Practice, Practice, Practice!
I recently began teaching piano to my five year old son, Leigh. He is a bright and eager student and we are having a lot of fun together during our weekly lessons. Practice however, is a different story. Leigh is giving me a major crash course in what it means to be a piano parent. My husband in his new role of piano parent has also been a great source of insight. He has almost zero musical background. When I suggested he help Leigh practice he looked at me like I had two heads and pleaded ignorance. I've come to the realization that I need to do a better job of helping parents help their children succeed at the piano! In the weeks to come, I will be sending home new practice instructions and will be posting a series of practice tips on my Facebook page as I get that up and running. In the meantime, here are some ideas to help you get involved with your child's piano practice.
1) Establish a routine
I cannot stress enough how important this is. If I wait until some free time to present itself to ask Leigh if he wants to practice, I guarantee you that practice will be minimal and will be met with resistance. Sit down with you child and choose a time in your daily schedule to set aside for piano practice. After dinner has worked well for us, but some students do best in the morning before school or earlier in the afternoon. Now, after dinner, all I have to do is remind him it is time to practice and he goes without complaint to the piano because it is an expected part of our daily routine. Sometimes on days when I am harried, he is the one to remind me it is time to practice!
2) Be involved
Though musical performance is a means of communication, music practice can be a very isolating experience. Your presence can go a long way to prevent negative feeling of isolation. The level of your involvement will depend on the age and temperament of your child, but it is essential that you are involved. For very young children, you will need sit with them and help them follow their practice directions. Leigh eats up the attention he gets during piano practice and it has become a special time in our day. With older children, simply being nearby and available to listen may be enough. Check that they are completing the assignments on their weekly list. While it is important that they have your attention and see that you value their efforts, please do not criticize and correct details of their performance beyond giving reminders to follow specific suggestions I have assigned. Give them time to work through challenges on their own and let me see where they need more help at their lessons.
3) Be a cheerleader
Your interest and encouragement is essential to showing your child that you value music and appreciate their work. Music students don't often get to hear cheers and encouragement the way they do in athletics, but they need it just as much. Acknowledge the effort they are putting into their practice. Effective piano practice sounds different from polished piano performance. If you hear your child repeating a difficult passage over and over again or hear them stop and work out a part that is making them stumble, empathize with any frustration and praise their effort! It may not be the most pleasant thing to listen to, but it is a necessary part of learning and practicing. Acknowledge the music, too. Comment on some detail of a piece or a feeling or overall impression that they are creating with their music. Try saying something like, "I loved the first piece you played. It is so dreamy/exciting/sorrowful. Can I hear it again?" Acknowledge the beauty of the instrument. Say something like, "It's so nice to hear the rich tones of the piano in our house. I like the way the low sounds reverberate through the house," or "Those high notes sound so bright." In addition to routine practice, make some time for your child to put on a special performance for you, your family, or friends so that they have a chance to show off the results of all their hard work.
The majority of piano progress happens during at home practice. The shining stars in my studio are not the ones blessed with natural talent. The real stand outs are the students who practice consistently and make steady progress. What has helped practice go smoothly in your home?
