Printed from the MusicK8.com Idea Bank

Difference Between Play, Practice, and Perform

Submitted by Martha Stanley, Tallahassee, Florida

Idea posted 2008-03-14

I have been refining the "What Would Mrs. Stanley Say" bit. I have found that telling the kids about the three "P"s seems to be getting things across a little better. The three "P"s are: play, practice, and perform. If I point out how this is also used in sports, students have another connection.

The short definitions:

Playing: mostly for fun
Practice: playing by yourself and asking yourself questions about how to improve
Performing: playing for an audience and it counts

A performance can be for your cat, your grandma, or for me for a grade or even for the talent show. A football performance is a game where you're trying to outscore the other team.

Can a football team just play and then perform? Sure - but what are the results? Can you just play it poorly 7000 times and expect to get an A?

When they see the connection to sports, they understand the difference among the three "P"s.