Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Effective Practice Stratigies - finding time

It is quite often to hear the same student making excuses like “I only practiced two days this week...” which, of course, results in a frustration of working on the same materials week after week that leads to unmotivated and no progress lessons. And you wonder why the other identical student at age, grade, and from the same school district can have consistent five days’ practice.

The most common reason of “no-practicing” is that the student does not have a designated “piano time” in their daily schedule. With the mindset like I will find “time” to practice, the outcome is usually poor and signified the lack of discipline.

What I have learned from my devoted students is that they determine a specific time to practice, for example, “15 minutes before breakfast, and 15 minutes right after dinner.” The fact is that children, even college students, respond well to routine; and once the “piano time” is set aside, they will keep this activity faithfully.

When the “piano time” is planned in students’ time map, it will bring consistency of practicing that granted a good percentage of success in their learning.  Adding “practice correctly and mindfully,” they are guaranteed to accelerate!



Friday, March 24, 2017

For adult learner and piano teachers

Although the “for parents” section in this blog is dedicated to helping piano parents, it has information such as "levels of progress" or "quality practice" that can benefit adult learner to gain a better understanding of what learning piano is about. Piano teachers might also consider some of the points and FAQs when communicating with their students’ parents.

New updates in the “for parents” page:
  • Buying a digital or acoustic piano?
  • Effective practice strategies, which will be a series of blog posts on the home page.