It is widely accepted that repetition is the mother of success. However, the question is how much practice is required of piano students. If this question is not addressed properly, it may result in a lot of misunderstanding and tension between parents and children. Nowadays, parents usually have a great desire to limit the amount of time our children spend in the digital world.
There are endless possibilities in movies, games, and communication. Even most adults will admit that they too face problems in controlling the amount of time they spend in the virtual world. As such, before starting a practice session, make sure that the room is clean and free from digital temptations.
In a number of ways, practicing a musical instrument can be the opposite of spending time on a computer. Instead of instant gratification and a short attention span, a musical instrument provides a chance to concentrate and practice diligence and perseverance. It takes a lot of work to make the music shine. A teacher will show their piano student how to optimize practice time in order to get the best results.
Practice Time
The average beginner student should play for at least fifteen to twenty minutes every day in the first few months. Later on, this practice time can be increased to thirty to forty-five minutes. However, in this regard, it is true that the more concentrated the practice, the better the results.
Advanced piano players will practice for an hour or two, while professionals may sit at the piano nearly all day. When it comes to practice time, the most significant issue is to have contact with the instrument on a daily basis. Even if it is for a short while, it makes all the difference.
Ideally, a young pianist will happily go over to the piano a few times throughout the day. On some occasions, a young pianist will practice the pieces that have been assigned by their teacher during the last session, on other occasions. A student may play older pieces, and sometimes they will simply explore and experiment.
The piano is always ready to play. When you take care of it, it is easy to approach your piano spontaneously.
Motivation
In this context, the responsibility of a teacher is to build motivation in a student and to provide a clear idea to the student about what they should be doing when they are at the piano in their home. Similarly, in this regard, the responsibility of the parents is to remind and encourage the student to play the piano. It is very helpful for the main practice session to be built into his or her daily routine.
On the other hand, spontaneous piano playing times should take place freely, but a main practice time needs to be set. Such time could be after dinner or after having a rest when homework is complete, or even before breakfast. If all members of the team –parents, student, and teacher – are successful, naturally the student will find their way into the wonderful world of music. In such a case, practicing the piano will become an integral part of their life.
However, you may find that practice is very draining, as a tremendous amount of energy is needed to keep one’s complete attention on task. Practicing for more than an hour is likely to be unproductive. Honestly speaking, it is not possible to do so mentally and even emotionally. It would even be difficult for the most dedicated student to practice for more than four hours in a single day.
Generally, there is little benefit to practicing for more than four hours a day. Multiple studies have proven this. Moreover, the gains from practicing really start to decline after the first two hours of practice. The key in this regard is to keep tabs on the level of concentration that you are able to sustain.
Duration
It is recommended that you keep practice sessions limited to the time that you can remain focused. This period can be as short as ten to twenty minutes in the case of younger students. In the case of older people, the duration can be as long as forty-five to sixty minutes.
Timing
You should keep track of the times in the day when you tend to have the highest level of energy. This time can be first thing in the morning or even before lunch, etc. It would be a good idea to practice piano during these naturally energetic times. During these times, you will be in a position to focus better and think more clearly.
Goals
For this purpose, it is a good idea to try to use a practice notebook. This way you can keep track of your practice goals and what you have discovered in your practice sessions. The key to getting in your “comfort zone” while practicing is that you should constantly strive to have a clear intention. In other words, you should have a clear idea of the sound that you want to produce or the particular phrasing that you would like to try.
Smarter Not Harder
It is possible that sometimes a particular passage may not come out the way you want it to. However, it simply means that you need to practice more. There are certain times when you do not need to practice harder, but you simply need a completely different strategy or a new technique. So instead of stubbornly sticking to a technique or strategy that is not working, you should not force it; instead, try brainstorming for various solutions to the problem for one or two days, and then write down ideas to try as they occur to you. When you find solutions worth trying, start experimenting. Eventually, you will come up with a solution that works.
Conclusion
You should not be discouraged if learning the piano is taking longer that you’d like; remember the joy is in the journey. Although it is true that hard work and determination will get you to learning how to play your favorite song, it may take months to learn the song and overcome any technical challenges. It is a good thing to progress one step at a time.
