I have a question for you. How do you get your kids to practice the piano? I've started simple: you get a gumball from the gumball machine for every 10 minutes you practice each day. They usually get 2.
But we miss a lot of days! I'm only so good at reminding and reminding and reminding.
So...what's next? Some reward system where they get a prize if they practice every day that week? Or a bigger prize for practicing every day all month? Charts, stickers, tracking...
Or should I take privileges away for them not practicing!? (You know that's what I want to do!)
Without ranting too long...I will ask again, what works for you?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Help. RE: piano
Posted by Katie at 10:20 PM
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7 comments:
Patty is really good at it so ask her. She just makes them do it for 20 minutes but they don't start their music till 6th grade
Obviously I don't have kids practicing piano yet :) But I was curious to know if their piano teacher does anything to hold them accountable for practicing? If not maybe you could enlist her help? When I was younger taking lessons, my teacher would have us write down the minutes we practiced each day. She was also very honest with us about whether or not what we played for her at lessons sounded like we practiced or not :) She had been teaching lessons for decades and took no funny business! Haha. Anyway, that would help take some pressure off you too :) That's my first thought...
I know that my teacher never really held me accountable, and so my mom would be the one and that really didn't work to her benefit. If you have not already asked each of your kids why they want to play then find out. That may open an understanding and find their internal motivation. I have a feeling that you will not create a blanket effective solution. It is going to be individual. Maybe for Andrew it can be a minute for minute trade off. Every minute he practices he can play sports outside or during the week (something like that).
Big sister Emily Here
Hmmm. The age old dilema. A book could be written on the subject. Things that have worked for us:
1) kids have to practice before they get to play outside, or play on the computer, or enjoy whatever privilege you choose. Mine will always practice the piano if it means they can play on Webkinz afterwards. Thank you webkinz!
2)Help your children understand what a privilige it is to have a private music teacher, and let them know that if they waste it, they are going to have to pay for their own lessons (works in a pinch with Kenny).
3) At the beginning of the day (or when they walk in the door after school) ask them to choose when they are going to practice the piano, then lovingly remind them at the appropriate hour. There's something about being able to choose when/how to do something that motivates 'em to follow through.
4) Somehow instill a love of good music in them, and hope that they connect the idea that they too will be able to make beautiful music if they practice. Sort of like teaching your kids to love reading--Read good books to them. To teach them to love music--play good music for them. No immediate results for this one, sorry.
It's so hard to be a mom. You're doing great. I love you.
If you just need help remembering to remind them, you could try setting an alarm at the appointed hour. If the issue is more them being recalcitrant then that's a whole other ballgame. Good luck!
I think you (or the piano teacher I guess) should make a checklist of what to do each day. Like, play through song A 5 times. Do 10 scales etc. Then you check of when you finish each task. "Practice 20 mintues" is like telling your kids to "study"...what does it mean?
you don't take privileges away, you tie privileges to practicing. After you practice, you get to ________.
In our house it's play Animal Jam on the computer. Also, the membership for Animal Jam only renews each month if practice is happening every day (exceptions of course, usually my fault for overscheduling or little things like a LICE outbreak grrrr.....)
Basically they cannot have free choice time to do whatever they want to do, unless practicing gets done, every. single. day. It's a culture in our family, takes time, helpful when they can't remember ever NOT doing it (we started both at 4 and 5)
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