How to practice piano

Structure of my private piano lessons 

Before advising on practicing the piano at home, I want to explain how I structure my piano lessons. My typical lesson consists of several parts:

• First, I check the homework. I ask the student to play the pieces that I assigned during the previous lesson.
• Another part of the lesson – flash cards. All my beginner students purchase a set of flashcards; each card has a note or key signature, interval, etc. I like to time the student and write down the result in the assignment book. A good result for the beginner is to recognize notes on 10 flashcards in less than 60 seconds.
• The last part of the lesson – working on new pieces.

Working on new pieces

• To develop excellent sight-reading skills, I help the child to figure out the new piece with both hands right away.
• Before playing, the student has to look at the piece to determine the time signature and key signature. The next step is to find things that might be either new or challenging. After that, I ask the student to play this new piece very slowly, with both hands.
• For the homework, I specify how many times the new song should be practiced: first with the right hand, then with the left hand, and finally with both hands.
• I write down the date we started learning the new piece and how many times to play it per day. If the song is not too difficult, I expect my students to finish it in one week. Depending on the student, I usually assign at least 3 to 5 pieces per week.

How can parents help with practice?

I always suggest to a parent to be present during the lesson. This way, the parent will understand the new material and know what has to be accomplished during the week.

Set up a practice schedule. Young children cannot plan their day, and they shouldn’t – it is the parents’ job. The best time to practice would be after coming home from school. Make sure your child will have a snack before sitting at the piano. Try not to schedule piano practice too close to dinner time. Your child can be quite hungry and will not be able to concentrate well.

Practicing every day. It is much more important to practice regularly and not to cram all practice in one or two long sessions. 10-15 minutes every day would be ideal for young beginners.

In two-three months, the practice time increase 15-20 minutes, and for older students – to 30 minutes per day. When I was at Music College, our professors recommended practicing 5-6 hours per day. It made sense because we were studying to become professional pianists and piano teachers.

Try to plan each practice session the following way:

Start with flashcards. Go through them with your child once or twice.

Tell your child to play songs according to the teacher’s instructions.

The exercises should be played during the last few minutes of practice.

The music theory homework does not need to be done every day. I assign one page of written work for the younger students and a maximum of two pages for the older students. Once the theory work is done, it is done. The student does not need to go over it every day. I advise trying to do the written assignment the very next day after the lesson.  

If your child is doing pretty well after 2-3 days of practice, you can move away from the piano, but try to be nearby to hear if your child is playing correctly. If you notice that your child started making mistakes or stopped counting aloud, come back to the piano and help your child get into the groove. 

I strongly advise for finishing each practice session on a positive note. Give your child a hug and a kiss. Say how proud you are of your child’s progress. You can even say that you are sure that Miss Elena will be delighted with the way your child will play during the next lesson. Try not to criticize your child. The criticism does not help to improve piano playing, but praise and encouragement do. 

I believe in bribes. Not the unhealthy ones like candy or ice cream, but something like playing a short table game or going outside to play a ball. The more positive and cheerful you are, the easier it will be for your child to sit down to practice. 

If you can arrange it, try to have a little “concert” a day or two before the lesson. Ask your spouse and older kids to sit down and listen to how your young pianist plays the songs which he/she worked on during the week. It will take just a few minutes, but the outcome will be immeasurable. 

As you drive your child to a piano lesson, ask him to review the flashcards once or twice. Ask which song he thinks he will play the best. Even just talking about piano lessons creates a very positive atmosphere and tunes your child for another successful lesson. 

If, for some reason, your child did not practice – never, ever cancel the lesson. You will prolong the “non-practice” period. Instead, tell your child’s teacher about missed days of practice. The teacher will help with the pieces which the student did not practice. Remember, your kids’ lives will be enriched thanks to the study of music. They also will be smarter and will do better at school. 

A few words for adult students 

Please read my advice for parents and children on how to practice piano. My recommendations apply to adult students too. Finally, you can do what you want, without your parents telling you that “you have to practice.” But the fact that you do not have your parents hovering over you does not mean that you can take lessons without practicing at home.

Just like with kids, I will not ask you to practice an hour or more a day. Suppose you can and want – more power to you. Usually, just a short 30-minute practice per day will produce excellent results.

I will ask you to sight-read new pieces just like I do it with children.  Such a method will help you to see the whole picture (meaning the entire composition), even if at the beginning it will be slow going.

At home, you should practice with each hand first, just like a child. You have to make sure that you play with each hand correctly before playing with both hands.