What Is "Practice" to a 5 Year Old?

     Practice -- repeat something to get better, to do something repeatedly in order to improve performance in a sport, art or hobby.   Now, you and I know what practicing means but what does a five year old think practicing means??  Well, in reference to piano, they simply think that sitting down at the piano and playing it is practice.  Now there is nothing wrong with this as long as the parent, at some point, helps their child play the songs and exercises that have been assigned to them that week.  But I have discovered that parents either don't know what practicing is or do not have the time, energy or interest in helping their child practice.
     What I find amazing is that, most parents think that their child will like piano enough to just practice on their own. NOT SO! Now there are a few out there that once they have taken a couple years of lessons, become very passionate about it and will practice on their own.  However, for the majority of children, you have to ask them to practice, just like homework, brushing their teeth, and cleaning up before dinner.  And the younger children, need one on one guidance through that "practice" time, just like they would with their homework or sports practice.
     So, how do you get your child to understand what "practice" is??  Well, every child is different and responds differently to suggestions, ideas, and tactics.  But, here are a few that I have found to work over the years.    Get your child a small calender with their favorite characters on it.  Have him/her put a check or an X on every day that he plays for ten minutes on the songs and exercises assigned during that week.  Be sure to let your child know that after that ten minutes, they can play whatever they would like.  Some want to make up their own songs, some want to play favorite songs they have memorized from a previous lesson, whatever it may be, let them play away.  As the teacher I reward my students with stickers for each day they practice if they practice every day of the week, but if your teacher doesn't do this, then you can be the one to award the stickers.
     Another trick I have found helpful, is to make a chart at the top of every song or exercise assigned.  Seven rows across for each day of the week, and four rows down for the numbers 1-4.  This is to keep track of how many times the song has been played each day.  If you want your child to play it more than 4 times each day, then add more lines down in the chart.  The child then gets to check off a box each time they play the song or exercise.  This can also be rewarded with stickers, or with TV time or game time, or whatever fun thing that seems to motivate your child.
     I have some parents that have taken up piano to be able to help their child with it easier.  If you are a parent that can play some piano or are learning to play piano, get your child to be the "teacher" and you be the student.  Purposely playing it incorrectly, or sitting incorrectly, or acting out, to make your child correct you.  Have them show you the "correct" way so that you can "learn" how to do it correctly.  You can also have your child put on a concert for the family.  One night after dinner, have them play all the songs they have been working on and some of their favorites, while you and the family are the audience.  Even more encouragement and excitement can be given if you video tape the "performance".  Children love to be praised and the more you give them, the more apt they are to continue the behavior they are being praised for.
     One last one that is extremely helpful for the younger children is to talk to their fingers.   So instead of pointing out what is wrong, ask your child if you can talk to their fingers.  Then address the issue to the fingers.  "Now listen fingers, these are the notes each of you is supposed to be on."  and place the fingers on the correct notes.  Then when one of them plays the incorrect thing.  Address that specific finger. "Middle finger, you have to listen here to Charley (your child's name) and let the ring finger play that note, it's not your turn to play yet."  Then get your child involved in talking to their fingers as well.  Make it a game, which fingers are going to behave and listen this time around.  Then of course, rewards for when they do all behave and play it correctly.
     The rewards for practicing are so great!  For them, the feeling of accomplishment, the joy of being able to play their favorite songs, the value of having music with them the rest of their life.  And for you, the joy of knowing that you gave them the value of music for the rest of their life, and being able to hear something other than Old McDonald and Chopsticks being played on the piano!!
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The Real Reason to Take Music Lessons

     I was reading a blog today on a piano teacher's view on articles such as Studying Music Makes You Smarter. http://colorinmypiano.com  I thought that her viewpoint was quite interesting and I have to say, I very much agreed with it.  Anyone that deals with music of any kind online has seen the articles and posts that suggest studying music can improve your cognitive and social skills.  Well, I have read these articles and posts and not really put much thought into them.  The point this blogger was making was -- Did you take piano or any music lessons as a child to get smarter??  Do we as teachers teach piano and music because we want to make people smarter??    Well, the obvious answer to both of those questions for me was NO!
     So, that got me to thinking about why I did take piano when I was a kid and why I stuck with it.  I see so many kids come and go from my studio, and it's so disappointing to me, how was I not one of those kids?  What was different about me or my teacher that I stuck with it?  To help me jog my memory, I called my mom to find out about my practice routine and her involvement in it.  Well, much to my surprise, she was only involved in practice time for maybe a year.  So, I was practicing on my own at age 6.  Wow! Now back to the question, why did I take piano and stick with it?  Well, because she put it so accurately, I will quote Joy Morin. "I believe in music for music’s sake.  I believe that there is something magical about learning how to create beautiful sounds.  I believe music is a wonderful and powerful way for humans to communicate feelings, emotions, and stories with others." 
     I truly do believe that music is magical!  When I was a kid music was not only beautiful, it was an escape into a world that allowed me to speak without saying anything, to be sad without crying, to be angry without yelling, to be happy without laughing, to be frustrated without screaming.  I loved this world, and because I was not over booked and over stimulated like most of the kids today, I had the time and the energy to sit down at the piano and cloak myself in this world.

     Now, as a piano teacher, I get to see what that magic does for a child, through the eyes of an adult.  One of the best things a parent can do is give their child music lessons of some kind and help them through that first tough year of learning enough skill to be able to start enjoying the music that they are making.  One of the main reasons I decided to teach was to be able to pass on to someone else what my piano teacher gave me as a child -- another world, a beautiful world, a magical world that doesn't exist anywhere else outside of music.
     So, does music make you smarter?  Maybe.  Will it benefit other parts of your life?  Probably, but who cares!!  The real reason to take piano or music lessons of any kind is to be enriched by the beauty of music.  To be able to step away from the world around us and be able to create a beautiful musical escape.  And if you are being honest with yourself, that IS the real reason why took music lessons and now want your child to.
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