Playing the piano is a fantastic skill that once learned can be used throughout your life. But for the complete beginner it can also be very intimidating to compare their efforts against a master, or even someone who has been practicing longer. The difference between someone who is just learning where the keys are and how to read music and someone who has several years experience is clearer in Piano than in most other arts. It is important to remember this when planning beginner piano lessons for children or teenagers. Unless the children’s piano books are fun and the lessons interesting, very little progress will be made. What about an online piano lesson?

The most important part of making piano lessons for children as productive as possible is to remove the distractions from around them. Anything can be distracting to a child if they think that it could be more interesting than their beginner piano lessons. it is very easy for a child to find other things that are more interesting of exciting than their beginner piano lessons if they are prevented with many different things to compete for their attention. Each distraction removed is one step closer to making the piano, and by extension the piano practice, the most exciting thing in the room. A few ideas for removing distractions are:

1. Always look to practice at the same time. This will establish practice as a habit.

2. Keep the practice area consistent. Do not move things around if this can be avoided - especially the piano itself.

3. Make sure there is no possibility of interruption from a television. If there is one in the same room turn it off. If there is another that can be heard from the practice room, close doors or do whatever it takes to drown out the noise.

4. Remove as many ‘other interruptions’ as possible. For instance pets or siblings that may demand attention.

5. Do not have food or drink near the piano practice area. Piano lessons for kids should be about the piano - not about a snack.

6. Keep books tidily and teach the child to respect them. Scattered books are a distraction, and moving the books to bedrooms etc can lead to them being damaged or lost.

7. Where piano practice conflicts with another activity such as playing with friends, it should be made clear that piano practice happens first, and then the child can play. This needs to be done in a positive way to both the student and the friends. IE/ “She can’t play now she has piano lesson” is negative, while “She can play right after her piano lessons” is positive.

Whether your kid practices regular or online piano lesson, follow these 7 tips to create positive piano lessons for kids, but also seek their input as to what they enjoy so this can be incorporated into the lesson. Numerous educational studies have shown that children are more likely to follow rules and guidelines if they have had input in making the rules. This is a favorite trick of early childhood teachers which can easily be incorporated into piano lessons for children. Have a set of piano practice rules in your head, and ask the child what rules need to be in place for the piano practice. Then gently steer them in the direction of the rules you have in mind. “Do you think we should have a special place for your piano books?” or even better(because that question can be answered with a ‘no’), “Where do you think we should keep your Piano books?”.

Although online piano lesson is more common among adults, the amount of kids going online is expected to grow. The tips above are meant for those as well. As you can see some fairly simply planning and forethought can make a huge difference in the way piano lessons for children progress. You just need to talk through some simple rules and guidelines with your student and be realistic about what you hope to achieve with the beginner piano lessons. It’s important not to hold a child to the expectations of an older more established pianist, but at the same time clearly identify expectations and targets so the piano lesson has some point to the child. Establishing routine, removing distractions and making each lesson fun are the key elements in making sure your young students get the most productivity out of their piano lessons.

Post from: Music Blog

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