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Learning to sight read music is an essential skill for any aspiring musician. Sight reading is playing or singing a musical work for the first time without ever practicing it. Though it’s a challenge at first, cultivating this ability will help you master new pieces more quickly.  To guide you through the process, the instructors at the Suzuki Music School of Maryland, in Columbia, MD, have put together a few tips to keep in mind.

3 Tips for Better Music Reading

1. Remember to Breathe

When learning something new, whether it’s in front of your music education instructor or alone in your room, it’s easy to get stressed out. For many people, this stress forces their muscles to tense and restricts their breathing, making it more difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. Before you begin to read music, take a deep breath and relax. Any time you feel your muscles tensing, check in with your breathing and take a moment to readjust.

2. Keep Your Confidence

Read-musicThe first time playing a piece is a challenge, even for experienced musicians. For those still learning the fundamentals, it’s easy to feel hesitant, and don’t let a few small mistakes discourage you!  Approach a new musical work the way you would a piece you’ve practiced a hundred times; eventually, it will feel just as familiar.

3. Trust Yourself

If you’re sight reading a piece with other musicians, don’t let their performance draw you away from what you know the music is telling you to do. Focus on your own part as others may have misread the rhythm or the notes themselves. Instead, trust your instinct and be confident.

Whether you’re just starting to sight read music or are looking for experienced instructors to further help you develop that skill as part of your music education, the staff at Suzuki Music School of Maryland can help. They offer lessons for a range of instruments, including the piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, guitar, and voice.  Visit their website for more information on their music education classes and call (410) 964-1983 to register for lessons  and classes today.

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