The Parent's Guide to Piano
A Comprehensive Guide to Music Education
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Early Childhood Music
When to Start Lessons
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Learning Environment
A Balanced Education
The Lessons
Practicing Piano
Piano Technique
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Piano Quotes
Practicing the Piano
"Why the hell would a seven year old kid want to practice when he could be outside playing with his friends? If he has some inclination, some talent, its necessary to guide him."
Integrate Music and Education
Would you let your son or daughter skip school? Blow off their homework?
Integrate music into your child's education. Decide to make music an essential part of their life. Submerse them in music and they won't be able to live without it.
Structured Practice
Create a routine. Stability will help them know what is expected. Pick a regular time for them to practice and maintain your schedule. Sit down with them and help them. Be the teacher's assistant.
Meeting Challenges
Teach your child how to embrace challenges. If they learn how to enjoy tackling challenges instead of dreading them they can conquer anything. In order to learn how to embrace a challenge, the child has to believe they can beat that challenge from memories of past success. Therefore, you must walk them through a win. Don't make their first few challenges to difficult. Take music one step at a time from one element to the next.
Repetition
If the child reinforces an incorrect behaviour or action, they are doing more damage than good. It is essential that whatever the child practices is correct. Learn what is correct and during the weekly practice sessions reinforce and reward these actions and behaviours.
Creative Practicing
Repetition is key but avoiding boredom and drudgery is of the utmost importance. If the child loses their attention and begins repeating something mindlessly, stop them immediately. They are just reinforcing poor concentration.
Find ways to create new challenges for the student. You will know if the challenge is to difficult by the way they react. The student knows whether or not they can conquer a challenge. Keep new challenges easy and they will never get bored.
"I wouldn't be a pianist today if my mother hadn't made me practice. I sometimes balked at doing it but I always loved to play the piano."
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