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. A Once A Week HW Check My students mark out homework in their book indexes or note down no-book assignments in their HW Book during lesson. I updateContinue reading “Three Occasions Where Parent Support Made A Difference”
Author Archives: Anitaelise
Understanding Teacher Feedback in Piano Lessons
Parents feel thrilled when their children spend time at the piano daily, yet often, something isn’t going well. They expect glowing feedback from their child’s piano teacher and get lukewarm.
The teacher comments on small achievements, but also on a surprising level of stuff their children haven’t learned. It’s confusing for both parents and students because one would think that just spending time at the piano is enough.
So here’s a guide to help you assess the quality of your child’s daily piano practise.
Why Kids Need Parent Involvement in Piano Learning
A piano parent once commented that I’m very unlike their child’s earlier piano teacher because I interact quite often with parents.
This student enrolled in piano lessons with me because he wasn’t practising and had lost interest in learning with his earlier teacher. Began lessons with great enthusiasm. Then practise began to falter. I called the parent in – to attend a lessons once in a way – so we could find a way to get practise going. And it worked!
Do students need parent support to learn in solo piano lessons?
The best way I can talk about this is with examples from my past teaching experiences.
Amping Up Piano Practise In 2025
Our Sight-Reading Challenge of 2024 ended in October 2024. Then, it was Diwali celebrations, school examinations and Christmas. Some students practised and some began to make erratic practise their norm.
‘What Helps Young Piano Students Practise?’
I’d like to talk about piano students who enroll in piano lessons with me for the first time and what it takes to get these students practising. Particularly young piano students who can’t use practise apps because of restricted or parent supervised access to devices and to internet access.
Until You Find Your Place
Dear Students, I hope you think on these words as you journey through life, face it’s many challenges, and learn. And as you pick yourself up when things don’t quite work out the way you had expected, and look for a different path. Sometimes starting over.
Thank You Dear Readers
A heartfelt thank you to you, my readers, for taking the time to read, comment, and think on my writing. And to my fellow bloggers because it’s been so interesting to read your writings and talk to you.
My Journey – March 2020 to January 2022
A decision in January of 2022 brought me a quiet that had been missing from my life since covid19 hit the world. WhatsApp Replaces Real in March 2020 The Lockdown of March 2020 brought social isolation and took my piano teaching studio online. It was a time of tremendous change for all. Devices got busyContinue reading “My Journey – March 2020 to January 2022”
Book Review : Music Teaching Made Profitable
Music teachers often start their teaching careers thinking that knowledge of music and teaching is enough. Paying little attention to the business-side of teaching and learning about it through trial and error. There’s a wide range of people offering teaching in the music field here in India, ranging from students with a year of studyContinue reading “Book Review : Music Teaching Made Profitable”
Organizing Piano Practise
Very simply put, practise organization is effective workflow management techniques applied to piano practise. And also, applied to daily living. So piano students can fit piano practise into their busy study or work schedules in a relaxed way.
An Update on The Lockdown Piano Lessons Challenge
The Lockdown Piano Lessons Challenge helped me talk on student specific challenges that either get in the way of online lessons, or daily piano practise.
Here’s how it went…
The Lockdown Piano Lessons Challenge
A challenge for those of you who want to have some fun and learn a few tricks that will make online learning a breeze.
A Students Guide To Online Piano Lessons
The best set-up for online lessons is a computer or laptop with a digital camera and tripod. This isn’t workable for many piano students and students often prefer to set-up for once a week online piano lessons without much investment, using a device they already have – either cellphones or tablets. So here’s some ideasContinue reading “A Students Guide To Online Piano Lessons”
The Piano Practise’r’s
They go to the piano on days that are sad, On days they feel happy, or to let out their mad. On days that go well and on days they feel taxed, Because, most important of all – they play to relax. Listen to music for joy – not as homework. Different genres and stylesContinue reading “The Piano Practise’r’s”
A guide to buying a suitable piano bench
This post talks about piano posture, what to consider when buying a piano bench & where the Indian student can find piano benches to suit different budgets. Plus an easy low-budget solution for a low piano bench. Practising on a basic keyboard during the early years of piano class Many Indian students buy basic 5-octaveContinue reading “A guide to buying a suitable piano bench”
What Piano Practise Is
Piano practise is an exploration of some work, or a section of that work, using a method or technique of exploration that is taught during piano lessons, to achieve a specific goal. Here’s a short reminder of what piano practise is Correctly shaped hands. Different from playing a piece. Repetition. Good posture. Short slots withContinue reading “What Piano Practise Is”
Book Review : The Art of Piano Fingering
The Art of Piano Fingering by Rami Bar-Niv is a wonderfully detailed exploration of piano fingering. It’s become my textbook for when I get stuck with fingering and need to study it in relation to playing technique, hand size and the kind of effect that a passage of piano music requires the pianist to produce.Continue reading “Book Review : The Art of Piano Fingering”
7 Scheduling Tips for Relaxed Piano Practise
The way piano practise is scheduled matters. Students who manage their piano practise schedule well also learn, in the process, to manage their daily schedule well. They practise less and achieve more because they’re more relaxed. This fosters better piano playing technique and helps students move to challenging repertoire easily. The aim of good practiseContinue reading “7 Scheduling Tips for Relaxed Piano Practise”
15 Steps To Effective Learning In Piano Class
Some students learn very slowly during the first few months of piano lessons while others learn very quick. The way to quick learning is often quite simple. So here’s 15 easy steps to effective learning in piano class. Prraaacctise!
Teaching my first Skype piano class
I first tried online piano teaching in 2016, when I stopped teaching in Bandra and started teaching full time in Kharghar Navi Mumbai. My student, a 9 year old boy, wasn’t yet ready to move on to a new piano teacher and needed to continue lessons with me until he was. He therefore decided toContinue reading “Teaching my first Skype piano class”
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