Your kids have a once-a-week lesson. They come home with songs to practice. Sometimes they are brand new songs, sometimes they are songs to review from the previous week. So what on earth is the piano teacher doing anyway? What is she looking for after a week with these songs?
When we assign your child a song to practice, we are looking for a few important things to happen:
Concepts Mastered.
Each week, students are introduced to new terms or concepts. The assigned songs help reinforce and teach these concepts during the week, and then the next lesson will build upon what has been learned.
Attaining Confidence.
It takes a lot of confidence to play in front of your piano teacher and not be so nervous that it affects how you perform. We are teaching our students to relax and do the best that they can. Because learning music is about sharing the gift of music. . .and you can’t do that if you never perform.
Reach High.
We place a high standard on our students. Our philosophy is that even if they don’t reach that mark, they’ve still come further than if we would have settled for less. However, perfection is not our ultimate goal. Is the music beautiful? Filled with emotion? Up to tempo? Expressing what the composer intended?
Gaining Discipline.
The reason we enforce “Perfect Practice,” a stretching goal for any individual, is to teach discipline to children. Pursuing an instrument is a big responsibility (and a big investment for parents). We think that practicing every day is the only way to truly progress in the music world. . .and to slowly learn how to be a responsible, disciplined adult someday.