I started learning Piano around 4 months back, a month after I reached 50. In spite of not enough practice and often missed sessions, my tutor says that I am making "decent" progress, for my age and inexperience of any instrument.
He's been pointing out that when I play those small meody pieces, I don't sing out the notes. I am finding it difficult. I sight read for the first few times with little effort and then it kind of gets in my memory. But I know that I tend to make occasionak mistakes while playing from memory. However, trying to sing out the notes, slows me down almost by half. Like if I have progressed to play a reasonably advanced (my novice standards) at 150 bpm, if I have to read and sing out the notes, then I will be at 80 and if I have to look at my finger and sing out, then I will be at 100. I feel frustrated!!
Am I doing it wrong? How important is it to read and sing the notes while playing melody?