Starting off on the right Hand
Your Child's first piano teacher has a lot of influence on whether or not they continue for years to come or for just a few short months. Here are a few things that can help increase your child's chance of success at learning the piano.
A First Rate Teacher - The teacher can really make or break a student's desire to keep up with lessons, I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "My piano teacher would use a ruler on my knuckles if I hit a wrong note." This is just one example of a student who walks into each and every lesson dreading the experience. When interviewing a teacher over the phone it is more important to ask for credentials than just how much do your lessons cost. The cost of the lessons is often equal to the quality of the lesson that will be received. How has the teacher changed his or her lesson materials in the last 1-15 years? Are they learning about what's new in pedagogy research? When was the piano method they use last updated? Are they a member of a local music teachers association? Do they offer recitals or something similar to provide a performance experience?
A Good Piano - If a child practices on an instrument that is less quality as it is quantity, or on a electronic keyboard with small keys, they are less likely to practice well or want to practice. A full size keyboard or quality piano helps the student's at-home practice transfer to what he or she hears and feels at the lesson, and offers a more rewarding learning experience. Parents who are unsure of a child continuing lessons for the long-term can consider renting a full size piano or keyboard as an alternative to purchasing.
Interested Partners - After awhile if you are stuck going to a room and playing by yourself it's hard to continue to be motivated. By having a parent, friend, or sibling who wants to hear you play or that's interested in what a student is doing, that learner is more likely to stick with the tasks at hand. Also piano is NOT something that is learned in 3 easy lessons; it takes accomplished musicians years. Once the initial fun has wore off it's the partner's job to help the student remember that they have to practice piano, and reinforce that with encouraging feedback.
A Definite Time Schedule for Practice - Just like baseball and hockey have you practicing regularly to help improve your game, the musician must practice regularly to improve. Set aside a specific time at least 5 days a week for practice. I recommend mornings as there is generally less going on before school than after school. It's as simple as getting to the piano 10 minutes a day at first.
Other Good Practice Tools - A metronome, music dictionary, CD or other music player, and recording device.
A First Rate Teacher - The teacher can really make or break a student's desire to keep up with lessons, I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "My piano teacher would use a ruler on my knuckles if I hit a wrong note." This is just one example of a student who walks into each and every lesson dreading the experience. When interviewing a teacher over the phone it is more important to ask for credentials than just how much do your lessons cost. The cost of the lessons is often equal to the quality of the lesson that will be received. How has the teacher changed his or her lesson materials in the last 1-15 years? Are they learning about what's new in pedagogy research? When was the piano method they use last updated? Are they a member of a local music teachers association? Do they offer recitals or something similar to provide a performance experience?
A Good Piano - If a child practices on an instrument that is less quality as it is quantity, or on a electronic keyboard with small keys, they are less likely to practice well or want to practice. A full size keyboard or quality piano helps the student's at-home practice transfer to what he or she hears and feels at the lesson, and offers a more rewarding learning experience. Parents who are unsure of a child continuing lessons for the long-term can consider renting a full size piano or keyboard as an alternative to purchasing.
Interested Partners - After awhile if you are stuck going to a room and playing by yourself it's hard to continue to be motivated. By having a parent, friend, or sibling who wants to hear you play or that's interested in what a student is doing, that learner is more likely to stick with the tasks at hand. Also piano is NOT something that is learned in 3 easy lessons; it takes accomplished musicians years. Once the initial fun has wore off it's the partner's job to help the student remember that they have to practice piano, and reinforce that with encouraging feedback.
A Definite Time Schedule for Practice - Just like baseball and hockey have you practicing regularly to help improve your game, the musician must practice regularly to improve. Set aside a specific time at least 5 days a week for practice. I recommend mornings as there is generally less going on before school than after school. It's as simple as getting to the piano 10 minutes a day at first.
Other Good Practice Tools - A metronome, music dictionary, CD or other music player, and recording device.