Piano lesson tip #1
Let your child perform every week or two, at home, in concert.
Children love to perform, they'll often do something they think is neat and look to you for approval. Take advantage of this by holding weekly or bi-weekly concerts at home. The whole family (or just mom and dad) can listen to the song they prepared for the show. When the performance is done you can clap and praise the performance. Also, if you make a big deal of the upcoming performance they will probably want to practice more to prepare. You will be amazed at how your child responds to your positive attitude.
Piano Lesson TIP 2
Use Repetition instead of time when practicing.
Instead of practicing, or having your child practice for a specific amount of time try having them play each piece a certain number of times each day. This way every time the piece is played the student in one step closer to being finished. The songs and studies will grow in length (and difficulty) as the student progresses which will automatically increase their practice time. This is a very effective technique for students of all ages and levels.
Piano Lessons Tip 3
Improve your rhythm the fun way.
All students should work on their rhythm (timing). This is the skill used to play with a steady beat.Instead of using a metronome to keep the beat try using the drum tracks on your keyboard (if you have one). Almost all electronic keyboards have a drum beat function that allow the user to specify the type of beat that their song calls. You may also control the tempo so that you can start new songs very slowly then gradually increase the speed until you can play them at the recommended tempo.
Piano Lessons Tip 4
Make sure that you are reading music.
Being able to read music is essential in becoming a complete musician.Many people know, or have heard about musicians that can "play anything by ear". While playing by ear can help develop a good feel for the music it can be limiting. There are dozens of reasons to learn how to read notation, here are just a few.
1. You will be able to learn any song that you want at your own speed. There are many songs, and parts of songs that go so fast you can't pick out every note by ear, even if you are a superstar player.
2. Learning and understanding the relationship between chords and melody will greatly enhance your personal enjoyment of the music.
3. Everyone's taste in music changes in time. You may want to play in an orchestra someday where reading music isn't a suggestion, it's a requirement.
4. Notation is standard for practically every instrument. This makes it much easier to go from piano to guitar to violin to (put any instrument here). If you only play by ear you are starting from scratch every time you pick up a new instrument.
Please don't confuse "playing by ear" with "ear training". Ear training encompasses a wide variety of exercises designed to develop an aural understanding of the music and should be taught along with standard notation.
Piano Lessons Tip 5
Do you have a practice schedule?
They say that it only takes 21 days do develop a habit, but it can take more than double that to break one. As creatures of habit we plan our entire lives around routine. We go to bed, get out of bed, have a shower, eat breakfast, go to work etc.etc. all at pretty much the same time every day. When we need to get something done we usually put it on our schedule. Why should practicing music be any different? Try adding practice to your regular schedule. If you eat at the same time everyday then practice right before of right after dinner. Or maybe right after homework time (this can also act as a reward for getting their school work done). The point is that if something become a regular part of our routine it will feel strange not to do it.
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About the Author
James Franczek is the school director at the the Academy of Music in Oakville and Burlington as well as the music director for the Oakville Celtic Fiddle Club. He has been teaching and performing in the Southern Ontario region for over 20 years. Whether you're in a class or taking private lessons from James you will find his love of music and upbeat teaching style just right for learning, and loving traditional and contemperary music. For more information on the fine programs at the Academy of music in Burlington please visit www.academymusic.org or, www.pianolessonsburlington.com
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