A little bit of parent support with consistency can make a HUGE difference to young piano students. Here’s a few recent examples that got my student practising.
Be interested in what your child learned in solo piano lessons
Children and teens who don’t practise immediately after their solo piano lessons often forget what they’ve been taught.
Parents can help with retention by asking their children what they learned in piano class. And by organizing a short practise sessions so their child can review new learning while it’s still fresh.
Setting Alarms & Reminders
Students can forget and miss their lessons. They can mix up lesson time-schedules and forget it’s practise time. They can get involved in other tasks and lose track of the time. This can be a frequent occurrence with some students. Setting alarms and reminders help.
My recommendation is to set an alarm 30 minutes before the student needs to leave or prepare for lessons. Alarms set with a snooze option give students time to complete tasks they’re doing and take a break. And then move to a piano activity.
Listening To Your Child Play For Enjoyment
Piano students who practise well usually have parents who express enjoyment when listening to their children playing.
A parent listening to her beginner level child playing with a lot of mistakes, stops & re-starts might say:
“It’s so lovely to hear you play, can you play that again!” or “That’s so much better than the last time you played it!” or “You’re playing it with a lot more confidence!” And then follow with “I’d love to hear it again.”
A child might play again. Or might react with “Can I practise a little and then call you to listen to me play after that?” Both of these are an indication that you’re a parent who’s skilled at motivating your child.
Just getting a child to play something a few times helps. Some mistakes get ironed out, not because the parent pointed them out, but because repetition helps children listen and self-correct. It’s the first step towards independence in learning.
Dear Piano Parent,
YOU are the single and most important reason your child will go to the piano and practise everyday. The way you balance interest in your child’s piano playing with his/her need to develop confidence and learn independently, matters.
The best way to understand this balance is to be aware of what your child learns in piano class. And to communicate with your child’s piano teacher when there’s need. Your child’s teacher will reach out to you. There’s always a way to find time to communicate, despite both you and your child’s piano teacher having busy schedules.
All parents and children need time with each other. And children especially, need time with their parents, so they learn how to live and how to learn. Piano practise and music are a lovely way for families to spend time together.
To parents, teachers and students working together towards a common goal.
Best wishes,
Anitaelise.
Other posts from The Piano Lesson Diaries here.
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