Piano Lessons Best Practices

Kyley's Piano & Studio 88
(404) 376-2149
Kyley@KyleysPiano.com
Marietta, GA Piano Lessons
West Cobb

Tips for Parents and Students Regarding Piano Practice

Keys to Successful Piano Practice

Students are required to practice at least 30 min every day. My recommendation is to practice 15 min in the morning and 15 min right after school.
I will be teaching your child HOW to practice. I inform the parent of what to listen for during the week and specifics on how to help.
Piano can seem like a “lonely” instrument. Avoid having a piano in a basement or secluded room. Always be in the same room when your child is practicing. Best results come when the parent practices with the child.
5-6 year olds must have the parent attend all lessons. I encourage you to take notes during the lesson so that you are able to help your child during the week. Parents are the “at home teacher” during the week.
Don’t despair at temporary lapses of practicing. This is normal. The important thing is to continue providing a motivating environment and communicate with your child as to why he/she isn’t practicing.
Showing up to lessons each week with no practice during the week will not teach your child how to play piano.

Quality not Quantity

Stress that quality not quantity of practice is what results in real progress.
Having a proper instrument is essential for keeping your child motivated to play as well as practice.
There will be times during the method series where the student will not like a song they are assigned to practice. This is normal but should not be an excuse for not completing the assignment. I do my very best to add/take away songs that are disinteresting to most and replace them with songs of their choice, albeit still teaching them the concept(s) the original song was written for. If you find that your child is uninterested in most songs then it might be time to re-evaluate taking lessons and we should discuss this.

How to Practice

I will never just give a student a piece and tell them "go home and practice". It's crucial to know HOW to practice. Not knowing can be frustrating and lead to halting their musical endeavors. An excellent TIME Magazine article by Annie Murphy Paul, The Myth of ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ outlines perfect practice. This read is primarily for PARENTS to help and encourage your child in daily practice.

I often remind my students (and their parents), that this is the SHORT-CUT to "learning" their pieces as opposed to playing them over and over hoping the mistakes will fix themselves. If a student practices CORRECTLY the sky is the limit. There is no end to what they can accomplish!

Studio 88 d/b/a Kyley's Piano teaches piano lessons to students from North Atlanta to West Cobb including Kennesaw, Alpharetta, Marietta, Acworth, Woodstock, Roswell and Cobb, Cherokee, Paulding & Fulton Counties. Piano students range in age from age 7 to 18 years. Piano lessons are offered "in home" and at The Murray Arts Center at Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw. See our locations for a map, and directions.

Phone: (404) 376-2149 Email: Kyley@KyleysPiano.com