MY CHILD IS NOT PRACTISING!
This is a perennial problem that most parents and piano teachers have been grappling with for ages. Whilst it is easy (most of the time) to get a child interested in music, it is an uphill climb to get the child to maintain his/her interest and keep a disciplined routine to practise and get better at the instrument.
Parents often ask me, "should I practise with my child?" The answer, yes and no. A lot of it depends on the child.
Let's face it, practising is NOT fun to everyone. Just like some people may look forward to having their adrenaline fix every morning with a 10km run, or some (like myself) will find it arduous to even get into the running gear - even though I know IT IS GOOD FOR ME. Don't we tend to tell that to our kids - that practising is good for them? eating vegetables is good for them? Okay, you get the idea.
In another article, I wrote that music learning is a long-term activity - with lots of delayed gratification. Practising is not fun; but the sense of satisfaction that you get ultimately upon achieving something, is great. Once anyone realises that, and especially experiences that for him/herself, practising now seems like a more pleasing idea.
Practising sessions can be lonely. Some kids may cope well with that, but not all. Usually, for younger students, say before the age of 6 or 7, I would advise parents to be involved in their children's daily practice sessions, or at least sit with the child during practice for a couple of times per week.
Play a supportive role when sitting next to your child. Listen to your child play, and help to give reminders. It is okay if you do not know how to play the piano, or how to read notes. If you hear that something is not right, ask your child - as if you are a student. Your child may end up realising that he has played a wrong note, or perhaps even explain to you that he was playing correctly.
Be fair to your child, it takes a lot of effort and time to get something correct, so don't scold the child just because he cannot play a passage correctly after attempting it for 10 times. If he just can't get it right, ask him what went wrong, help to identify the problem areas and get him to correct that small problem area s-l-o-w-l-y. At the same time, be balanced with encouragement and praises. If your child is not putting in the effort to correct a mistake, you need to be firm.
Another aspect in getting your child to practise regularly, is setting priorities. Have you been explaining to your child that music learning is a long-term commitment and is just as important as school is? Or have you been telling your child to practise piano only AFTER he has completed his school homework - and if he has school exams, he doesn't need to practise? Practice sessions should be conducted like school hours. You don't skip school, unless you are sick. Likewise, you don't skip piano lessons, and you don't skip practice sessions. Once the parent instills that upon the child, he will learn that it is part and parcel of his life.
All that said, the tough part that I face as a piano teacher here in Singapore, is that I understand fully the school education system here, and the stressful competition that every child faces. Whilst I try to be understanding when students are having their mid-year or end-year exams, I also have to let them know that they cannot steer clear of their practice sessions totally during that time.
So I usually question the student/parent: "what's your goal? what do you want to achieve?"
For a student who is simply learning for leisure, I would say, have some discipline and commitment, but yes, I'd understand if there are other more important tasks to see to during the week, so try your best. For a student who tells me that he wants to achieve a high standard of playing and aim for performance diplomas (for example), he would have to put in the hours very seriously.
So, what is your goal?
© pianoforte@babeypaws
2008
The above article is written based on my own opinion and from my own experience,
as a former music student and a current music teacher.
Do NOT reproduce any parts or whole parts of the article in any form or manner.