| Pulling Out Your Hair? Practice Survival Tips for Parents |
Rewarding Practice
At Signature School of Music we put high
importance on the value of practicing.
This is because we know there is a limited
amount of teaching we can do at a weekly
lesson without full effort at home each and
every day. However, we know that for
parents, practice time can be much worse
than for the student! Endless reminders,
battles, and fighting to get your child to
the piano and stay there can seem like
maybe piano “just isn’t worth it.” Yes it
is! You can make it! And we want to
help. Here are some helpful hints that just
might help you make it through one more
week of practice (without banging your
head on the wall to the rhythm of the
music).
At Signature School of Music we put high
importance on the value of practicing.
This is because we know there is a limited
amount of teaching we can do at a weekly
lesson without full effort at home each and
every day. However, we know that for
parents, practice time can be much worse
than for the student! Endless reminders,
battles, and fighting to get your child to
the piano and stay there can seem like
maybe piano “just isn’t worth it.” Yes it
is! You can make it! And we want to
help. Here are some helpful hints that just
might help you make it through one more
week of practice (without banging your
head on the wall to the rhythm of the
music).
- Reward your child for practicing!
Don’t punish for lack of practice. . .
reward for practicing without a
reminder from a parent, or even for
practicing before school. One family
gives their child one dollar every
time he gets his practice in before
the bus comes in the morning. This
works wonderfully! Mom and Dad
know quality practice is taking
place, and the student gets
practicing out of the way so he can
enjoy his evening after school or
concentrate on sports. - If you use allowance in conjunction
with piano, please use it to
reinforce practicing, not for passing
a song. I’ve had students in the
past burst into tears when they didn’
t get a sticker. I later found out that
allowance was being withheld if they
didn’t learn all their songs
perfectly. Augh! This threw me
into a panic! I had a huge pressure
on me, as a teacher, knowing my
student wouldn’t get his dollar for
the week if I didn’t think the song
was perfect! That’s not what we
are striving for, folks. However, I
would recommend rewarding your
child for diligently practicing each
day, just like making his bed, doing
homework, or any other household
chore.
For Parents
What's My Role?
You may be wondering about your role as a
parent in this whole piano lessons thing. When
do you back off? Here are a few suggestions
from experienced piano teacher, Lorrie Walsh,
and mother of three piano students:
"Frazzled parents, don’t worry! The answer to
'How involved should I get in my child’s
practice?' is 'Not very much.' But, there are a
few simple things you can do to make sure that
your child is getting the most from his or her
practice time:
Encourage your child to work on all the
components of their piece, especially their
tempo and dynamics. It’s not okay just to get
the notes right. Their music should be
expressive. Each piece has a marking such as
“lively,” “with zip,” or “peacefully.” Your child
should try to create a feeling using these
markings, as well as the title of the piece, as
their guide. Ask them how they want you to
feel when you hear their piece.
Dynamics, dynamics, dynamics! Each piece is
filled with them, and a child should be
practicing their dynamics all week long. It’s
easy for a teacher to tell when a child tries to
“add them in” on lesson day. . .it doesn’t work.
If every piece sounds like it’s being played at
the same volume, then your child probably isn’t
practicing their dynamics.
Most of these suggestions do not require much
time on your part. It can be as simple as
listening from another room and calling out a
comment or question every so often. Most
importantly, your child needs to know that you
care and that you support them."
You may be wondering about your role as a
parent in this whole piano lessons thing. When
do you back off? Here are a few suggestions
from experienced piano teacher, Lorrie Walsh,
and mother of three piano students:
"Frazzled parents, don’t worry! The answer to
'How involved should I get in my child’s
practice?' is 'Not very much.' But, there are a
few simple things you can do to make sure that
your child is getting the most from his or her
practice time:
Encourage your child to work on all the
components of their piece, especially their
tempo and dynamics. It’s not okay just to get
the notes right. Their music should be
expressive. Each piece has a marking such as
“lively,” “with zip,” or “peacefully.” Your child
should try to create a feeling using these
markings, as well as the title of the piece, as
their guide. Ask them how they want you to
feel when you hear their piece.
Dynamics, dynamics, dynamics! Each piece is
filled with them, and a child should be
practicing their dynamics all week long. It’s
easy for a teacher to tell when a child tries to
“add them in” on lesson day. . .it doesn’t work.
If every piece sounds like it’s being played at
the same volume, then your child probably isn’t
practicing their dynamics.
Most of these suggestions do not require much
time on your part. It can be as simple as
listening from another room and calling out a
comment or question every so often. Most
importantly, your child needs to know that you
care and that you support them."
Repetition is Key!
Remind your child to practice each assigned song at least three times daily. Even if the song appears to come
easily to the student, repetition is the key to successful learning. Each time the song is repeated, the student
should work on a “trouble spot,” such as: wrong notes, a difficult ending, dynamics, tempo (the speed of the
song), or tricky rhythms. A song should be practiced three times in succession, and then the student may move
onto other assigned material. Encourage your child—it makes a difference!
Remind your child to practice each assigned song at least three times daily. Even if the song appears to come
easily to the student, repetition is the key to successful learning. Each time the song is repeated, the student
should work on a “trouble spot,” such as: wrong notes, a difficult ending, dynamics, tempo (the speed of the
song), or tricky rhythms. A song should be practiced three times in succession, and then the student may move
onto other assigned material. Encourage your child—it makes a difference!