Frequently Asked Questions
What if my internet connection goes out while I'm practicing?
Losing internet while practicing doesn't mean you'll lose your journal entries or time! For the most part, if your connection is weak, SPJ will just hold your data until the connection comes back online. You can even work completely offline (airplane mode = fewer distractions) if you wish. While offline, SPJ will display a red line above the main menu:
The only thing to remember is that the SPJ must be open and on your screen in order for your data to be uploaded to our servers. This means that if you use the SPJ in offline mode, and close the web browser or app, you'll need to open it again once you're online in order to save the data. All your practice notes will be safe on your device until you do that, but if you throw your phone into the East River, well, we may not be able to recover your data from that one. In that incredibly unlikely event, you can always backlog journal entries!
How do I install the SPJ on my phone (or other device)?
The Structured Practice Journal is a progressive web app, which means it can be installed on your device. If your device supports this, you'll see an "Install" option in the settings menu. Select it and follow the instructions.
Please be aware that Progressive Web Apps are a relatively new technology, and different phone and tablet manufacturers place different restrictions on them. For the most part, this shouldn't affect your use of SPJ, but on some devices you may find that the audio recorder is unavailable in PWA mode.
How do I set up my teaching studio?
- Go to the “Settings” menu at the top right of the screen and select “Education Settings”
- Click the “Add Studio” button on the right side of the “Your Studios” panel.
- Enter the name you’d like your studio to have, and your name as you’d like your students to see it in their journals.
- Create a studio “code.” This is what your students will enter when to join your studio and connect their account to yours. The studio code is case sensitive. We recommend keeping it short and simple to make it easier for your students to enter. For example, Dr. Flegg’s studio code might be simply “flegg.”
- You may create as many studios as you would like. This can be very helpful if you teach at more than one location, or have students enrolled for multiple lessons each week (this would keep their lesson notes separate)
- Click “Add Studio” at the bottom of the form to save your new studio
- Give your students the appropriate studio code and send them to app.structuredpracticemethod.com/signup - they will enter their code there, create their accounts, and the Structured Practice Journal will take it from there!
What happens if I make a practice item a "container?"
Practice Item Containers are a great feature of the SPJ, but they can be a little tricky to understand at first. Basically, a Container is a practice item that you're using like a folder. You don't want to practice the folder, you want to work on the things inside. When you're done with them, the folder will go away.
For example, let's say you have a routine where you practice scales every day, alternating through major, natural, harmonic and melodic minor. You want to play a scale set every day, but you only want to play ONE. You would set it up like this:
As you can see in the image, you have a "Scales" practice item, with four sub-items, one for each type of scale you want to practice. The settings for "Scales" would look like this:
Setting "Minimum Sub Items" to "1" means at least one practice item will show up every day and "Maximum Sub Items" to "1" means no more than one will show up. That way, if you forget to practice it today, you wont skip that scale, the whole rotation gets pushed forward. You can adjust the minimums and maximums to build your perfect daily routine.