Success at the Piano

Introduction

Some might say that receiving awards or winning competitions constitute success at the piano. Others might say that easy facility of playing whatever piece is placed in front of you means that you have been successful. Does success mean that people pay to hear you play or that you get thousands of “likes” on youtube? There are only a handful of people who reach these levels. But, there are many levels of success that can be accessible to anyone who is willing to put forth effort and time. Let’s talk about some of them.

What is Success

Success: Learning something you didn’t know before. Students come to their first lesson, perhaps not even realizing that there are groups of two and three black notes on the keyboard. Maybe they have no idea where A, B, or C are on the keyboard. But, it doesn’t take long until those concepts are learned. Pretty soon, students are having other “ah-hah” moments in their pieces.

Success: Accomplishing milestones. Students feel success when they complete a book or pass a theory test (regardless of whether it is Level 1A or Level 8). It is my hope that students feel success at recitals. I hope they can feel proud of their performances and how it represents the work they have put into the studies. Participating in festivals or other events also helps students feel successful.

Success: Understanding and Insights. Students feel successful at class lessons when they understand the theory concepts we are talking about, or they can contribute their experiences of learning to do something, or they perform a piece for their peers and are pleased with it. I love it when students apply concepts they have learned in their theory lessons to their music. Ah-hah moments are THE BEST!

Success: Accomplishing something you wanted to do. Sometimes students come to lessons and say, “I want to play. . . . .” We get the music and after they have worked on it and can play it at a performance level, they feel that sense of accomplishment and the results of their efforts. Success is setting goals. Having the self-discipline to dedicate time to the goal. It is following instructions carefully. It is enduring when the end seems far off. Success: Working hard for something. A small tangible way to mark progress is with stickers or passing off portions of pieces.

Success at Home

Verbalize your positive feelings. What can parents do at home to help students feel success? Thinking about to my growing up years and taking piano lessons. My mom checked in with me daily about practice. Mostly, her method was something like this, “I really enjoyed lying in bed and listening to you play (fill in the blank).” I did most of my practicing in the early morning and it was what my mom woke up to. She also wrote little notes to me regularly telling me how proud she was of my efforts and how beautiful my music was. These meant a lot to me. Recently, I noticed a similar note in a student’s bag from his mom. I loved that!

Create Opportunities to Share. Providing opportunities for your child to perform for others also takes the joy of music beyond the home to grandparents and other extended family. Play everywhere: church, facetime or skype, on vacation. I was traveling once with my sister and she got so excited when she saw a piano at an airport. She plopped right down and played. It was wonderful. Being able to share music with others helps one to feel successful. If you play the piano (or sing, or play another instrument), find time to make music together or collaborate with other friends or family members.

Conclusion

I love being a part of these successful experiences with my piano students. This is why I make a chart for the wall as we get ready for events so they have solid goals they are working toward. This is the reason for practice charts in their lesson assignment books. This is why we have recitals and why students perform for each other at class lessons. This is why I get excited when I can listen to them play a piece with beauty and I can just sit back in my chair and enjoy it. I hope each student can learn what it takes to feel successful moments and that they can feel that joy regularly.

Practicing with Young Children

In 2018, I discovered WunderKeys, a piano approach for children as young as 4 years old. It is delightful with age-appropriate activities and well-planned graduated progress through the skills children need to develop as they learn about music and playing the piano. Here are some helpful tips to practicing with your young child:

The WunderKeys books are presented in a predictable sequence that makes it easy to practice with your child at home: simply read aloud the pages from the week’s unit of study, follow the directions as described and have fun!

WunderKeys books also include cut-and-play piano games that require coins and a die. The game instructions can be found on the back of each game board. Play the games (both past games and the game that corresponds with the current week’s unit) with your child frequently to review important concepts in an enjoyable way.

When your child starts piano lessons it is necessary to establish a predictable routine for home practice. Spending home time at the piano directly impacts your child’s progress. However, it’s not about “minutes spent on the bench” but rather how those minutes are used.

Here are some helpful tips for helping your young student at home:

1. Leave the WunderKeys book open on the piano. Your child will be more likely to spend time at the piano if her materials are always visible. At this age, solo exploration (looking through the book on her own, engaging with the pictures, making up her own songs, etc.) are all beneficial activities.

2. Find a predictable time of day when you can sit with her and assist her with practice. Preschool-aged children cannot complete effective piano practice alone, so she will need your guidance. Spending short amounts of time at the piano daily is much more beneficial than spending one long session at the piano once or twice a week.

3. Help your child develop a sense of ownership over piano lessons by having her demonstrate what she learned in lessons and then allowing her to be “the teacher”. If lessons are “her thing” she’s more likely to gravitate to the piano on her own accord.

4. Remember, at this age, exploration and enjoyment are more important than accuracy and perfection. Piano practice at home should be a happy “bonding on the bench” experience. While it is beneficial to return to previously-completed lessons, please note that working ahead in the book during the week can result in educational gaps that become problematic in the future.

5. Continue her learning away from the piano. Preschool piano lessons build a foundation of knowledge and understanding upon which all further musical learning takes place. Relate the concepts she’s learning in her books to “real world” scenarios. For example, while folding laundry, have her create a pattern out of socks or, while outside, talk about the low and high sounds she can hear.

6. If you do not play piano yourself, you can still practice the teacher/student duets with your child. Simply chant the lyrics to assist her in knowing when it is her turn to play, help her to find her hand position on the black key groups and practice her part of the duet.

7. Engage in activities at home that build coordination, finger strength, and fine motor skills – play with play dough, practice cutting paper with scissors, work on correct pencil grip, use tongs or tweezers to pick up objects, etc.

Find out more about this program in my studio: https://www.rjohnsonpiano.com/products/introduction-to-piano-group-instruction