Does Kenny G Still Practice?

Kenny G is a world-renowned American saxophonist and one of the best-selling Grammy Award-winning artists of all time. His music was the smooth jazz soundtrack of our lives in the eighties and nineties. Many listeners wondered how he could hold a note so long without passing out until we heard rumors that he taught himself to breathe through his nose while still blowing out of his mouth. I have tried to emulate this without success. Try it. Your results may be just as embarrassing as mine.

You’d think that someone with such incredible talent and such an illustrious career would be able to rest a bit, sit at the top of that “I’ve made it” perch, and enjoy the view. So, it’s a bit surprising to find out that all these years later, he still practices three hours a day.

In an interview with Rachel Belle, Kenny said that he requested they meet at 11 because he practices from 7 to 10 every morning. Can you imagine?

What can our readers learn from this? If nothing else, greatness requires practice. Our students can’t hope to be fluent, accurate, deeply thinking readers if they read for only the briefest amount of time each day. I am discouraged by the lack of time some students have to read self-selected books. I’ve had upper elementary teachers share that their students get about six minutes a day to read. We can’t possibly hope to create lifelong readers if we aren’t instilling those habits now. We must take a brutally honest look at what is stealing their reading time, give it back, and then provide just-in-time support. The reading time combined with support is really the secret to success. As Miller and Moss (2013) say, “Research shows that independent reading must be accompanied by intentional instruction and conferring.” Our students deserve it. Their futures depend on it. Let’s make practice time sacred.