Whether you are self-taught or taking music lessons with an instructor, sight-reading is an important skill to practice as you progress in your musical training. Like ear training, the better you develop your sight-reading skills, the quicker you will be able to learn new repertoire completely on your own.

As a music teacher, it has been my observation that students often will look at a piece of music very briefly. Then, they effectively throw themselves into playing right away, clearly just hoping for the best. There are several ways to approach the challenge of sight-reading, however, that prove to be much more productive.

Check out this post, “10 Tips and Tricks for Sight Reading Music” from Musicnotes. In the post, they lay out many great ‘tips and tricks’ to help students improve their sight-reading skills. Utilize these, and you will have a much easier and more enjoyable time working through the process. Not to mention, you’ll be able to play effortlessly through any sheet music in front of you. Happy Practicing!