In-Home Piano and Music Theory Lessons

How To Practice
A note on practicing and playing for fun: To gain real benefit from your weekly lesson, you should practice your assigned material minimum 20 minutes per session, at least 4 days a week. You should also play piano for fun – and listen to music – at least as much as you practice.

1. Make sure you have a quiet place to practice where no one will interrupt you.

2. Gather your materials ( practice assignment binder, songbooks, lesson books, metronome, pencil) and have them ready at the piano.

3. Open your piano binder and turn to this week’s assignment sheet that I have written for you.

4. Follow your practice instructions carefully. Ask your parents for help if you need it.

5. Practice slowly. Go slow enough to keep a steady beat, play the correct notes, and use the correct fingers.If you make mistakes, you are playing too fast. Slow down and try again. The speed of your playing will gradually increase as your fingers become more confident.

6. Be kind to yourself. Learning how to play music takes a lot of effort and there will be many mistakes along the way. Don’t give up! You can do it. You will feel so proud of yourself every time you master a new song. Share the songs you have learned with your family and friends. Sharing music with others can help spread happiness.

A Note For Parents About Weekly Assignment Sheets:

• Each student’s weekly assignment includes `Your Practice Goal This Week` and a weekly practice log, along with a note stating an appropriate weekly minutes target for the student`s current level of study. Your help with meeting the practice goal and recording the practice minutes would be greatly appreciated.

• These assignment sheets describe my expectations of the student for the following week`s lesson. They are carefully written each week to guide each student along an individualized lesson plan that will provide a well-rounded musical and piano education.

• I understand that piano is only one activity in a busy week of school and sports and that parents don`t have a lot of time to sit down with their kids to work on various projects. However studying music requires time, self discipline, focus and attention to detail for parents and students – there is no way around that.

• Not looking at the assignment sheets and playing only the songs the student likes best, and not focusing on the elements of their pieces that need work is a bit frustrating for teacher and student as we remain stuck on that particular assignment until all of its elements are addressed, re-taking the same lesson week after week.

• Checking in with your child even just once during the week and going over their assignment sheet with them would be increase the value of your financial investment in piano lessons and would definitely help the student get more out of their time at the piano.