Help for Parents
Parents Play a Key Role
When I reflect on all the students I’ve taught piano in the past, both in person and through online piano lessons, it really surprises me how widely my students’ needs for encouragement and support can vary. Correspondingly, a parent’s role in piano lessons for kids can look very different from family to family and child to child. Perhaps this revelation shouldn’t come as a surprise to me based on how different my own children are, but teaching my children piano and helping the parents of my students has taught me many valuable lessons over the years.
Consistent Piano Practice
The greatest indicator for progress and success in learning and mastering the piano–like any instrument–is practice. If you’ve played any musical instrument before, you know this to be true. The more you practice, the more you learn; and the more you practice, the easier it is to cover ground and progress quickly. Every student has to practice, but not every student wants to practice. Sometimes an innate spark and interest in piano is enough for a student to want to practice, but consistency is difficult for children in particular.
How to Motivate Piano Students
As a teacher, my role in piano lessons for kids and their success depends on practice at home, in between lessons. That being said, I provide students with practice recording charts and rewards as incentives for consistent practicing through the week. I have found that this helps motivate both children and adult students to be consistent by holding them accountable to me and their classmates, but it often isn’t enough for young kids.
How to Help Your Child Practice Piano
This is where parents make the crucial difference in piano lessons for kids. Parents know their children best, and are best equipped to help them succeed in getting an adequate amount of practice at home. Some choose to bribe their kids with rewards for practicing, while others make it a responsibility with consequences for falling short. If you follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook you will see me post from time to time about the pros and cons to each of these methods. Don’t forget to check out my freebies as well.
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