Tag: music with kids

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”

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”

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”

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”

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”

Teaching Piano to Young Children

I LOVE teaching piano to young children. Experiencing the excitement of learning a musical instrument through their eyes, their enthusiasm for practicing, their sense of adventure for trying new things — it’s incredibly rewarding.

BUT…it can also be challenging. Young students can become easily distracted, might have limited focus and may get frustrated quickly. Continue reading “Teaching Piano to Young Children”