On Practice: Reading
By Daniel Roest
Read this: Reading is an absolutely essential skill for any musician. It's how you access music. It's how music is represented on a page, and you need to develop this ability. Just spend 25% of your practice time reading. Read both old, familiar and new, interesting music for maximum growth.
Reading is an unavoidable part of playing with other musicians. When I work with a flutist at a wedding, one piece after another goes up on the stand. We both have to be synced to keep it flowing. Learn to read now to be able to read on the job later. Whether you work as a musician or not, you need to be able to read to access your repertoire as it grows.
