Parental Role and Environment, Part 1: Tips from the Parents Perspective
Parental Role and Environment, Part 1
TIPS FOR PARENTS
From the PARENTS perspective…
As parents, we have a crucial role to play in the success of music lessons. In fact, Dr. Baker-Jordan illustrates this beautifully in her textbook Practical Piano Pedagogy by using the simple image of a triangle. In this triangle, the parents form one of the sides, while the teacher and student take the other two.
Regardless of your child’s age and level, the following list will help you understand the basics of how to properly offer support while he or she embarks on piano lessons. This, in turn, will make a huge difference in your teacher’s ability to achieve the best outcome with your child.
Provide a quiet and soothing place to practice.
This space should be inviting and facilitate concentration and focused work several times during the week.Set aside a place for the student to store books, old scores, and references.
Allocate a drawer, bookshelf, or even a basket for scores. You would be surprised at how often I find out that my students can’t find their books or don’t know what to do with their books once they have finished a level. Teach them to treasure scores and other resources so that, later on, they can enjoy going back and playing previously learned repertoire.Provide an instrument that is adequate to their level of development.
Although it is OK to start just with a keyboard, once students reach level 2B, they start exploring the more detailed aspects of artistry, tone color, and expression. These components require an instrument with a damper pedal, a full 88-keyboard range, and a sensitivity to dynamic nuances. It is possible to find beautiful acoustic upright pianos for the same price as a new electric keyboard, and your child’s teacher just might be delighted to help you in your search for the perfect instrument.Help your child set up a regular practice time within their activity schedule.
Oftentimes students are overwhelmed by extracurricular activities and can’t find the time or energy to practice, even though they want to. This leads to frustration and lack of progress during lessons. Set up at a protected place in their schedule to develop a regular practice routine. Help prioritize this time and guard it from frequent changes. This sends the message that practicing is a valuable and important part of their curriculum. Consider scheduling this time before they go to school or participate in sport activities. Students often can succeed with less practice time if their mind is well rested.
Practicing an instrument is, by its very nature, a loud activity. Sadly, I know of cases when children have been reprimanded or commanded to “stop making noise” when practicing their pieces. This can lead to sadness and frustration, eventually causing them to cease making music. If there are times when your home needs to be a quiet place (for example, during an infant’s nap time), communicate with your young musician about this. This will help ensure that he or she feels welcome to play and to be loud during his reserved practice time. If the sound of the piano during practice is an issue, consider placing the instrument in the student’s room or in an area that can be closed. I have also seen families purchase electric keyboards to place in their children’s rooms so they can play freely during quiet hours and practice at night, even if they have an acoustic piano in the family area.Allow your child to take ownership and be independent with their practice and learning. Piano proficiency comes only after many years of dedicated study, and it is imperative that students develop strong practice habits to facilitate working on their own. Teachers generally spend a great deal of time in their lessons working to improve students’ practice routines and strategies. However, any feedback that you can give the teacher about current practice issues at home can be very helpful.
Go visit during lessons!
Check with the teacher as often as you are able regarding progress and offer to visit and join a lesson. Let the teacher and student show you their progress. Students love to play for their family, and this can give the teacher a unique opportunity to address any current issues or discuss next steps.Call, text, or email the teacher anytime.
Students do great when there is an open communication line between parent and teacher.Ask your child to play for you once in a while and show you the pieces they are working on.
Go beyond enjoying their beautiful music in the background! Create more formal opportunities to focus on listening to or showing their progress to friends and family. This provides valuable performance experience for them and helps build their self-confidence, allowing them to feel rewarded and appreciated for their hard work. During this time, avoid distractions and background noises in the house. If you are doing the dishes, talking, answering the phone, interrupting, or simply not paying attention, the experience will have a detrimental effect on your child’s motivation.Be supportive of master classes, performances, and other events, and help give them priority.
Students sometimes work on a piece for a whole semester or even a year, and it can be very discouraging if they don’t get to play it at the event for which it was prepared. Make their recitals a “family and friends” event. Students often get very excited about the opportunity to share their music with their loved ones.Young beginner students need much closer parental involvement.
Students in series like Music for Little Mozarts or My First Piano Adventure (ages 4-5) often need their parents or older siblings present at the lesson to take practice notes and even assist the teacher. Ideally, students will reach a much more independent routine by the time they are in the basic methods (Primer to Level One).
Parent and student duets during our 2019 recital.