|
Tips to help your child practice
School is well underway now and it’s time to help you or your children succeed by practicing the piano. There are a variety of ways to promote good habits. Here are some simple suggestions.
1. The Magic Three. For students who have just begun, I recommend that they play each new song three times each day. For most students that will take all of five minutes.
2. Listen to the new songs. On the day your child has a piano lesson, ask them to play all of their new songs. That will reinforce what they have just learned and give you an idea of what to listen for.
3. Don’t be too tidy. Allow your child to leave the books out. That way if they just walk past the piano they will be tempted to sit down and practice. Keep it open like a working office.
4. Keep the piano in a lively place. If your piano is in the living room or family room, spontaneous practice is more likely to happen. If you have the piano shut away in a separate room (or in the basement) it will seem like a punishment to be locked up with. You can even keep it close to the television. Whenever there is a commercial break, hit the mute button and ask for a little concert.
5. Prepare for the next lesson. On the night before the next lesson sit down and ask your child to play everything they should have ready. Then help them put their books together and place them by the front door so that you remember to take them along before school in the morning.
6. Praise, praise, praise. Even if you don’t know how to play or read music, you can praise your child for the good habit of practicing. Some parents reward their children with a special treat if they practice every day. My students know that if they practice every day they will be rewarded with a trip to the “prize box” at my house.
7. Choose a regular time to practice. Help your child to find a good time to practice daily. Immediately after school is good, but if you have after-school activities, you may want to set up a regular piano practice time after supper. Some of my students practice regularly in the morning BEFORE school. My mother had a great method: I could wipe the dishes or provide music while my sisters cleared up after supper. You can imagine which I chose. My father always asked me to play one more song before I went to bed.
These are just a few suggestions for beginners. In later posts we’ll discuss practice and performance for more advanced students.
My students are settled in to their routines and I am very pleased with their progress. Just today I ordered new Christmas music and I am excited to get the delivery and play through the new works.
|
