zt: how to practice piano?

Benefits of Piano Lessons for Children & Teens:

Concentration - Reading music requires total concentration. While playing the piano, the student must concentrate on reading two lines of music, while using ten fingers, both ears, and one foot. Learning to play the piano allows a child to exercise all these skills in a constructive manner. 

Hand-eye Coordination - Children who take piano lessons often perform better in sports because reading music develops hand-eye coordination. 
Coordination - Piano lessons help students develop manual dexterity (Definition: Skill and grace in physical movement). 

Discipline - Through weekly piano lessons, consistent practice and performance, students graduate to a higher level of self-discipline. 
Creativity - Music inspires creative thinking and encourages children to explore their imagination. 

Memory Development - Memorizing music involves visual, aural, analytical, and kinesthetic (muscle) memory. 

Self-Confidence - Performing on the piano in front of a teacher, a family member, other students, or an audience instills confidence and helps a child to overcome shyness.

Self Esteem - Completing a difficult task, such as learning a new piece of music, can be very rewarding. This allows a piano student to feel good about what they have achieved. Knowing they are becoming a skilled pianist, while experiencing each accomplishment of learning a new piano piece, gives a child pride in themselves.

Sociability - Piano lessons encourage a child to reach out toward new friendships by sharing a mutual interest in piano or performing the piano in front of peers. Piano lessons help children to gain the confidence needed to grasp opportunities for social interactions. 

Satisfaction - The knowledge that their latest piano piece has been mastered, or their hardest Major scale has been conquered, teaches satisfaction in their achievements.

Improves Study Habits - Playing the piano is a step by step process which teaches a child to set goals and how to accomplish them. 
Gaining a Lifelong Skill - Once a student learns to simultaneously read music and play the piano, they may carry this skill and derive great enjoyment from it for life.


How to Efficiently Practice Piano

Learn to Practice More Efficiently: Faster Results in Less Time 
Without practice it is almost impossible for a student to continually improve at the piano. Here are some ideas that will help you get more out of your practice sessions. Remember, in the case of piano practice, it's about the QUALITY and QUANTITY of your practice sessions - One won't work without the other. 

Be Consistent
Practice every day if possible. Sticking with a routine will bring about improvement much faster and help you keep up your motivation to practice.

Spread out Practice Sessions: Less Time, More Sessions 
You will be more focused and get more out of your practice sessions if you spread them out and practice for less time, but more sessions. For example, try to practice 3x a day for 15 minutes instead of 1x a day for 45 minutes. When you practice for longer amounts of time you lose focus, get tired and practice becomes less effective.

Prepare Yourself before you Practice 
•Make sure your fingernails are trimmed and your hands are clean before practice. Also, get your hands warm so they will be more agile. 
•Make sure you aren't hungry or too tired. To get the most out of your time, you should be refreshed and ready with no distractions.

Warm-Up
For warm-up, play your scales and arpeggios or review a piece you have mastered.

Study the Music Before You Begin
Be sure to study your music before you start. It will be much easier to learn if you are prepared by knowing all the important information about your piece. Check the Time Signature and the Key Signature. Look for any accidentals, and Time Signature or Key Signature changes. Figure out if any sections in the piece repeat themselves in other parts of the piece. Looking ahead should make your practice sessions a little easier.

Play a New Piece Hands Separately First
Playing hands separately first will help you to get to know what is coming before you play with both hands together. The piece will probably be less overwhelming once you are comfortable playing each part by itself.

Practice Slowly
Begin learning each new piece by playing slowly. It will take triple the time to get it right if you start out playing too fast. When you play too fast it's easier to miss mistakes. Once you can play the piece evenly and smoothly, gradually work up to the right speed. You won't get it right if you start out too fast, and it's never good to practice mistakes over and over again. 

Play Your Pieces in Sections
If you find yourself having problems in certain parts of your piece, try practicing just that measure by itself until you have mastered it. If a piece becomes overwhelming, try just playing the first page or first section until you have it down and then move on to the next part. You will be amazed at how easy the hard parts may become when you work on one hard measure at a time. 

Don't Keep Practicing the same Mistakes
Correct mistakes before they become bad habits. It is much harder to fix a mistake when you have practiced it over and over. Be sure to correct your mistakes the first time you notice them. Play the problematic measure by itself as many times as it takes to make it correct. Then play the piece again. 

Try New Pieces to Keep you Motivated
If you are losing the motivation to practice or if you are just tired of the pieces you always play, try picking out a new piece to start. Keep practicing the pieces you have been working on, but add something new that might break up the monotony of playing the same piece over and over for weeks or months.

Practice without Pedal
When you have the pedal down it's easier to miss mistakes. Learn your pieces without pedal first and they will sound better when you add the pedal back in.

Record Yourself
It is extremely beneficial to be able to hear yourself play in a recording. You will not only be able to hear mistakes you may have missed while playing, but you will also be able to hear how much you have improved as time goes by.

Try to enjoy it!
Have fun while you practice! Have a good attitude. If you are dreading practice and feeling negative, you won't play as well. Get excited about practicing something new or about mastering something you've already played. Try to set small goals so you know you will have accomplished something during each session. The more fun you have during practice sessions, the less you will dread them!


How to Practice Consistently

Practice Makes Perfect... 
Without practice it is almost impossible for a student to continually improve at the piano. Extra practice is extremely important for every piano student on the road to improvement. Although I can not be in your home to force or oversee a consistent practice schedule, I have implemented ways of increasing the likelihood of more frequent practice sessions and I have listed here some ideas on how to encourage practice without a fight.

How often should each student practice? 
Ideally, each student should practice at least once a day. I realize with our busy lives practice can be hard to fit in, but aiming for once a day usually ensures enough practice throughout the week.

No one Regrets Learning an Instrument 
How many people look back and wish their parents had forced them to play piano? Many of us started music lessons and didn't finish because our parents allowed us to quit or didn't force us to practice. I've met many people who regret quitting piano lessons, but none who regret sticking with it. I love to play now, but as a child I thought I didn't want to play and tried everything to get out of practicing. I will always be grateful that my parents encouraged me to play and never let me quit until I reached an age where I could take what I had already learned (the hard part) and choose what to do with that knowledge and talent.

Common Misconceptions 
A common misconception is that a parent should not have to force their child to practice or that a parent should not have to remind their child to practice. When a child complains about practice or doesn't practice without reminders (Ok, let's call it nagging) parents often misconstrue these normal behaviors as a sign that their child should quit piano because they weren't meant for it or don't love it enough. It is normal for children to avoid practice. Afterall, practice is hard! But as we all know, great accomplishments do not come easy. Practice can be grueling at times, but improvement in any instrument or at any activity requires hard work. Every student (and teacher!) has days where they don't feel like practicing, but we all do things we don't want to do when we are working towards something valuable. Getting your children to practice, even when they don't want to, is just one part of the process when your child is learning an instrument.

Parents often give up on piano because they are tired of resorting to constant nagging about practice, they notice their child suddenly seems uninterested in the piano, or they are worried they are pushing their own dreams on their child. Children go through stages… some months they love playing the piano and you won't even need to ask them to practice, and some months they are sick of it and feel it's just too hard. They will go back and forth a lot and there is nothing abnormal about this. Teaching a child to stick with something and take the committed route, through thick and thin, is an important life lesson. By using some of the tips below you may be able to avoid some of the nagging and add a sense of enjoyment and accomplishment to practicing!


Tips for Encouraging Consistent Practice

Below are some tips and common motivators to help get your child to practice piano. Remember different motivators work well for different people. The key is to figure out which motivators work the best with your child.

Follow their Weekly Practice Schedule:
At each piano lesson my students are given a detailed practice schedule, depending on skill level and age, to be followed at each practice session at home. The schedule lists each piano piece to be played, the number of times to play each piece and typically something fun and enjoyable to finish off with. I will also encourage your child to go beyond the practice schedule after their practice session is over, if they feel inspired. Because most children strive on consistency and structure, try to set aside a specific time each day for practice.

Use a Timer & Enforce a Daily Consistent Time Length:
Many of the parents of my most successful students use a timer to make sure their child gets in enough practice. Try to find a silent timer (without the constant clicking noise) and set it at the proper time length depending on your childs age and skill level. This is a great way to add structure to each daily practice session. Go over their practice schedule prior to a practice session and explain that they must play the practice schedule repeatedly until the timer runs out.

Use Rewards:
Bribery is a great motivator! If you don't want to spend your life savings on bribing your kids to practice (trust me, I know it gets expensive!) try offering up something they will likely be getting anyway: a cookie, their allowance, a trip to the park, whatever works. You can even use a future large present (summer camp, a sleepover, a toy they have always wanted, an animal) to motivate them to practice as they earn their reward over time. Make a chart and have them practice 6x a week for X amount of minutes for X amount of weeks and remind them they are working towards a goal to get {insert bribery item of choice}.

Use Consequences:
Set rules that they must practice before they engage in their favorite activities. Every child has something they normally get to do that they get excited about. It could be going out to play with friends or getting to watch their favorite TV shows. Set rules so that they know if they don't practice before the TV show or before they go out with their friends, they will have to miss out.

Give Praise & Encourage Opportunities for Performance:
People thrive on attention. The more praise you give the more your children will be excited about their piano skills and inspired to practice. Praise gives them a sense of accomplishment and lets them know all this hard work is really paying off. It is also important for each student to receive praise from people other than Mom & Dad. Children often assume their parents HAVE to praise them and are biased, so outside praise helps to solidify their sense of achievement. Have them play for friends and family who are visiting your house or arrange for them to play at the school talent show. When a student feels the thrill of playing for an audience and hearing their praises it can propel them forward and inspire them in ways you wouldn't believe.

I would let my child plays at thanksgiving dinner, Costco when they sell digital piano.

Point out the Benefits of gaining this Skill:
Learning the piano builds self confidence. When a child realizes that their new skill sets them apart from many of their peers it gives them a greater sense of self worth. Remind them that they are building a skill that many people will not have. Their classmates may be entirely impressed by their talent and have a greater respect for the student, especially when they learn to play the latest popular songs.

Remind them of the Fun they have playing their favorite pieces: 
Inevitably all students have some favorite pieces that they constantly go back to. They go back to play these pieces over and over because they find playing them is personally rewarding and they love the music. Remind them that although their newer pieces may seem hard and grueling to practice they might just end up your next favorite. All their favorite pieces started out very difficult. These may be the same. With lots of practice, they will soon be playing these hard pieces very easily out of sheer joy because they worked so hard towards that goal.