Piano practice hints |
2. I like to see my students divide their practice time into three separate stages.
- Technique should be first. My early elementary students should warm up with five finger patterns hands separately and hands together. Late elementary classes should be able to play five finger patterns in all keys.
- Practice of new literature. This should be the bulk of the practice time. Students should practice slowly and always have their materials at the piano.
- Review of past literature. The practice time should always end with a review of past literature.
3. Remember that piano lessons are always designed to teach the child how to practice. Group lessons can produce excellent results if the student follows through daily with their practice.
4. Also ask your child to play in public as much as possible. All the small performance opportunities help build self‑confidence. It is a long road to develop the ability of the complete musician and it starts with very small steps that will eventually lead to the child looking forward to performing in public.
5. Music study gives the child an added dimension to learning that cannot be found in any other discipline. Make sure that your child has the chance to get over some of the difficult hurdles in learning how to read music and develop technique by staying with one instrument. Switching from one instrument to another usually leads to a lack of consistency.
6. Finally, take your child to as many live performances as possible. There is no substitute for the actual connection of the performer with the audience. We are very fortunate to live in an area that offers so many opportunities for concerts and musical performances.
