Parents, please read and sign the Practice Agreement in the front of your student’s Practice & Progress assignment book.  The parent is responsible for signing the practice record each week. The student is responsible for practicing!   

Practice Ribbons:  When the student meets the minimum practice goal (100 minutes/week), a sticker is placed in his/her book.  Practice Ribbons are awarded for every five stickers.

PracticePins:  When students initiate their own practice without parental reminding, parents need to draw stars on the days their student initiates practice; three or more parent stars per week earn a weekly teacher star in the Practice & Progress book.  PracticePins are earned by accumulating twenty teacher stars in the assignment book.  The PracticePin is awarded at the upcoming MWA Performance event.  

Please note that these practice awards are based on a three-way communication system between the parent, student, and teacher.  These awards are not based on achievement.   Students who practice consistently and correctly, however, are the ones who also achieve results!

Parent Tips for Practice  ~  Quality vs. Quantity

The key to helping with practice is simple: create an environment that allows the student to gain ‘control’ of their musical responsibility – the practice session.  No student needs a teacher six days a week.  Nor do they need someone pointing out their mistakes, telling them what to practice and when to practice it.  So what is the role of the parent? 

Setting Goals should be the primary objective of a practice session – not a set time limit.  The best questions to ask your student:  “What sounds better? What is easier? What did you accomplish?”  Do NOT ask “How long did you practice?”  Time is arbitrary – a student can spend 30 minutes ‘playing’ their instrument with pieces already learned and/or not focusing on the assignment!   The parent can help students learn how to organize the multiple tasks of an assignment into a sequence of learning. Think of this as a weekly ‘long term project’ that allows you to help your student learn organizational skills.  Learn to bite your tongue unless asked for help.  Your student can hear suggestions from a teacher; however, parental suggestions frequently are heard as criticism.  If there is a mistake, the instructor will find it – not to worry!

Mystery Goal Cards.   Ask your student to name the different elements that are assigned for practice. Write each one on a 3×5 card and place all of them upside down in a pile or in a bowl. Each practice session a student selects three (or more) different cards from the pile/bowl.  Practice each element until it sounds better or is ‘easy’.   This helps students to define goals.  Quality not quantity.

Progress is dependent on meeting new challenges on a weekly basis.  Practice involves tackling the new material.  Be sure to help your student differentiate between ‘practice’ and ‘play’.  Students study music to learn to ‘play’.  We want them to ‘play’ for the love of playing.  AND, it takes ‘practice’ to ‘play.’

Practice Reminder.   Buy a timer.  The student is in control of setting the timer to ring.  The ringing of the timer is the reminder to begin practice with no parental nagging.  The timer is not suggested for timing the practice session – it is a friendly reminder to begin a practice session without parental reminding.  For every day practiced without parental input, the student gets a point/ticket/sticker.  xxxx number of awards  can be redeemed for  xxxxx (to be determined by parent and student).  Taking responsibility and initiative is a major goal of music study – learning to play the instrument is a side benefit.

Time Management and Organizational Study Skills  

After the weekly lesson is the ideal time to sit down with your student and ask them to explain their assignment.  This is the time to verbalize weekly goals.  It is the perfect opportunity for the younger student to label their assignment with the following words:  1) easy, 2) medium, 3) hard, or 4) review (play).  Help your young students deal with ‘hard’ by encouraging them to verbalize that xxxx is  hard – and their goal is to always include one ‘hard’ piece/section in a practice session.  Their weekly goal is to turn ‘hard’ into ‘medium’ or ‘easy’.  For younger children, rewrite the assignment on cards as suggested above – all of the ‘hard’ items could be on a certain color of card.  AND remember: the student’s perception is always correct – even if the parent thinks the piece/section is easy.

Look at the coming week and plan practice around other activities. Provide a ‘personal’ daytimer that is dedicated to only their activities – instrumental practice is one of their responsibilities along with homework, scouts, sports, dance etc.  Have your students record when practice will happen for each week.  This gives them a sense of control of their life.    They  can learn to schedule weeks that are extremely busy with one less day for practice – or schedule a little longer practice session on the other days.  Weeks that are not complicated, schedule more time for practice.

Juggling time with busy schedules is a learned skill.  Instrumental practice is the perfect opportunity to help your children with time management.  Music study demands time.  When there is not enough time in any given week for a normal practice routine, encourage your student to identify one (two, three) specific goal(s) to accomplish.  It is much easier to find a few minutes of practice time when there is only one goal to accomplish!    In this way, the frustration and/or guilt of ‘no practice’ is overcome by accomplishment.  Every student can then walk into a lesson – even after a difficult week – and say “I can do THIS better. Listen.”  This essential self-motiviation keeps students involved in music study.  A parents’ main job is to help their students discover this instrinsic quality in spite of a busy schedule.

The Piano Partnership Lesson
Carolyn Inabinet

The private lesson is and has been the hallmark of piano study. The student goes to the lesson
alone and practices in isolation. There is little opportunity to meet with friends who play the piano. How
can this isolated experience of piano study be enhanced? In an effort to bridge the gap between the private
and the group piano lesson, Music Works Academy has utilized the partnership lesson for ten years as an
optimal lesson format. This dyad – a musical ‘team’ effort – not only maintains the integrity of private
study but also provides the missing ingredient, camaraderie.

The well-matched partner lesson is superior to the private lesson 99% of the time. Our goal is to
match partners based on sex and grade in addition to the intrinsic qualities of motivation and aptitude. The
extrinsic qualities of practice habits and learning styles are influenced dramatically by the addition of a
piano partner. This ‘buddy system’ can thereby influence that critical intrinsic ingredient of motivation.
The main criterion for a long-lasting partnership is the friendship that develops between the two students.
The ‘piano friend’ relationship is unique and can last for years; in fact, one of our teachers has two partner
students who played at each other’s wedding! Thirty years of teaching children helps in making wise
decisions in pairing students. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts!

As studio teachers, our main musical competition is organized music such as band, orchestra or
chorus. Whether the group musical experience is part of the school curriculum or a private program is not
the critical factor. The bottom line is the group dynamic, getting together with friends to make music. This
‘team effort’ does not routinely happen in the piano studio. If the group musical experience is part of the
school curriculum, students are recognized by the grading system for their time and effort. As teachers and
parents, we urge our students to seriously apply themselves to the discipline and rigors of learning the
piano. The rewards our piano students gain from piano study are mostly internal since schools and peers do
not recognize their effort nor the time of their practice. Many times, their peers ridicule them for having to
practice. In order to join the ranks of extra-curricular activities that have appeal and value to children, we,
as piano teachers, must endeavor to create an atmosphere that not only stimulates musical development but
also fosters a desire to learn and develop a skill over time. What better way to do this than create an
instructional environment that eliminates the isolation that is inherent in daily practice?

What are the advantages of a piano partnership?

1) Performance Anxiety
Peer recognition and praise are strong motivating factors that encourage piano study. If a student
has anxiety about performing, playing for a piano friend is the best way to work through this fear. On the
other hand, for the student who loves to perform and always needs an audience, the partner lesson affords
opportunity to perform only when repertoire is ‘performance ready’. The student who is inclined to ‘show
off’ long before a piece is polished is required to pay attention to detail before he/she can play for his piano
partner.

2) Realistic Expectations
A teacher demonstration of a song makes it look ‘so easy’ to play the piano. Reality hits when
the student takes the piece home to practice. Watching a friend make mistakes, struggle with a difficult
passage, and ask ‘stupid questions’ is a leveling experience and helps students’ have realistic expectations
of themselves, independent from those critical “piano pros” in their life – their teacher, parents who play
the piano, and siblings who excel at the piano.

3) Accountability
Being accountable for practice takes on a new dynamic when a friend is present. When a piano
friend gets fifteen tickets because she practiced 300 minutes that week, a statement is made without any
words from teacher or parent. When students hear each other perform at informal Keyboard Clubs,
messages are being sent about accomplishment that are independent from teacher and parent. These
nonverbal expectations are much stronger than parental nagging or even words of encouragement.

4) Ensemble Experiences
Duet playing develops listening skills, an element easily ignored by the piano soloist. The
ensemble experience lays the foundation for accompanying, a musical skill that depends on listening and
being able to adjust performance in real time. A partner is a built-in ensemble friend. Playing with a
partner is not like playing with the teacher who never makes mistakes and who can even cover up student
errors. Neither is playing with a partner like performing with a background midi file. The midi file is a
tool that offers absolutely no assistance for student error; neither does a midi file make unexpected
mistakes that can throw a monkey wrench into a performance. The give and take that is an integral part of
ensemble playing is a performance skill of listening in real time with the consequent development of being
able to recover from errors as well as maintaining composure when the partner makes a mistake.

5) Learning Styles
Piano study is a process of ups and downs. Even the most enthusiastic student has days or weeks
when other activities are more important and piano practice assumes a lesser role. The enthusiasm of a
partner can be contagious. A slump by one student can show a partner that ‘down’ times happen to
everyone – it’s normal! If both students are in a slump, it’s much easier for the teacher and the students to
cope in a productive manner. Student guilt or elaborate excuses are easier to handle. The unpracticed
lesson is less intense, since the students share the unwanted spotlight. Two unpracticed students are less
nerve wracking than one unpracticed student for the instructor as well.

Sometimes, it is more productive to partner students based on differences rather than similarities.
The student of ‘extremes’, enthusiastically tackling challenging pieces one month and ready to quit a few
months later, is easier to handle with a partner who is a more ‘level’ learner. Both benefit from each other’s
differences. Each student learns to identify and accept his/her own learning style. The more balanced
student may not be as enthusiastic at times and benefits from experiencing his friend’s excitement; the
extreme student can benefit from the steadiness of his partner and not react to his own ‘yo-yo’ style of
progression.

6) Student Initiative
Many times, partners want to learn each other’s repertoire; and after listening to one student’s
performance with attention to detail, the piece is already half-learned. This is a very different phenomenon
than a sibling or a parent playing “your piece”. The sense of accomplishment that comes with learning a
piece without teacher/parent help is a major factor in keeping a student engaged in piano lessons.
Ownership of the skill is mandatory. Ownership is an internal process and cannot be forced by the teacher
or the parent. From ‘owning’ their skill, a student comes to love playing. And from this comes the joy of
being able to play. And that’s what all of us are trying to foster. One of the strongest ways to gain
ownership is in listening and watching a friend play a piece and then learning it without help. The private
lesson does not afford this opportunity at all.

7) Peer Support
How many times has a student made a mistake and berated himself for a ‘poor performance’.
When this happens in front of a friend, the typical response is for the friend to relate a similar experience of
when he did such and such in his piece. It is these shared experiences with peers that reinforce student’s
confidence in themselves in spite of their mistakes. Remember, the teacher and the parent are limited in
their influence. Teachers are the epitome of perfection and never make stupid mistakes. The parent who
has never tried to play the piano truly has no conception of what is involved in performing. This
immediately makes any statements they have about piano totally irrelevant as far as the student is
concerned.

The parent taking lessons and making mistakes is one of the best models for a child. Piano study
in the family is a leveling experience for everyone, one of the few opportunities where the child and parent
become “peers”. Parents are not immune to playing wrong notes, getting frustrated, and not remembering
what the teacher said. In this way, the parent becomes a ‘comrade in arms’ and the child readily recognizes
the equality in their shared role as ‘students’. The parent who has made a mistake in a performance can, in
fact, become a tremendous support system for their child. But only those parents who dare risk time,
money, frustration, and embarrassment are allowed this special place in the lives of their children. Ask
any adult piano student what happens to them when they perform and you will get a surprisingly different
view of a recital experience!

Friendship and Camaraderie
My most successful ‘rescue’ of two students this year has been two fourth grade girls: one
underachiever (with an older sibling who excels and a parent who plays) and the other presenting herself in
the lesson as a model student, organized and enthusiastic but telling her parents she hates piano and wants
to quit. In a situation like this, my goal is to match personality, hoping to achieve a bond that goes beyond
the piano lesson. My analysis of the personalities was 100% on target – the two girls are an incredible team.
In fact, in looking over their worksheets this year, I find hearts drawn in each of their folders with “I love
……..; she is my best friend.” Now, we can get down to the business of piano and each of the girls will
survive longer and better weather the ups and downs of piano lessons because of each other. We, as
teachers and parents, cannot touch this element that is the core of a well-matched piano partnership.
The partnership lesson is a ‘team’ experience. Inherent in a team is responsibility. Students feel
obligated to do their best and try their hardest when they are members of a team. Any student who has
participated in an Ensemble Event can tell you about the ‘team’ effort it takes to play with twenty other
students. Two seventh grade girls from different schools loved the piano lesson time because it was their
weekly time to catch up on news from a different school. Incidentally, they were having loads of fun
playing duets with each other. One wanted to join the basketball team; unfortunately, practices were on
their lesson day. “Oh, but I can’t leave my piano partner,” was the comment when a new lesson time and
partner was suggested. Basketball was placed on hold. Responsibility and obligation to the ‘team’ effort is
yet another buffer for the many choices and conflicts that face our students today.

9) Team/student Teaching
a) The most efficient use of a teacher’s time is to have an opportunity to explain a concept once, not
twice. This leaves time for more in-lesson drill and questions.

b) The partnership provides a unique opportunity for a student to demonstrate and/or explain a
concept to a peer. Playing ‘teacher’ reinforces a student’s understanding of a concept and playing
‘adjudicator’ develops listening skills.

c) The partnership provides an opportunity to observe self-directed practice habits. What happens
when a student is left on his/her own for two minutes to ‘warm-up’ and practice a piece? The partnership
lesson is a perfect way for teachers to become the proverbial ‘fly on the wall’ and passively evaluate a mini
practice session of Student No. 1 while actively interacting with Student No. 2. We can evaluate what is
truly happening during ‘practice’. Our bird’s-eye-view of bits and pieces of weekly practice habits during
the partnership lesson becomes a golden opportunity to directly intervene and rework the student’s
understanding of ‘practice with intent’. This ‘in lesson’ focused mini practice session becomes the model
for self-directed at-home practice.

Our goal is to make the student self-sufficient. It is mandatory that a student ‘own’ his/her
accomplishment. We, as piano teachers, have a unique opportunity to help students develop this critical
study skill of focus with intent and the resulting pride of ownership that arises from accomplishment.
Not only can we passively watch the mini-practice session, but these few minutes also diffuse the
intensity of the lesson. Students have an opportunity to breathe and regroup during these two or three
minutes of ‘warm-up’ practice when the focus is on the partner.. The classic comment of the out-spoken
adult student goes something like this: “Leave the room while I have a chance to remember what my
fingers are supposed to do!” or “Quit hovering!” or “Go get some tea or go to the bathroom so I can
think!” I believe all students feel this way at moments during the lesson.

As piano teachers, we are given a unique opportunity to work with your children in a special
learning environment. We present a weekly challenge to gain mastery over elements that make demands
on patience, encourage frustration, and require focus. Matching students will similarities or differences for
a recognized goal gives us a unique opportunity to enhance self- esteem, build confidence and change
behaviors while learning how to play the piano. Where else can your children receive a one/two
teacher/student ratio, combining the benefits of peer and teacher-directed learning?

Make-up Music Lessons from an Economist's Point of View
By Vicky Barham, Ph. D.

Like many parents, I pay in advance for lessons each term. In my mind, what this means is that
I have reserved a regular spot in the busy schedules of my sons' teachers. I understand — fully -
- that if I can't make it to the lesson one week (perhaps my son is sick, or we are away on
holiday, or there is some other major event at school) then we will pay for the lesson, but that
my teacher is under no obligation to find another spot for me that week, or to refund me for the
untaught lesson. And this is the way it should be.

In my “other life” I am an economist and teach at our local university. Students pay good
money to attend classes at the university; but if they don't come to my lecture on a Monday
morning, then I am not going to turn around and deliver them a private tutorial on Tuesday
afternoon. When I go to the store and buy groceries, I may purchase something that doesn't get
used. Days or months later, I end up throwing it out. I don't get a refund from the grocery
store for the unused merchandise. If I sign my child up for swimming lessons at the local pool,
and s/he refuses to return after the first lesson, I can't get my money back. So there are lots of
situations in our everyday lives where we regularly pay in advance for goods or some service,
and if we end up not using what we have purchased, we have to just “swallow our losses.” On
the other hand, if I purchase an item of clothing, and get home and change my mind, I can take
it back and expect either a refund or a store credit.

So why do I believe that music lessons fall into the first category of “non-returnable
merchandise,” rather than into the second case of “exchange privileges unlimited” (which I
think is one of the advertising slogans of an established women's clothing store!)? Speaking
now as an economist, I would claim that the reason is that items like clothing are "durable
goods” — meaning, they can be returned and then resold at the original price — whereas music
lessons are non-durable goods — meaning, once my Monday slot at 3:30 is gone, my son's
teacher can't turn around and sell it again. The only way she would be able to give him a lesson
later in the week would be if she were to give up time that she had scheduled for her own
private life; and that seems pretty unreasonable. I can't think of many employees who would be
thrilled if their bosses were to announce that they couldn't work from 3:30 to 4:30 this afternoon,
but would they please stay until 6:30 on Thursday, because there will be work for them then!

© Copyright 2001 by Vicky Barham

1.  After the piano lesson,  students may benefit from telling their parent(s) what is ‘hard’, ‘medium’ and ‘easy' in their new assignment.  Do not tell them what what you think is hard, medium and easy. If your student thinks it's hard, it's hard!  Their perception of hard, medium and easy is the key ingredient to having a successful journal experience.  

2.  Record the student's evaluation of the assignment in a piano journal.  Click on WEEKLY PIANO JOURNAL to print copies of  MWA's journal as you need them!  The student or the parent may rewrite the assignment into the practice journal and labeling each practice item as 'hard', 'medium', 'easy', or review. Attaching the label of ‘hard’ to a pieces or a section helps the student cope with frustration. The ability to verbalize frustration helps to remove the emotion from the ‘hard’ task at hand. Equally important is the learning process of moving from ‘hard’ to ‘easy’ in order to prepare for the next ‘hard’ item that will inevitably follow.

3.  Identify what piece(s) can be called ‘review’ assignment(s)…..memory pieces or material that is performance ready.  Record in the Piano Journal Chart under the Review category. Note that this is no longer called PianoPractice but PianoPlay!  It's important for the student to understand that once a piece is learned, it is no longer ‘practice’. It has become ‘play’. The word ‘play’ is critical: this is why they are taking piano – to learn to PLAY the piano. It is mandatory that the parent help students realize they can play and receive joy from the music they create and feel pride in their hard work and accomplishment. The Review PianoPlay material is an excellent way to end a practice session that has been ‘frustrating’.  Leaving the piano with a sense of accomplishment makes the student want to return the following day. The Review material is also an excellent way to begin a non-motivated practice session.

4.  The student checks each item as it is practiced.

5.  Students select from each category when they practice. However, at least one ‘hard’ item per session must be practiced until the piece (or measures) sounds better and is moving into a 'medium' category in the student's mind.  The weekly goal is to be able to move the ‘hard’ items into the ‘medium’ and easy’ categories.

It's that time of year again….the annual MWA Spring Recital! 

What can you do to help your student prepare for a more 'formal' performance event?  Here are five tips to help your student  (or yourself) acutally enjoy this event and feel a sense of accomplishment!

Encourage your students to be prepared.  Perhaps this means monitoring their practice by taking an active interest in their recital pieces.  Whether your student plays from memory or uses music, the best antidote to anxiety is having Plan B, C, D and E in the event Plan A – perfection – just doesn't happen! 

MEMORY:  Ask your student to start playing his/her piece while talking to you!  Knowing how to begin piece without having to think or concentrate indicates if the piece is in a student's "motor memory"  (think of how they can jump on a bicycle or drive a car without thinking 'how' to do it).  AND, be sure they can play the end of their piece(s) as easily as they can start.  Ask them to play the end.  Have them start in the middle.  Talk to them while they play and see if you can distract them.

PLAYING WITH MUSIC:  Even if your student is using music for the performance, encourage them to have the first few measures from memory.  Can they quickly start playing without having to study the music to remember where to put their hands or which string to play?  Ask them to play the end of their piece out of context. Can they look at the music and start at different places?  Highlight two or three good places to 'begin again' if/when Plan A moves to Plan B.  If there are page turns in the music, photocopy the music and staple to cardboard or manilla folders.  Page turns are accidents waiting to happen!

Welcome Parents!

I'm so glad you have taken the time to visit our Parent Blog. 

Here you will find amazing tips and advice on how to make the most of your child's music lessons at Music Works. 

Please check back for ideas and information about how to succeed with music study.