3 Ways to Keep Students Motivated to Practice During the Holidays

Keeping students engaged in their music activities during the holidays can be a challenge for parents. This can be a time full of joy and festivity, and equally packed with too many plans and prior commitments. This year has been especially difficult with the pandemic, and students’ normal routines being completely disrupted.

Having students engaged in familiar activities, such as music practice is a wonderful way to provide stability in the midst of business and chaos.

But why should students practice during the holidays?

The main reason is to continue working on improving their music skills. The main advantage is students are out of school and they have more “free-time” on their hands.

Let me say there is nothing wrong with students who decide to take the holidays off from piano practice. Depending on the student, that may be just what they need in order to recharge and come back with renewed inspiration.

It is also important to promote the continuity of their practice habits through the holiday season because this is a great time to explore some newer approaches to music that had not been previously explored, due to preparing for exams and other busy school activities.

The biggest challenge is now there are many distractions competing for this “free-time”. So how do we guide the students so they can have a wonderful holiday with friends and family, while pursuing their own self-improvement?

1. FOCUS ON PLAYING THEIR FAVORITE PIECES

We are much more likely to engage in activities we love due to the dopamine response in our brains. Why not take the time to learn a favorite song or a soundtrack from a movie or a video game? If there’s no sheet music available, then the teacher can write the melody for them to practice, or some students that are more adventurous can take on a learning by ear project.

2. SET SPECIFIC GOALS

Depending on the student's level and skills, setting goals can be a good way to keep them involved in their piano practice during the holidays. This could be a time to try out improvising on songs they already know, review old pieces, learning a few scales and chords or memorizing their favorite piece.

3. EXPLORE MUSIC COMPOSITION

Do you have students who love to sit down at the piano and create their own tunes? How about students who would love to know how to create their own music, but just don’t know how! This can be a great opportunity to teach them just that and explore more about the topic. Give them the world of possibilities of music and they will be always intrigued and fascinated with music.

Just remember this:

Music is about life and building life-long skills that will help them with other skills in their life later on. When they are presented with challenges and they are given the tools to overcome it, we are presenting them with the opportunities to succeed later in life.

Music should be fun and engaging and when they love what they do, it is a pleasure to sit down at the piano and have fun!

We hope you enjoyed this article and we look forward to educating parents and students in the art of teaching and learning more about music and piano.

If you would like more information, contact us and we will be glad to set up your first free trial lesson!

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5 Ways to Engage Our Younger Beginner Piano Students

Children learn by observing, exploring, listening, and asking questions. Learning is as natural as breathing which makes young children ideal candidates for piano lessons. Singing and moving comes very natural to them, and they are often very quick learners!

Let's take a look at 5 ways teachers, parents and students come together to create the best learning environment, to ensure success and a life-long pursuit of music.

I. ASSESSMENT

An initial assessment is important because by understanding the student readiness, the teacher will know how and when the lesson plan will need to be adapted accordingly. A few things to keep in mind:

1. Is the hand physically developed enough to depress the keys without tension?

2. Is the child able to remain attentive for the length of the private lesson?

3. Can the child follow simple instructions?

II. LESSONS

Once the initial assessment has been accomplished, the teacher will be able to provide the best instruction to the student with greater understanding and expertise. One important factor that can make or break lessons with young children is the teacher’s ability to adapt to the student’s personality. Music teachers cannot only be masters of their instruments. They must be master communicators, and an expert teacher knows the importance of teaching the human being first, the music second, and the piano third. This idea is different from the traditional way of teaching in the turn of the 19th century, where the student had to adapt to the teacher's method with little regards to the student's learning style. An expert instructor nowadays understands the necessity of teaching the child first and foremost and helping in their music development.

III. PLANNING

Piano lessons for young beginners require teachers to do short-term and long-term planning. It is very important to plan and prepare prior to each lesson. A general rule is to use the “age plus one minute” when planning classroom activities. In other words, a five year old can be expected to focus on an activity for a total of six minutes. Off-bench activities are particularly important because they allow them to move and engage their body with rhythm activities and games.

IV. REINFORCING

A very important element in teaching young beginners is ensuring that they understand the concepts well. This requires reinforcement by using different, so for for example, singing and moving are wonderful ways to develop the child’s musicality. Therefore, it is important to incorporate such activities in each lesson to develop their musical strength.

V. COMMUNICATION

It is very important to develop a positive rapport and relationship with the parents. Young children need more assistance during practice, so it is crucial to involve the parent during each practice session, and ensure the parent understands the weekly assignment. Inviting the parents to observe the lessons whenever possible is always a good idea to allow them to see the child’s progress and to come along-side the teacher as a team. Providing simple and easy-to-follow weekly goals to the student and the parent, along with consistent practice habits, will ensure the child’s success and musical development.

CONCLUSION

It is extremely rewarding to teach young beginners. With thoughtful planning and the willingness to adapt to each student individually, the investment given to young learners will prepare them for a life-long music journey filled with creativity, academic success and joy of learning.

If you would like more information, contact us and we will be glad to set up your first free trial lesson!

"5 Ways to Engage Our Younger Beginner Piano Students" by Piano Performance Arts Academy, LLC.

#PianoLessons #LearnToPlay #WesleyChapel #Zephyrhills #Tampa #NewTampa #Riverview #Brandon

#BeginnerPianoLessons

#IntermediatePianoLessons

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#OnlinePianoLessons

What Is the Best Age to Start Piano Lessons?

Studying music is a wonderful activity for body, spirit, and mind. With the times we are currently facing through a world-wide pandemic, keeping children's minds occupied and doing something they love will give them a sense of normalcy and purpose in their young lives.

Learning to play an instrument early on gives children the ability to develop creativity, hand-eye coordination, critical thinking skills, and self-discipline. The positive influence of music education has the potential to enrich children's experiences, bringing the joy of music-making for a lifetime. Parents who give the gift of music education create the pathways for enriching their children’s lives into adulthood.

Many scientific studies have been done in the area of music cognition and many of them report that children who start piano instruction at the age of 6 had more brain growth and better motor skills than their peers. One common question we get from parents is “at what age should my child begin piano lessons?” The truth is there is no perfect age to begin music lessons.

Our advice is if your child shows interest in music, they should be given the opportunity to explore it. There are many amazing programs for very young children under five years old, such as Musikgarten and Kindermusik which engage them with appropriate content using singing and movement. These programs build their awareness for rhythm and pitch which are essential later on for learning any musical instrument.

In a nutshell, the best time to start piano lessons will be different for every child, but most will be ready between the ages of five to eight years old. So, how do you know if your child is ready?

Here is a short checklist:

1. Interest in Music and Desire to Learn: This is a key requirement because if the motivation to learn comes from the child it will definitely serve as fuel for their continued growth and progress. If you pair that with a caring teacher who knows how to bring out the love for music in each student, you will be setting your child for many years of successful learning and joy at the piano.

2. Focus for a Short Period of Time in Several Activities: Young children have a great amount of energy and sitting at the piano for 30 minutes is likely not going to happen. However, if they can focus on small class activities like singing with the teacher for a couple minutes, then doing off bench activities that allow them to spend some of their energy, and playing duets for another couple of minutes, then they are most likely ready to begin piano lessons. In fact, teaching younger children can be much harder than teaching older students and more advanced levels. It truly requires multi-level skills from the teacher, such as in early childhood psychology, well-prepared lesson plans coupled with the understanding to adapt to the child when needed. If the child is able to follow the teacher’s lead in these activities, then they are ready to start in their piano studies.

3. Practice Time in Smaller Increments in Between Lessons: Sometimes this step is overlooked, but it is absolutely essential in learning any skill. A student is almost always motivated to practice after the lesson, but they also have to set small victories and practice goals at home in between lessons to reinforce the skills learned. This is really a team effort between the parents, the teacher and the child. We find that for early beginners the ideal time is 5 to 10 minutes for four to five days every week. The songs are still very short at this stage and that is enough time to keep them focused and revisit what they learned with the teacher in the previous lesson.

If they are willing to practice regularly, then they are ready to begin lessons. However, we find that making it a piano-game-activity time makes it even more successful through fun week challenges given by the teacher. This is a sure way to keep them engaged and interested throughout their lessons and practice time.

So what is the best age to begin lessons? If a child meets these three basic requirements, then they are ready!

We hope you enjoyed this article and we look forward to educating our parents and students in the art of teaching and learning more about music and piano.

If you would like more information, contact us and we will be glad to set up your first free trial lesson!

"What Is the Best Age to Start Piano Lessons?" by Piano Performance Arts Academy, LLC.

#pianolessons #learntoplay #wesleychapel #zephyrhills #tampa #newtampa #riverview #brandon #tampabay

#BeginnerPianoLessons

#IntermediatePianoLessons

#AdvancedPianoLessons

#AllAgesAndLevels

#OnlinePianoLessons