Play the wrong note and keep the song alive

A student who restarts every time they make a mistake is practising the beginning more than the piece. They are also practising the very response that will be least helpful in a group. If the singer is in verse two, nobody is coming back to the start to meet them.

Pick a short, familiar song and agree three re-entry points. Have someone keep the beat while the player deliberately leaves out two measures and joins at the next point. Then play from each checkpoint cold. Move those landmarks as the student becomes comfortable. A chord change, a lyric or another player’s entrance can each be a stronger cue than a measure number.

Keep a separate practice where you stop and fix the difficult spot. Slow it down, work out a fingering and test it in context. Recovery and repair are two jobs a musician needs to practise separately before they can choose between them during a performance.

After a take, ask a listener what they noticed. They may have heard the pause as intentional. Recovering well gives the student a way to stay engaged after a slip, and gives everyone else a way to keep playing.