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William Merritt Chase - The Keynote, 1915
I'm often asked how parents can facilitate practicing at home, when I am not there. This seems especially troubling if the child in question isn't gravitating towards the piano or seems completely lost when they get there. Here are some tips and tricks about practicing.
1. PROMTPS Remember that I use a lot of prompts and tools in the lesson that you might not have at home. We can either come up with an at-home version, or there will be some transition between how dependant students are on the prompts and that will definitely influence comfort when practicing.
Examples include : letter blotter for behind the piano keys or colours used in Muisic for Little Mozarts.
Don't be afraid to experiment. You can write the letters on a keyboard in permanent marker if you plan on upgrading to a piano one day or it usually wipes off with nail polish remover. (Don't do this on an acousitc piano!)
2. PRAISE Try to encourage practicing as a performance or as a special activity! This could include sitting in the room with your child, listening attentively beside them even if you don't know what they're doing. Praising them specifically for practicing is really effective and they will start to gravitate towards the piano. Even setting something like an egg timer can really amp up their feeling of success if they've sat and practiced for a whole 15 minutes.
3. TOGETHERNESS Having the piano/keyboard in a central area like in the kitchen or dining can be conducive to being together. I loved to practice while my mum was cooking and we put the keyboard right against a kitchen wall. If the piano is in the basement or 'out of the way' so the sounds aren't bothering anyone, it requires a lot more initiative to practice if you're alone. Plus, in a central location, the piano has been known to unite siblings!!!!!
4. HELP! If you hear your child struggling with a piece, break it down with them and make smaller sections for them to do each day. You don't need to be able to read music to do that.
5. SELF-START Remember that our ultimate goal is to have students practice on their own volition. I strive to make our lessons as engaged as possible so that my students walk away feeling confident about the homework they are given.
My students also ask if I practice. The answer I give them is "yes, of course" but it is a bit more complicated. I have always struggled with practicing.
I quit RCM when I finished elementary school and went on to study Jazz Piano with Brian Rudolph at Humber College. Brian knew I barely practiced and would tease me about it, but I stuck with it and looking back now I could have gained so much if I wasn't such a gloomy teenager. Brian eventually went on to help me get into Humber and UofT - thanks Brian!
When I was at Humber College doing a certificate in Music Performance I practiced for an average of 5 hours everyday, sometimes way more. I started to lose my mind. I even wrote all my practicing down and made a journal. This journal went with me everywhere and so much of my identity was about practicing and needing to practice. Ultimately, I burned out and didn't practice for esentially 3 years after that (during my undergrad). When I became more positive and more balanced in my non-musical life which allowed me to practice and enjoy it!
It's challenging as an adult to confront something you are 'bad' at and children are always being formed and told to improve. Improve spelling, reading, math, french, skating, singing, piano, karate.... the list goes on. Be cleaner, be smarter, be quicker, be nicer.... So the question is how do we raise these children up to meet the standards we are setting. Incorporating the tips above will allow practicing to be a really special time with your child. I know that piano practice won't always feel like a triumph but I do hope it is an extension of confidence building, problem solving and self-discovery.