
LEARN MUSIC IN LESS TIME
Get better, FASTER | EXPAND your repertoire | Perform with CONFIDENCE
THE HARSH REALITY
Every outstanding musician has a highly developed practice process.
Let me put that another way…
YOU CANNOT BE AN OUTSTANDING MUSICIAN if you don’t have a highly developed practice process.
You are practicing the wrong way if you…
Correct the same mistakes over and over
Mark your music again and again in the same place
Run out of practice time before performance day
Make random mistakes even when you feel prepared
Need a “warm-up” playthrough before playing “for real”
“The problem isn’t you, it’s your process.”
—James Clear, Atomic Habits
CHANGE THE WAY YOU PRACTICE
So you can unlock your true potential and build a fulfilling, sustainable musical life.
Spend less time drilling notes, more time REFINING EXPRESSION
Approach new music with ENTHUSIASM instead of anxiety
Seek performance opportunities with CONFIDENCE
Feel JOYFUL and FULFILLED in your day-to-day musical life
HOW I CAN HELP YOU
Organize and Plan
Tackle new projects with clarity
Balance time between multiple projects
Optimize breaks
Track your progress
Prioritize based on performance date
Diagnose Problems
Identify the core causes of mistakes
Distinguish between technique issues, accuracy issues, and artistry issues
Uncover hidden weaknesses
Determine your proficiency level and corresponding solutions
Build a Solid Performance
Develop kinesthetic awareness
Increase focus and overcome attention difficulties
Execute an ideal exercise and repetition scheme based on your proficiency level
Mark your music effectively
Common Advice vs. Reality
“Be patient. Learning music takes time.”
Yes, learning music takes time, but the process is dynamic and satisfying with the right repetition scheme.
“Set clear goals for each practice session.”
Absolutely. But your goals must stem from a clear and thorough understanding of the long-range practice process. Misguided goal-setting leads to more work in the long run.
“You just need to take a break.”
Sometimes this is true, but a break can really work against you if the issue is something else.
“Don’t be lazy. Do your best every single time.”
”Trying harder” is not a reliable solution. Change what you’re doing, now how hard you’re trying.
“Slow down. Take it two measures at a time.”
The optimal solution varies wildly depending on your proficiency level and how soon your performance is.
“Use your metronome!”
The metronome is an essential tool, but it can also be misused.
I’m a terrible sight-reader. And I don’t memorize. 😝
I thought I wasn’t cut out to be a professional musician because I learned music SO slowly and didn’t have strong sight-reading or memorization skills to fall back on. I was about to give up (or “accept my limitations,” as I told myself), but then my stubborn nature kicked in. I dug in my heels and wielded the superpowers I use on my students: research, creative problem-solving, and compassion.
I sought out and assembled the best practice advice I could find, then began experimenting, organizing, systematizing, and experimenting some more. The result is The Well-Practiced Musician, a comprehensive system for practicing that saved my career and helped me become the musician I always knew I could be.
If you are a motivated musician but feel held back by something, if you can play your heart out with old music but struggle with newly learned music, if you want to unlock your true potential and see what you’re REALLY capable of…
EFFICIENT PRACTICE is the key! 😌
Hi there, my name is Chris Prestia. I’m a keyboard and bowed-string teacher and performer, vocalist, amateur composer, and hang-glider pilot. My degrees are in organ performance and sacred music, and I’ve worked as a church musician my entire career. Through most of those years I also taught private piano and organ lessons, and recently I’ve added cello and violin to my teaching studio. In 2021 I founded The Columbia School of Music, a small commercial teaching studio that serves Columbia, PA, and the surrounding area. Along with that I serve as chair of Create Columbia, a local arts nonprofit that is dedicated to supporting and promoting the local arts community. I perform locally and enjoy putting together recording projects, but choose to dedicate most of my time to teaching and doing lectures and workshops on practice technique.
Looking back at my schooling, I earned my bachelor’s degree at Marywood University where I studied organ under Mark Laubach, choral conducting under Rick Hoffenberg, and voice under Sr. Alphonsa Concilio. I earned my Master’s Degree at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music studying organ under Janette Fishell and choral conducting under Dominick DiOrio. I was usually the student with “good musical ideas,” but lacking in “performance consistency.” Some of my teachers correctly identified my practice issues, but I was unable to solve them at the time, probably because I didn’t recognize how critical practice technique was and didn’t prioritize it accordingly.
Looking at the WPM origin story, it all began when I donated a package of four piano lessons as a door prize to the local high school drama department’s annual fundraiser. The winner was a senior who was going on to pursue a degree in music education. She suggested we use the four lessons to help her prepare for her piano proficiency exam. I thought about what advice I would give a music student before starting their degree program, and the answer came to me immediately— how to practice! I suggested we use the four lessons to work on practice technique instead, and she enthusiastically agreed. As I cobbled together the four-lesson crash course on the subject, I realized there was a real need for a practice technique “method,” as opposed to assortments of “tips and tricks.” The Well-Practiced Musician is that method.