Getting Kids to Practice Piano 

Enthusiasm for playing piano starts to fade after a time.  We want our kids to keep up their piano long enough for them to achieve enough skill to really enjoy playing.  Yet the daily effort it takes to get the practicing done can be enormous.  How do we get kids to practice? 

You know, when we have them practice, we give them the gift of music that will bless them their entire lives!  And generations to come, as well!  We can be confident in our expectations and also be wise, so that the growth can happen and the love for music can grow.

 Ideas Families Have Tried: 

1.  Daily routine.  Work piano practice into a child’s daily schedule.  Pick a time for each to practice.  Expect it to happen then, and point out how a little bit every day brings great results at a piano lesson.  Or, if that strict of schedule doesn’t work, give more freedom to choose, but still have a expected time such as mornings before school or before dinner.

When my kids were still very young, I set up a morning routine.  I called it “Great New Day” and made it into a jingle: 

      One, Wake up, Morning Prayer 

Two, Get dressed, Jamies away 

Three,  Make bed, Fix my Hair 

Four,  Set for a Great New Day! 

 

A,  Dishes Over 

B,  Hug my Ma 

C,  Do my Chores 

D,  Practice Pian-ah!    

 (The “Ma” and “Pian-ah” were for comic relief!) 

The morning routine needed to happen before they could do something else fun.   Even my tiny kids would go to the piano and play a little One, Two, Three song (three notes on the piano played with the index finger).   As they grew, I showed them how to “play” Mary Had a Little Lamb; Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater; or Jingle Bells, by ear, so they could “practice.”  It was a big day when they finally got to start on a Piano Book!  But by then, they had been practicing for a very long time already!  It was just a given that everyone needed to practice! 

My friend–I’ll call her Jan wasn’t taught piano as a girl, but she wanted her kids to learn to play.  She bought a used piano and asked me to teach her oldest daughter Kate.  She made it important in their home, to daily practice the piano.   Then she worked closely with me to answer her oldest daughter Kate’s questions and to keep the lessons at her interest and skill level.  It was extra important to Jan that I spell out where to put Kate’s hands for each piece.   Jan herself would sit at the piano at practice time and learn along with Kate!  It was that important to her.

Jan’s next child, a son, was extra interested in music, and figured out several songs on his own by ear.  Then when he began to play, he could ask his older sister the questions that he needed answering at practicing time! 

Rather than hound a child to practice, try a “back door” approach:  “I sure would like to hear some beautiful music this morning!”  Or, “Sure, you can go play at your friends house!  As soon as you practice!”  Or, “I’ve noticed that your _______ piece is sounding better and better.  Would you play it for me?” 

 2.  Variety.  When enthusiasm for piano practice starts to wane, change it up!  Find a new book, or a fun new sheet music song to add interest.  A local music store can have suggestions at your child’s level.  Try bringing in a current song he plays, to match levels. 

Christmas songs are fun to play!  The first part of November, we set aside all piano music and let our students learn some Christmas pieces.  Christmastime is a busy time, so it is okay if the songs they learn are easier than they is used to.  It is a good chance to let them play songs that are extra fun, and that their  ear already knows. 

Duets are some fun variety, and they require that both parties play the rhythm correct!  Try having your child play as you sing.  This is perfect for Family Home Evening.  It helps them learn to keep up the tempo! 

My mom loves to hear her  grandchildren play–well at least she pretends to!   She sets up informal family talent shows several times a year, at holidays or get-togethers.  When Grandpa was suffering from dementia, he couldn’t talk to anyone much, but he could listen to the grandkids play!  Our family and my sister’s family got together and put on our own recital once a year.  We reserved the church, and printed programs, so that our kids would each picked a piece and have it ready.  Sometimes, everyone would play a classical or religious piece (in the chapel), and sometimes, we played fun ones (in a different room).  Knowing that everybody would hear them play was extra motivation for our kids to practice! 

3.  Help them see the big picture: We are lucky that we have music, and we are blessed to be able to develop that talent.  

When my young som grumbled about piano at age 9, I sat beside him at the piano one day.  “I’m just not interested in the piano,” he told me.  “After a quick prayer how to handle this right, I replied, “You are such a smart boy, with a smart brain.  Did you know that usually when you learn, you only use the left side of your brain?  Well, music lets you develop a whole other side of your brain—the right side!  You are so creative, and I know that you will need both sides of your brain!!  Playing the piano will give you that.”   This son thought about that, and I stopped hearing him ask to quit!  (This is true.  Rote learning is a left brain activity, while creativity uses the right brain.  Music actually can boost  academic skills, such as reading and math skills by stimulating brain function that governs them.  “Music draws on both sides of the brain—you are both analytical and expressive.”  Barrie Wells, ASU Music Therapy and Education, quoted in the Mesa Tribune 7/31/95.) 

When my sister’s kids wanted to quit piano, she told them, “Yes, you may quit.  After you have learned 50 hymns.”   That was the requirement in their home.  So her kids worked to learn the hymns.  She would smile to herself.  She knew that after they had learned the 50 hymns, they would be able to play well, and would no longer want to stop! 

“It’s who we are,” I tell my family, “We play the piano.”  For years, I would not give my kids the option of quitting.  Then, one day, I changed my approach.  “You know,” I told the kids, “Sooner or later, you WILL get asked to play in church.  It just will happen, because there is always need for someone who plays.  Do you want to be able to play well, to serve others, or just so-so?  It’s not if, but when, so think about how well you will want to be able to do it.”   This was especially effective since a recently returned missionary had just told a story about being asked to play on her mission, for the congregation to sing. There was no one else that could play, and how she wished she could play better! 

4.  Scale down.  Kids get busy.  And they have legitimate, good uses of their time with sports, extra-curricular activities, and homework, especially as they get older.  Rather than let piano go, just lower the requirements. 

At one point, I only had my teenage kids play one song, a hymn, during the school year. Then, when summer started, I added back two or three more songs, and added back the scales or chords and the method books.  I tried to match the expectation to the busy-ness of the child.  And rather than stop piano lessons, I figured that even if there was not much time during the week to practice, her kids were learning to sight-read music!  A valuable skill! 

5.  Reward practicing with Praise!

Spike Dad’s interest in a piece that your child is learning, and have him listen and pour on praise.  When Grandma comes over, give her a little concert.   Or if the pianist is bashful, have her secretly listen in.  Then Grandma  can offer lavishly praise!  In fact, a relative could listen in from the phone, unseen, and offer admiration.  Someone who says, “You are really getting good on the piano” gives  the best reward. 

My Favorite Idea: The Plate.

Practicing had been dying down astronomically in my house, as my teenagers got busy with a musical and sports and homework. I got a dollar store plate, and wrote on it in permanent marker: MUSIC Makes Life Delicious. Then, I heated it in the oven, so the writing would not erase. After dinner each night, I get out a piece of fruit, maybe a pear or a mango or a bunch of grapes, or even some frozen strawberries or pineapple, and arrange enough pieces on the plate for everyone in the family. Without saying a word, my kids know that if they go play their hymn through, they can come eat a piece. My growing boys are usually hungry again awhile after dinner, so here is a snack, and a wonderful consequence for practicing! This is not so much a reward for practicing as a reminder that Music does make life wonderful!! I hope the kids are thinking, “Oh yeah, I really do want to get better at playing the piano!”

Next Week: Practicing Instruments.  How do you get your kids to practice? Please comment below!