A review from THE STUDIO Vol.16, No.3, August 2010, the journal of the Music Teachers' Association of NSW.

Now I Love Music Practice

Ron Ottley

Review by Rita Crews

Subtitled, “A motivational book for music pupils” and opening with an erudite Chinese proverb; Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself, this little book is directed at the student who finds practicing a bore and a chore, and whilst recognising the end result, would rather be anywhere than constantly repeating the same actions on the instrument in order to make that end result happen!

There is a short ‘For Parents’ introduction that sets out the aim of the book,  “....to inspire pupils to want to practice, motivate them to take responsibility for themselves and encourage them to persevere”. Instrument-neutral, the publication is divided into several short chapters which will engage yet not tire the young reader. Consequently children will have no problem in understanding the authors clear writing style and the ‘message’ he is putting across.

Little stories and analogies with everyday activities illustrate and reinforce the idea of regular practice - the why and how: ‘Why learn music?’, ‘Is Making Music Difficult?’, ‘A New Pupil Is Like A Baby,’ ‘Overcoming Obstacles’ are some of the chapters that deal with the myriad problems encountered by students. The chapters are dispersed with Aesop’s  fables and short quotations to reinforce particular concepts and to motivate the student to think clearly and positively about the need for serious practice. Some are a little esoteric but most easily understandable viz: “By perseverance the snail reached the ark” [page 16] and Einstein’s famous, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with my problems longer” [page 61] is one that even the youngest child can comprehend.

Clearly presented and easy to read for the specific age group of 10+ this delightful little volume should be in every music teachers library to show and recommend to their students, - let parents know it makes a wonderful birthday or Xmas present - and to reinforce for themselves ideas on managing that age-old problem of motivational practice.

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