My 9-year-old daughter and piano student is working her way through Level 4 of my Busy Kids program and transitioning to independent practice. As we were skimming a new piece of music and she noticed many notes were written on ledger lines, she got a little panicky. She grabbed a pencil, figured out what the ledger line notes were and wrote in the names. Continue reading “Reinforcing Ledger Lines”
Author: carly
Piano Practice for Kids with ADHD
If your child has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), you probably are aware that practicing piano presents challenges. I have worked with many piano students who have ADHD. One of my own children was also diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago. Piano practice for kids with ADHD does not look the same as it does for a typically developing child. I am happy to say that through my own experiences as a mom and piano teacher, I’ve discovered some truly effective strategies when it comes to piano practice for kids with ADHD. Continue reading “Piano Practice for Kids with ADHD”
Teaching Expressive Piano Playing
I often attend workshops and conferences for piano teachers and have the opportunity to observe adjudication sessions with piano students from many different age groups. Expressive piano playing ALWAYS comes up during these sessions. Continue reading “Teaching Expressive Piano Playing”
Brain Breaks for Piano Practice
When my daughter was in kindergarten, I often volunteered in her classroom. Upon my first visit, I was struck by a brilliant concept I had never heard of or experienced: brain breaks. Continue reading “Brain Breaks for Piano Practice”
Piano Practice Tricks That Will Change Your Life
I sometimes feel as though I can’t come up with another way to motivate my strong-willed child to practice. I’ve tried all the piano practice tricks. I’m out of creativity.
Or maybe you have a wiggly worm who can’t sit still longer than a few minutes and you aren’t sure how to get anything accomplished.
Or maybe you have a perfectionist who becomes immediately frustrated when she makes her first mistake during piano practice. Continue reading “Piano Practice Tricks That Will Change Your Life”
Creating a Piano Practice Space
When a parent of a student calls me and says, “Johnny is really resistant to piano practice lately,” the first question I ask is, “Where is your piano located?”
More often than not, I’ll learn that a student’s piano is located in a cold, damp basement or in their bedroom, leading the student to feel like he’s “missing out on the action” when he goes to practice piano.
This doesn’t mean your piano practice space needs to be a Pinterest worthy room of expensive decor and laminated practice charts.
What SHOULD a piano practice space look like? Read on for my tips… Continue reading “Creating a Piano Practice Space”
Summertime Piano Practice: Tips and Ideas
If your family is anything like my family, your summer schedule probably looks a little bit different than your schedule during the school year (maybe even a LOT different). Our days tend to not have quite as much structure and more free time, but we also have some pretty big interruptions to the new “normal” with family vacations or even hosting friends and family as they come to visit. Does this mean summertime piano practice is nonexistent in your house?
Continue reading “Summertime Piano Practice: Tips and Ideas”
Independent Piano Practice: What It Looks Like & Your Role In It
You’ve arrived! Your student is practicing piano independently!
Truly, independent practice is reason for celebration BUT it doesn’t mean that you get to go watch Netflix whenever your student sits down to practice.
You still have an important role to play!
Watch my livecast here to learn what independent piano practice means for YOU — the parent: Continue reading “Independent Piano Practice: What It Looks Like & Your Role In It”
Royal Wedding: THE MUSIC!
I know I typically use my blog to share valuable practicing tips, musical resources and all kinds of super important stuff with readers.
Today I’m blogging about the music from the Royal Wedding.
While this might seem a bit “off-topic” for me, I actually think using real life moments and events to draw musical connections is an awesome and exciting way for kids to learn. And there was so much great music in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding that I simply HAD to make it a teachable moment! Continue reading “Royal Wedding: THE MUSIC!”
Transitioning to Independent Practice
In my March livecast, I talked about modeling an effective practice (which includes identifying and fixing mistakes) so that your student can not only make practice but also learn to one day practice independently.
As a student becomes a little older and more able to do things independently — read, play games, do a puzzle, complete a task — your child will be ready for you to back off a bit and give her some space while practicing. Your role will become that of a “guide” rather than a “fixer”.
The process of learning new music with a student who is in this developmental stage and beginning to make the transition to independent practice can be broken down to 3 phases. Watch my April livecast below for all the details. Continue reading “Transitioning to Independent Practice”
