.
Practice 5 to 7 times a week
For progress to be made, I suggest practicing 5-7 days a week. To make the most out of this time, isolate sections of the music that are troublesome for you…spend several minutes working on those sections, playing slowly and counting out loud. Find a time to practice when you will not be distracted by other things going on in your house.
Practice playing slowly
Practicing slowly is very important. The more consistently a piece is played correctly, the sooner you will internalize the mental and physical aspects. Once you can play the music with few or no mistakes, then start to increase the tempo.

Practice makes permanence