How Do I Get My 6-Year Old to Practice 30 Minutes a Day?

You just signed up your kid for piano lessons, and he's doing great with Twinkle Twinkle and Hot Cross Buns, but his teacher is demanding 20 - 30 minutes per day of practice. You're lucky you get 5 minutes out of your kid. Each of his songs takes about 20 seconds to play and you really don't want to hear that nursery rhyme 500 times. So how on earth do you get a beginner to put in 20-30 minutes a day? Here's what I do with my boys, and it's working great. They started their lessons with me a few weeks ago and are (to our delight) -- advancing rapidly. We know they are enjoying it because they are ASKING FOR MORE SONGS AND HARDER SONGS!  It's all about developing daily HABITS and WITHHOLDING THE GOOD STUFF until piano practice is complete. No, I don't put them on a 30-minute timer and lock them in the room. No, I don't hound them or hover over them constantly. So what is my magic formula to get the wee beginner at the piano 20 minutes every day?

1. Break up the half-hour.  Break it up into 5-minutes here, 5-minutes there, etc.  
2. Withhold screen time/ iPad, etc.  Whatever their favorite leisure activity is -- withhold it until piano practice is complete.  (I add homework and chores as additional screen-time pre-requisites).  I know one family who forbids screen time during the week and the kids must earn weekend screen time through music practice and homework during the week.  All the children play 2 musical instruments.  There is no TV in the house, only access to movies on a DVD player.  It's not my exact system, but it works great for them!
3. Practice the same time/s every day and stick to it.  My kids have to practice 5 minutes before school, 5-10 minutes after school,  and about 10 minutes before bed (when I try to jam with them if I'm home by their bedtime).  By enforcing these three times every day, they are getting to the point that they just go to the piano after they get dressed in the morning.  
4. Add a piano app as part of their practice time.  I use Piano Maestro to help my kids learn to read music.  It's phenomenal and they enjoy keeping time and finding the letter names on the keyboard.  
5. Have them perform their songs regularly for grandparents/ friends/ relatives on Skype, phone, or Facetime.  This is a great way to get extra practice out of them!  They LOVE to show off their skills to others, and the compliments from family members are a huge encouragement to them.

Hope that helps you get your 20 - 30 minutes a day!

For more information on piano lessons or piano entertainment in Loudoun County, VA, contact me at jennifer@piano2go.com or call 571-439-0136.  My website is www.piano2go.com.

Day 2 of Self Discipline

This is Day Two of my empowering new morning music routine.  This new routine will be necessary to complete and prepare the music for my second album, sheet music book, and tour (yes, I said tour).  I really do want to get all my compositions scored fully in Finale, including those I'm behind on from the first album. But being a full-time stay-at-home mom right now, this requires a plan and commitment to fit it all in.  I was going to have to beat my kids out of bed and have an early session at the piano and computer. This means rising at 5:00 AM!!!  I figure -- my friend with 8 kids does it every day, and serious swimmers do it, so why can't I? That's right! So how's it going?  Here's my report:

Day 1:  Actually, my plan for 5am failed a bit yesterday, but only because my iPhone alarm startled my three-year-old, and I had to lie with him until he fell back asleep.  The alarm put him in "get up mode," so it took a while.  Once I finally got downstairs, I figured I'd put in a load of laundry while my coffee was brewing, because that's always my morning routine anyhow, and if the laundry for five people gets behind, we have a mountain of trouble and nothing to wear.  I figured I'd forget the laundry if I put it off, so I'd better do that before hitting the piano.  Then I hit the piano.  It was 6:05 or so.  What did I accomplish?

• Practiced major scales C, C#, D, and Eb at 110 = quarter, in quarters, eighths, triplets and sixteenth notes.
• Practiced major arpeggios C, C#, D, and Eb at 78 = quarter, in quarters, eighths, triples, and sixteenths.  Played my patterned arpeggio exercise as well (sheet music forthcoming).
• Practiced Hanon No. 1 several times at some reasonable tempo, but not flying.  Just firm touch and strong sound.
• Fleshed out the chord progressions of my newest composition (glad I didn't forget it over my month-long hiatus) and wrote them down.  
• Practiced new composition enough to remember how it goes without fumbling too much.

Day 2:  In spite of my son having another mysterious fever the night before, he was back to normal in the morning, so I rose before 5am, beating my alarm!  

• Put laundry in.
• Practiced major scales E, F, F#, and G at 110 = quarter, in quarters, eighths, triplets, and sixteenths
• Practiced arpeggios for the above keys in same manner as Day 1.
• Practiced my "Filled-Out Arpeggio" etude that I wrote for myself and students a few years back.
• Attached MIDI cable from Roland Piano to HP laptop.
• Wrote out complete score for "Filled-Out Arpeggio" exercise in Finale.  I'll make this exercise free for now.  Download and print the pdf doc here.  I've used it with my advanced students and I practice it myself.  Here's a sneak peak:

I felt like that was a pretty good start to getting me back to the grind.  The biggest thing I have to worry about is losing my technique at my age.  I have to keep my fingers moving quickly and doing acrobatic things that require intense motor skills (my compositions are often fast and difficult).  So even if I don't practice actual songs each day, at least I will give my fingers a serious workout before my kids get up.  And maybe I can assemble a technique book for teachers and advanced pianists of all my special exercises!  I am doing a video journal of Album Two preparation, and I will post a video update periodically.  

  

Self Discipline - The New Schedule Begins

I will briefly recap what I wrote on my Facebook page today:

 

"So my life has been devoid of music for three weeks, well...virtually. I really don't have the opportunity to make music without babysitters or superwoman energy. Actually, I am trying to figure out how to fit it in, and it will probably require some discipline on my part -- perhaps getting up at 4 or 5am to practice and compose. Interestingly enough, even though I have not been "in" music that... much lately, my compositions have just started popping into my head. Beethoven does not pop into my head. Coldplay and Fleetwood Mac do not pop into my head, but my own creations do. I will wake up with one playing in my mind, and then another a while later. This mental haunting of past compositions seems to be a very involuntary mechanism. It does not seem to be triggered by any willful act of the conscious mind. They literally just pop into my mind, or I awake with them playing. My mind obsesses over my melodies, and plays them over and over, even as I type now. Sometimes my mind will start editing the piece and adding new layers and themes. Eventually, this mental obsession will draw me back to the piano. It is amazing how mysterious the mind is -- how sometimes data or music can lie dormant for months or years, and can then suddenly rise to the surface of our consciousness; how remarkable the memory is. I can only surmise that this means I need to get back to work; not for money, but because it's the work I'm have to do."

 

So my new self-imposed schedule begins tomorrow.  Wish me luck.  I will be rising at 5am to work for a couple of hours at the piano and computer.  Then I'm taking my boys fishing!

"I practice with my keyboard on the floor" and other wacky configurations!

Yes, this is an actual quote from one of my students this morning...which brings up an important issue.  This is not ok!  The student in question then continues..."and I sit criss-cross applesauce while I practice."  Oh, dear!  I didn't think I really needed to address this.  Surely they know better than to practice in a manner that produces poor technique and slouchy posture.  Surely they are all sitting on piano benches while practicing.  But I should never assume anything.  So today I offer you a token of wisdom on "practice configurations."

What is the right practice configuration? 

• Proper Seating!  Sit on a piano bench, or at a minimum, a creaky chair patched with duct tape like the one American pianist Glenn Gould would drag around from venue to recording studio (actually, I hope you don't do this.  Glenn was a tad eccentric.).
• It's all about arm angle!!!  When the keyboard is at the proper height in relation to your seating, your arms will form a right angle (90 degrees) at the elbow when your hands are outstretched, shoulders relaxed, elbows hanging loosely by your sides, ready to play.  If your arm angle is less than 90 degrees, your keyboard stand is too high in relation to your seating.  If your arm angle is greater than 90 degrees, your keyboard stand is too low in relation to your seating.  Keyboard stands are usually adjustable -- just move to a different set of holes.  Some benches are adjustable.  Do what you need to do to get the right arm angle!  It's important!
• Kitchen tables are for food, and floors are for feet!  Please don't practice with your keyboard on the kitchen table.  And the floor is just bad.  Bad.  Bad.  There are stands made for just about every kind of keyboard and you can find one just for your keyboard on Google.  If you haven't bought your keyboard yet, do make sure you purchase a piano with a stand.

I hope that helps all of you parents wondering if the keyboard-on-the-floor thing is ok.  It's not.  It will, indeed, sabotage all your piano teacher's efforts to instill good technique into your child's piano-playing.  

I do in-home consultations to evaluate your practice set-up and the mechanical fitness of your instrument.  I also go to student homes and install notation and recording software for students, getting your keyboard and computer to talk to each other so you can be an artist!  Click the link below to schedule your instrument assessment or technology installation now!