Effective Practice and Motivation
FAQ | recommended resources | piano: bare essentials | Effective Practice & Motivation
Below are some of the many different aspects involved in learning
how to practice the piano effectively.
Environment | Goals
| Musical Form | Rhythm | Fingering |
Posture & Tension | Method | Memory | Pedal | Motivation
MOTIVATION AND EFFECTIVE PIANO PRACTICE
Practical suggestions on how to motivate your childREN AT THE PIANO
I believe that motivation at the piano is the key to making progress. As a piano teacher teacher, I feel that the ideal form of motivation should
be the sheer joy and pleasure of being able to play a piece of music. However, the reality is that many children
need something more to motivate them to practice the piano effectively.
Piano teachers can motivate their students by trying to involve them
in creative and engaging projects. Recitals, workshops, group
classes, games, ensembles, composition, improvisation, recording
projects and field trips can all be effective in motivating children.
In addition to providing motivation for some students, Showcase
Recitals and Senior Recitals are a great way of providing opportunities
for older, more advanced students,
to act as role models for younger students.
Parents can also help motivate their children to practice the piano. Ideally, I think the
specific form of motivation should reflect the personal values
of the individual family involved. What will motivate your child to practice the piano? What forms of motivation will support your family's values? These are questions that as parents, you might want to discuss
at home and then again with your child's piano teacher.
I recommend that parents, teachers and children discuss whether
or not they want to abide by a specific practice schedule. Some
students will want to do all their piano practice in one session; others
may prefer to
break it up into two or three shorter sessions. It is often helpful to relate piano practice to a specific activity:
before or after dinner, after soccer practice, before their homework. Different children respond differently
to parental help. Ask your children if they want to be helped. Do they have a preference
as to who helps them or how they are helped?
Piano teachers often have strong feelings as to what kind of help children
receive at home. Are you trying to help
or are you trying to be the teacher? Ask your child's teacher
to help guide you as to how you can most effectively support their
goals. Consider asking your child's teacher for a practice guide or ask them to modify this one for your child:
Piano Practice Guide.
Over the years, the families I have worked with have provided
many creative and effective solutions for
motivating their children at the piano.
Have you found an effective way to motivate your child? Share your ideas.
EFFECTIVE AND CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR MOTIVATING CHILDREN TO PRACTICE PIANO
Here are some of my favorite examples of how some parents have found ways to help motivate their children to practice the piano more effectively:
*Family Concerts
Some families initiate informal family concerts: the inclusion
of grandparents often provides additional motivation. These informal
performances are most successful when the children, teacher and
parents are involved together in the preparation and planning.
*Homemade CD recordings to give as gifts to grandparents and other
family members and/or special friends.
*This idea is the all time winner for originality and creativity!
A mother bought some small blank cardboard puzzles containing
5-6 pieces (arts and crafts stores carry them). On each puzzle
she wrote a specific prize: breakfast in bed, trip to the bookstore,
choice of movie for movie night, choice of menu for Sunday dinner
etc. The child was awarded one puzzle piece for each good practice
session. By the end of the week, it was possible to complete the
puzzle. When the puzzle was completed she was able to receive
the 'prize'. What
I loved about this particular method is that it encompassed both
short and long-term goals. Each completed puzzle could in turn
be traded for one puzzle piece to another puzzle that contained
a 'more valuable' prize (remember that these 'prizes' should reflect
your family's values. A 'more valuable' prize doesn't mean it
has to cost more money. Often, it will mean it involves more time
-something that is becoming increasingly
rare and consequently, more valuable.
* For every 30 minutes of piano practice, the child earns
30 minutes of computer time
* If the practicing gets done, a special event takes place such
as: Breakfast in Bed,
Slumber Party, Invite a Friend to the Movies, Special Trip to
the Bookstore, Special Parent/Child time
(bake cookies, go shopping, go for a walk, play a game).
* One mother took her teenage daughter to a bead store and let
her pick out a certain number of beads. Two glass jars were kept
beside the piano and for every 10 minutes of practice the child
was able to transfer one bead from one jar to the next. It was
decided that about 3 hours of practice were to be accomplished
by the
end of each week but the amount of time per day would vary according
to that particular day's scheduling constraints. The child was
able to visually keep track of her practicing in a way that was
satisfying to her.
Piano Practice and Motivation: Would you like to share something that has worked for you and your family?
This University of Illinois Extension site is devoted to Helping Children Succeed in School:
Urban
Programs Resource Network
motivational and inspirational quotes | Practical suggestions on how to motivate childREN AT THE PIANO