Good Piano Practice Habits

As a parent, you are the biggest cheerleader for practice in your child’s life.  There is much you can do to encourage great piano practice habits!

• Schedule practice time for your child in your home. Actually notate it on a calendar.
• Supervise the first home practice sessions for younger children. For older children, check in from time to time with your child during a practice once a week and ask to hear a song from the assignment page.
• Keep track of practices in the binder that is provided at lessons.
• Provide feedback for me that might increase the effectiveness of each lesson. Email is the quickest way to do so as there is little time between lessons for conversation with parents.  Texting is another good way to connect with me.  Phone calls are always welcome.  

Ideas to foster musical development outside of piano practice:

• Attend online or live concerts, church or temple services, musicals, and school music concerts.
• Listen to various genres of music from different eras and facilitate a discussion about how the music makes one feel. Was there an emotional response?
• Make a home kitchen band with items that are recycled: cans, larger plastic bottles, buckets. Use chopsticks to play echo rhythms with one another, using a steady beat as much as possible.
• Listen to specific artists or musicals on television and You Tube.
• Ask grandparents about the music they listened to growing up.
• Support your local school’s music specialist by asking if there is something you can do for the class or teacher to support program work in and out of the classroom. Show your student you are interested in all their music making.