How To Play The Piano | Ways To Help Your Child Learn To Play The Piano


Ways To Help Your Child Learn To Play The Piano

Filed Under How to Learn the Piano |

Learning to play the piano is a rewarding and satisfying skill. Children will begin piano lessons with great enthusiasm, they are anxious for the end result of being able to play songs they know. But most often that enthusiasm quickly fades when they realize how much practice and work it will take. Being able to play the piano well seems too far away and impossible to reach. Telling a child that when they are older they will appreciate the effort does not go very far in motivating them for today. As adults we need to help them to not be overwhelmed by the whole process and find rewards that will help motivate them.

Self discipline is difficult at any age. Young children especially need help in learning to be consistent. Setting a specific practice time each day will help to avoid the nagging of “Have you done your practicing yet?” It will also help them to learn to avoid procrastination. Set up rewards such as being able to watch TV or play a video game when practicing is done on time. Find the reward that will motivate your child and stick to it. Change the reward periodically or that can become boring also.

Young children will benefit from an adult sitting with them at practice time helping them to stay on task. As they learn what needs to be done you can wean yourself from their practice time. Point out the progress you see each day. Help them to see that at the beginning of the practice time they couldn’t play these five measures very well but now it is much better.

Set an appropriate amount of time for practicing the piano. Consistent practice everyday for 20 minutes will yield faster and more results than a few days of an hour at a time. Increase that time as the child’s skill grows and the difficulty of the pieces increases. Still continue to allow the child to earn rewards that will help keep them motivated. Set a goal for a certain number of days in a row of practicing the piano that will earn a special treat, reward or privilege.

Make sure the child has some music to play that he or she enjoys and is familiar to them. It is rewarding to a child and an adult to be able to play a piece of music that they know and that others know. Begin expanding the music your child listens to. If they have heard classical pieces before they are introduced on the piano then it is much more exciting to learn to play them.

Not everything in life is fun. There are things that just need to be done. But we can add some fun into those times to keep them from becoming boring or monotonous. Make sure there is some fun in your child’s piano practicing. Help them through the discouraging times and remember, not every child learns at the same pace. Maybe too much is being given at once and the child is overwhelmed. Learning to play the piano is a major undertaking and children need a supportive and encouraging adult to help them along the way.

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