How To Turn Piano Learning From ‘Chore’ to ‘Fun!’

One of the biggest challenges for a piano teacher is to convince his or her students that learning piano is fun. That’s completely understandable, because learning piano takes a lot of time and practice, and kids generally don’t understand the concept of deferred gratification. Any normal child will have a hard time concentrating on something he or she regards as non-essential. It’s simple: for a child, fun is essential, and work isn’t. But there are ways to make piano fun for kids - two effective ways: There are two effective ways to encourage your piano students to fall in love with piano and piano practice. The first, is to to change the way your students physically experience piano with things like practice incentives, games, and motivating repertoire. We talk often about these things on the blog. The second, is to change the way your piano students THINK about piano, piano practice, and music in general. This is equally as effective, just as important, and yet… often ignored. But not today! Today we’re going to show you the power of a mental shift… Via Teach Piano Today For music teachers and musical parents, it’s easy to appreciate the privilege of learning a musical instrument and having it in your home. It’s easy for you to appreciate the joy it brings and the difference it makes in your life. We all, at some point, can find ourselves speaking of piano and piano practice as a chore… as something that is imposed upon our students and, therefore, as something that children would rather not do. But what would happen if we instead began talking about piano and piano practice as a gift? Via Teach Piano Today Kids can appreciate a good thing when it’s presented to them in the right way. You never have to ask a child to go play with his or her favorite toys, do you? So the trick here is to get him or her to regard the piano in the same way. So how do we do it? Help them develop an appetite for good music Encouraging your piano students to regularly listen to a variety music gives them the opportunity to experience the emotions that music can produce and to gain some understanding of important role that music plays in life. Via Teach Piano Today Create opportunities to see the effects of music One of the best ways to understand the gift of music is to give it to others. Such an experience allows you to see the joy it brings and allows you to reflect on the joy it brings to your own life. So how can you apply the same to kids? Consider using your recitals as “benefit concerts” for a family or individual in need in your community for a tangible way to show how music can bring about change. You may also want to provide opportunities for your students to perform for those who don’t always have access to music (extended care facilities etc.). Children [...]

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