Productive Practice

Do you want to make the most of your practice time? The author, Matthew Mills, has spent over 25 years teaching pianists of all ages and levels. Many of his private students have gone on to study at top UK universities and conservatoires. In this book, he draws on this wealth of experience to examine in detail the process of practising a musical instrument. Starting with what motivates musicians to practise, he goes on to explore the process of learning, and how to apply this in the most effective ways to planning and evaluating your practice sessions, helping you make the most of your time, maximise your progress, and find joy at every step along the way. As this book is written in general terms, you will find here ideas, practical advice, and inspiration to engage more profoundly with the practice process, regardless of your instrument, age, or level of ability.

Auteur

For almost three decades, Matthew Mills has enjoyed a busy and diverse freelance career as a pianist, composer, and conductor. With a repertoire encompassing music from five centuries, he has performed across the UK as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist, in addition to establishing a reputation as a sympathetic and creative dance accompanist. As a teacher and workshop leader, several of his private students have gone on to study at top UK universities and conservatoires. Matthew studied at the Universities of Oxford and London, and at Trinity College of Music, London. His teachers have included Christopher Elton (piano), Daryl Runswick, Andrew Lovett, and Simon Holt (composition), and Gregory Rose (conducting). An award from Oxford University enabled a period of specialist study of contemporary piano repertoire with Rolf Hind, and he has appeared in masterclasses in composition with Michael Finnissy and George Benjamin, and in piano with John Lill and Rosalyn Tureck. A committed supporter of young composers and contemporary music, Matthew founded and directed a contemporary music ensemble at Royal Holloway, University of London, with whom, assisted by his own conducting students, he led workshops and performed works by student composers, as well as established twentieth-century names. He has enjoyed a long collaboration with the British composer Bernard Hughes, having given the first performance of his Bagatelles for piano and participated in the first performances of his chamber opera Dumbfounded! at the Riverside Studios, London. In 2022, his recording of Hughes's complete music for solo piano will be released on the Divine Art label. www.matthewmillsmusic.online