Tag: busy kids do piano

August Members of the Month

Meet the Hawkins Family! Ashley and Karen and their three children Sam (13), Allie (10), Kaili (5), Eliana (2). These Busy Kids are very excited to become pianists and love sharing their new skills with relatives.

Q: What’s your musical background?

I (Karen) took piano lessons from age 6-12, but I kept playing piano in our church and for my middle school choir.

Q: Anything fun or unique you’d like to share about your family?

A fun fact about us is that we just found out that we are related to someone who fought in the American revolutionary war! Continue reading “August Members of the Month”

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”

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”

Fixing Mistakes At Piano Practice

One of the reasons piano lessons are such a big commitment is because in order for the experience to be successful, a parent must be involved in the process — especially if a younger student is the one learning to play — in order to help with fixing mistakes at piano practice.

My goal as a teacher is to help my students eventually get to a point where they are able to practice independently. This means they won’t require constant oversight from a parent during every single moment and will even be capable of fixing mistakes at piano practice on their own.

In order for a student to reach that point, the student MUST KNOW how to practice effectively. Which is why it is critical for parents and teachers to model what effective practice looks like. Continue reading “Fixing Mistakes At Piano Practice”

March Members of the Month

Meet the Clemons family who moved to small town in Minnesota a few years ago. Ben and Karyn have three children Olive (7), Ramona (6), Julius (3). Olive is currently enrolled in the Busy Kids program.

What’s your musical background? Continue reading “March Members of the Month”

Motivate Your Child to Practice Piano: A How-To

Most of the questions I receive from parents of piano students through the years have been surrounding the topic of practicing piano – specifically how to motivate your child to practice piano.

Practicing piano is a HUGE topic, and there are so many important facets to consider. But let’s focus for now on how to motivate your child to practice piano. Continue reading “Motivate Your Child to Practice Piano: A How-To”

February Member of the Month

Meet the LaClair family from Phoenix, AZ. Steph, Chris and Linus who will be turning 10 this March. Chris is on the road for work over 200 day of the year and isn’t always home for the traditional holidays. So, this fantastic family has started inventing their own unique holidays!

What is your musical background?

I (Steph) grew up surrounded by musicians. My grandmother was a jazz singer and my uncle was-and still is at age 65-a singer in a rock band. My brother joined the ranks and was the drummer for his band. Our house was often a hangout for my brother’s and uncle’s bands and my grandmother lived with us for a few years. My parents put in a “soundproof” room in the basement for the bands to practice. It was still extremely loud, but practice makes better!

Continue reading “February Member of the Month”

January Member of the Month

Meet the wonderful Williams family from Pennsylvania. This awesome family of 9 includes Mark and Kelley and their lovely children, Ben (20), Ann (19), Sam (16), Gabe (13), Jaden (10), Sarah (9), and Sol (7).

Q: What’s your musical background?

We grew up in Tennessee so the musical influence in our lives is rich and varied, from rock to worship and rap to bluegrass – we enjoy it all. Up until we started Busy Kids Do Piano, only the oldest three had taken any lessons, and only the oldest really connected with it, though everyone likes to play around on the piano and guitar and ukulele. Continue reading “January Member of the Month”