Motivate Your Child in Beginning Piano Lessons
If your child is beginning to learn how to play piano, we have some advice for you to help your child for the first few weeks. Ask yourself first if your child truly desires piano lessons. Or are you sadly misguided because you, as a parent wanted to become a pianist years ago or is it because children from friends or relatives are gifted students?
If you try to impose your will on your child to take piano lessons, in the long run it will not work and you will lose money. There will be difficult fights ahead with you and your child if you decide to override what your child wants. Most teachers do not look forward to teaching a child that is rude, rebellious, or just plain uninterested as they will not learn the material quickly and may even refuse to practice.
When your child is already interested in learning piano, you are one step ahead. Another way to spark an interest is to take them to a concert or get someone who is a good pianist to come to your home and play piano or for some special family occasion. Your child might want to learn to play some pieces by ear, and ask the pianist to show them how.
Try to persuade your child to make up some songs or play something by ear on the keyboard or piano. They also should be told that the instrument never should be treated roughly like an old toy, and needs to be handled with consideration. Your child should also be told that piano lessons are a special gift, as many people cannot afford to pay for lessons for their own children so that it should never be taken for granted.
You will have to locate a teacher who is willing to teach the young student. There are instructors who will accept children from five years old but most teachers prefer beginners around the age of eight because their hands can reach the keys better and they can read and understand concepts. When you decide to choose a teacher, question them on how they teach and if they are experienced with younger students, and if they offer stickers to their students.
After you sign your child up with a teacher, try to sit in on the first few lessons so you can make sure if your child is understanding the concepts and is enjoying the lessons. You can also use the lesson as a time to learn piano yourself by watching, and this will help you later if your child has questions during practice time. Later at home, you can also sit in on the practice session to make sure your child plays the assigned pieces, and later you can purchase learning tools such as music software that will help with note reading and playing rhythms correctly.
If you give your child a sticker or two for each piece that the piano teacher approved, it may encourage your child’s progress. Keep track of each piece passed, and your student can collect a certain number of stickers and redeem them for a larger reward such as a book, toy, or treat. Children love rewards and it makes them feel like they have accomplished something.
Last of all, children get motivated if you shower them with praise, and allow them to give little impromptu performances at home for the family. It’s great if the teacher gives encouragement and help during the lessons, because children are extremely sensitive and do not tolerate strict, authoritarian piano teachers well, even if these teachers are great artists. The key is to a motivated child is to be positive, loving and supportive because development as a young pianist takes time, loving support, and perseverance.
Tags: arts, family living, music lessons, piano, private piano instruction
