The Art Of Practicing

Practice Suggestions

Learning any new skill requires practice; the same is true for learning to play the piano. As a parent you can play a significant role in helping your child over the burdens of practice.

How much should my child practice?

How long your child should practice depends on his age and grade. I will recommend a practice schedule which begins with a short amount of time and increases as your child’s attention span increases.

Here is a general practice guide:

15 minutes a day for the first few months
20 minutes a day for the next 6 months
30 minutes a day for the first few years

More practice time will be required in succeeding years, depending on the child’s interests and responsibilities in school and at home.

Encourage your child to write his practice time down in a music notebook. It is important for the teacher to know your child’s practice record, because sometimes even though a great deal of practice time to produce good results. By comparing the practice time with the results, I can help accordingly.

Regarding practice time, it is not necessarily quantity that counts, but quality. Therefore, fifteen or twenty minutes of daily concentrated practice usually results in steady progress for the beginner.

When and how often should my child practice?

A child will respond more readily to his practice time if he has a regular time set aside each day. The scheduling of practice time should be given careful consideration to avoid conflicts with favorite TV programs, play periods, homework and other after school activities.

If your child’s attention span is short, use two short practice sessions: perhaps one before school, and one in the afternoon or evening. If your child arises early, the time before school is especially useful for practice, because there is no conflict from TV, play and scheduled activities.

Establish a routine which will become a daily habit. You will be surprised to find that your child will come to think of his practice time as a daily routine.

Daily practice is recommended because practice should not be crammed before the lesson.

Be careful how you approach the practice time. Use gentle persuasion rather than brute force to get your child to the piano bench. Don’t tell your child to “get in there and practice or you’ll lose privileges using Ipad.” Rather, encourage your child to practice. Tell him you enjoy hearing him play, that he has done a great job so far this week, and that you are eager to hear what he can accomplish each day. Be quick to praise what he has done in practice sessions and slow to criticize. Also, be a bit flexible with a daily routine. If a conflict comes up during the regular practice time, adjust to another time to avoid antagonism and hostility from your child.

What about missed practice periods due to unavoidable conflicts, such as doctor’s or dentist’s appointments, relatives or friends visiting, special trips, etc.? Conflict such as these will occur; therefore, a little longer time can be given to succeeding practice sessions, and more time on weekends can be utilized.

Should I help my child practice?

Nearly every child needs help between lessons.
A guiding hand at home will be very helpful for your child and will please a grateful teacher. The language your child is learning is one totally unfamiliar and abstract to him—note and rest names, counting time, clef signs, key signatures, interval names, chord names, expression marks and Italian words. This is quite a big ordeal for a child to learn on his own.

Children have a way of scattering things. Make sure all materials are in one place before your child starts to practice to avoid using up “practice time” for a room-to-room search.

When your child is practicing, try to keep him free from interruptions (dogs and cats, brothers and sisters, stereo or TV noise, etc.). Make sure his place of practice is quiet and well lit—a place which is generally conductive to concentration.

Check your child's posture and hand position at the piano. Maintain to play in a good posture and a loose hand position by all the fingers resting on the keys.

It is helpful for the beginner if the parent is nearby during practice sessions. If your child willingly accepts help, you can tactfully assist him in making sure he understands the directions in his music book, helping him with notes, counting time, etc., and encouraging him to “try it once again.”

If for some reason you cannot be in the room for any or all of the practice time, set aside several times during the week to hear your child’s lesson. Your child will be eager to show you what he has accomplished, and you can bolster and encourage him by such phrases as: “It sounds beautiful”; “I love to hear you play’; or, “I’m so pleased how well you have done this week.” Positive remarks will give your child confidence, which is what will be needed when

Patience, persistence, enthusiasm and encouragement on your part will anchor your child’s musical interest.

What if I don’t know anything about music?

You don’t need to be a skilled musician to help your child practice, at least in the beginning stages. What is mainly needed from you is an interest in your child’s accomplishments. A conscientious effort on your part to organize your child’s practice time, make sure the assignment is completed and give encouragement at home will be suffice.

By helping your child practice from the beginning, you will learn basic music information which is easy to comprehend, even if you know nothing about music. In the beginning some standard folk song arrangements probably will be included among your child’s pieces. If so, you should have no trouble helping in these practice sessions. Encourage your child to sing while practicing. Your will be able to tell if the tune and rhythm are more or less correct. Singing will help develop your child’s “musical ear.”

Many parents become interested in taking lessons themselves through helping their children practice. This is an enjoyable hobby which gives a great deal of satisfaction and fulfillment. It’s never too late to start. You might even surprise yourself!

Should I reward my child for practicing?

Your child is doing you a favor by practicing. For a favor, there should be a reward.

You can reward your child by showing appreciation for his music study in many ways. Praise him by telling him how proud you are of his accomplishments. Reward him with a trip to the zoo, a picnic outing, having a friend spend the night, or by giving him some other type of lessons which he requests. You can also reward him by including his practice as part of his duties toward his weekly allowance. However you reward your child, do it in a way that lets him know that you care about his musical accomplishments, and that you appreciate his efforts.