Tip #3

In our previous email, we talked about ‘asking the right questions’ after the lessons so we can get to know what our children/students are thinking and feeling.

Whether they ask for help or not, they will benefit from your involvement and that is crucial with the first practice after the lesson.

How to be involved:

• Follow up with your pianists to ensure that they have their first practice the day after the lesson (if possible) while their memory of the lesson is fresh.
• Make sure that your pianists find their assignments in their binder/book and can read their teachers handwriting
• Ask your pianists if they have a practice plan (we will go into details how to create a practice plan in the following weeks) and/or if they need your help creating one
• Remind your pianists to read the comments/markings their teacher write on the pieces
• Sit with your pianist (if possible) and just listen or let them know that you are working on something in the other room but you will still be listening and they can reach out to you if they have any questions
• Point out the positives rather than negatives. They already work on fixing problems at the lessons with their teachers. It means a lot to them to hear that you enjoy listening to them and you appreciate their work. When they hear negatives or corrections repeatedly at home, they might start avoiding home practice
• Comment on their hard work rather than their talent
• Check in with them on how their practice went with ‘asking the right questions’ (TIP #2)

We hear from parents:

“I do not know anything about music”

Most of the time, this is actually an advantage where parents can have a supporting role rather than a guiding role. Music knowledge of a parent sometimes might create conflict between the teacher and the parent and frustration between the parent and the student. The best approach would be learning along with your pianist and having them teach you new concepts.

“I am not home when my child practices”

We do not want parents to feel a pressure that they need to be present at all times. Parents can always have the above conversations prior to a practice. The key is to check in with your pianists throughout the week to see how their practice is going.

“My child does not listen/agree with my comments”

As parents do not take lessons (most of the time) or they are not always present at the lessons, our pianists might not have the trust that their parents have the knowledge for corrections. The best thing to do is to have a conversation with the teacher at the lesson in front of the student. When the teacher tells the student “I believe that it would be beneficial for your home practice to listen to your parent at home and I trust her/him.” Seeing their teachers trust their parents, our pianists start recognizing the supporting role of the parent.

“I would like her/him to be responsible and practice on her/his own”

Responsibility is something to be learned in a period of time and not a decision a child would make. They need our support tremendously as they go though this process. The key is to remember that we can be present and still allow space for them to take responsibility of their practice.

May you know you are making a difference, even if your child never tells you themselves.

We would be more than happy to answer any questions and provide more specific consultancy if needed.

Thank you for being a part of the PianoAlpharetta community!