Piano lessons for all ages and skill levels
Alexis Smith's Piano Studio is based in Kansas City, Missouri, just minutes from downtown historic Parkville. See the Contact Details page for more information about her.
WARNING: the following information is for parents only!
Q: What is more difficult than practicing the piano?
A: Being a parent who actually makes their student practice!
Any parent of a music student knows this is true, at least at some point. Those of you who are blessed with little angels that always practice without being told should know your students are amongst the few (go hug them now)!
Sometimes it may feel like it's just not worth the battle or effort to see to it practice time gets priority in your already busy day.
However, the familiar saying "sometimes it's just easier to do it myself than to ask you to do it" just won't cut it, especially in this situation. Can you imagine practicing by osmosis?
Well, for all the parents who are tired of asking, but love to hear their student play and see them succeed, I'd like to share a few tips that actually worked for me when my mom got tired of repeating the inevitable: "Practice!"
My mom didn't often give in to requests for special
toys or other extras. That was reserved for hard-
earned allowance money.
The suggestions I have made in the editoral are for consideration only, based on my personal experiences. I realize that each family has their own beliefs about what methods of encouragement work best for practicing as well as what situations are appropriate for offering rewards and money.
~ Erin
Editorial by Erin Davis
However, one "extra" that she was always happy to purchase for me was piano music!
My mom, sister and I would go out for lunch to our favorite restaurant, Andre's. Afterwards, there was always time to stop by Luyben's Music store to pick out a special piece of music or book of my choice. I loved this time spent together, and I could hardly ever wait to get home to start practicing! It was always such a great feeling to be playing pop music, showtunes, Disney or other selections that I enjoyed.
Another trick that my mom used to encourage practicing was to base my allowance on minutes spent playing the piano. I got 1 cent per minute, which was raised to 3 cents per minute during the holiday season with the understanding that the extra money earned would be spent on giving gifts to others. One cent per minute may not sound like a lot, but I really worked hard to earn my spending money, and in the process felt great about my piano progress.
Some final food for thought: A recent servey found that the number one thing people planned to accomplish upon retiring was learning how to play the piano!
