Tag: learning piano at home

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”

Identifying Intervals: Why It Matters

When a child learns to read there are many important components to becoming a fluent reader. A child must be able to identify letters and letter sounds, but if he is going to read fluently, he has to move past thinking of each individual letter and letter sound.

The same goes for becoming a fluent note-reader and music player. A proficient pianist isn’t thinking of all the individual notes when she plays a complicated piece of music (can you imagine having all those individual note names flying through your head as you played?!). Continue reading “Identifying Intervals: Why It Matters”

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”

When Your Child Should NOT Practice Piano

Many of us piano teachers love to quote Suzuki, who famously said, “You should only practice on the days that you eat!” but the truth is…I actually disagree with this notion (gasp!). I believe there are times when your child should not practice piano.

I know, I know — so brazen to disagree with Suzuki himself. But my goal as a piano teacher is to encourage a lifelong love of learning. In my experience, if you are constantly forcing a child into practicing the piano when he and/or you are not at your best, you’ll be met with more resistance, less will be accomplished during a practice…and I suspect the “lifelong love” goal shall dissipate quickly. Continue reading “When Your Child Should NOT Practice Piano”

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”

Scheduling Piano Practice: the WHY and HOW

So many parents of my students through the years will say things to me like, “I really just want Johnny to love piano so much that he practices on his own without me having to remind him.”

If your Johnny does this, that is awesome.

And also…rare. Continue reading “Scheduling Piano Practice: the WHY and HOW”

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”

Piano Practice Tips for Traveling

As I write this, the holidays are quickly approaching. For many, this means time off of school, traveling to see family, or even hosting friends and family from out-of-town. This disruption to your typical routine might also mean piano practicing goes by the wayside.

Whether it’s holiday plans, an opportunity to travel for an extended period of time, or a temporary busy “season” where your child is in a school play or taking the bus all over for sporting events, there are times when our piano practice routine is thrown out of whack. Continue reading “Piano Practice Tips for Traveling”

December Member of the Month

Meet the Hibbard family from Little Rock, Arkansas. Doug and Ann have three wonderful children 16 year old Olivia, 14 year old Angela, and 11 year old Steven.  It was their oldest Olivia who discovered Busy Moms and now three children participate in the Busy Kids program.

Q: What’s your musical background?

My husband and I both played in band throughout high school, and I also sang in choirs as the opportunity was available while Doug enjoyed working on the tech side of things. Although neither of us play piano well, we are very familiar with music theory and can pick out basic melodies. Continue reading “December Member of the Month”

Adding Review to Piano Practice

My daughter’s FAVORITE time in piano practice is what we call “Review Time”. We save this for the end, and it’s always a fun activity that feels like a reward for her. She actually even thinks about it ahead of time, planning which pieces she is going to play for “Review Time.”

In this livecast, I talk about why reviewing familiar music and technique is an important piece of piano practice. I also created a fun printable game that you can download to help get your wheels spinning! Continue reading “Adding Review to Piano Practice”