Piano Practise - How Parents Can Help
This is a follow up from my earlier blog ‘What
Practise Looks Like’. This time, the focus is on ‘How Parents Can Help’
The following is taken, with permission, from ‘The Power of Practice’ by Dr Sally Cathcart:-
“Sally,
it’s 6 o’clock - time to do your piano practice! Mum, do I have to? I don’t
feel like doing it tonight. Now, Sally, remember what we both agreed – if you
want to get better at playing the piano, you need to practise it every day.”
That was
me in the early years of my piano journey, a somewhat reluctant pianist at
times but lucky enough to have a Mum who realised how important it was for her
to act as my time keeper. As piano teachers we recognise how hard it is for parents
(or anyone with parental responsibility) to know just how best to support their
child in their instrumental practice. This
post is written specially for you as you play a vital role in the learning
process. Acquiring and maintaining the habit of regular practice seems to
depend on a high level of support and encouragement from parents and teachers,
particularly in the early years of learning’. [The role
of practice in the development of performing musicians. 1996. John A. Sloboda,
Jane W. Davidson, Michael J.A. Howe and Derek G. Moore. The British Journal of
Psychology. Vol. 87, issue 2, pages 287-309.]
The Problem
Practice can be a problem, can’t it? As your child beings to realise the challenge ahead, maybe enthusiasm for learning the piano quickly dwindles. Practice can easily become more of a chore than a joy and sometimes can feel like a real battleground! As less and less practice happens you become more and more frustrated and very aware of the money that is being spent (wasted?).
There
are 10,080 minutes in a week and on average your child will spend 30 minutes of
these with his/her piano teacher. The rest of the time the pupil has to be his/her
own teacher but of course many of children have no understanding of what
practice involves. This is why YOUR role as a parent is so important. It’s no wonder
that research by Dr Andrea Creech at UCL suggests that when there is a
‘harmonious trio‘ relationship between pupil, teacher and parent, pupils thrive
and flourish. In this relationship parents ‘engaged in higher levels of
personal support’ [Learning
a musical instrument: the case for Parental Support. 2010 Andrea Creech].
It
was characterised by: -
•
Parents taking an interest and talking to child about his/her views and goals
•
Parents using praise to reward
•
Parents who were aware of the relationship between pupil and teacher.
To help parents negotiate their way through this mind field here are 6 practice hats for parents:-
The Power of Practice: - Practice
Hats for Parents
1.
Personal
Organiser - When lessons begin it is up to you to be your child’s
time manager. Research tells us that for progress to be made practice has to be
under taken regularly - a little and often. Five to six times a week for 10
minutes has a far more long lasting effect than 60 minutes the day before the
lesson. Children have little sense of time so it is up to you to be in charge
of when practice takes place.
· ACTION:
- Sit down for a few minutes with your child and look at their schedule for the
week ahead, discussing what he/she wants to achieve and how long it might take
to achieve it. Add the practice sessions into the schedule.
2.
The Number
1 Fan - Your positive opinions and thoughts
matter deeply to your child. They should know that you will always give them
your unconditional support and love even when things don’t quite go right! You
don’t need to be a musician - just listen out for small improvements and maybe
once a week sit down and become the ‘audience’. Be as specific as you can about
what you enjoyed.
· ACTION:
- Make contact with the
teacher and ask her to pinpoint a couple of things you could listen out for. (Anastasia's Note; - Or check in your child's practise book for ideas)
3. A Flexible Friend - Your role
will change as your child gets older and more accomplished. Beginners need a lot
of help and back at home lots of guidance from you
will be needed, read through the notes from the teacher together, but
whenever possible, get your child to explain what has to done. As
expertise grows so should independence and the type of support required.
· ACTION:
- Maybe you could ask your child to teach you something they are learning?
4.
The
Communicator - For the harmonious trio to be most
effective you need to be at the centre of a three way conversation. If practice
has been problematic because of illness or family reasons let the teacher know
in advance. (Anastasia's note - see blog on motivation and working together)
· ACTION:
- If you don’t understand something contact the teacher as soon as possible to
get clarification - don’t let another 10,050 minutes go wasted.
5. The Diplomat - Meaningful
practice is both engaging and hard work! There will be times when practice is
not an attractive proposition. This could be for a number of reasons; for
example maybe there is a particularly challenging and new aspect to a practice
task or maybe friends are playing outside. Negotiating with your child about
how challenges can be broken down into a series of tiny challenges really help.
· ACTION:
- Giving children a choice is a really powerful strategy in times of conflict.
Think about two choices you could present next time practice becomes a
struggle.
6.
The
Patient Parent - Practice is frankly a messy business! It
should be full of small fragments of the pieces, with lots of repetition.
Frankly, it really shouldn’t sound particularly pleasing and really requires
you to be very patient and tolerant. Playing through a whole piece from
beginning to end should be an occasional treat rather than the norm!
· ACTION:
- If practice currently
seems to consist of playing through from the start work out with your child and your teacher how it can be more targeted.
The Results
Finally
remember:-
[A quote from ‘The Curious Piano Teachers Community’].
