PPP234: Are we having FUN yet?

If you would like a better definition of fun when it comes to piano lessons, you might try to make them….

Fulfilling

If you have a task to do, it can be fulfilling simply because you enjoy the result of the work. I don’t like sweeping the floors but I do like clean floors, so sweeping is fulfilling.

I’ve started listening to podcasts when I go for a walk which makes the chore of walking more fulfilling.

Piano kids want to feel like they are accomplishing something. As we are preparing for our upcoming spring recital, I am having my students make a weekly plan for improvement on their pieces. Sometimes I record an early performance of the piece and a few weeks later, after they’ve made some progress, we record their piece again and compare the two recordings. Hearing the improvement on the second recording is very fulfilling for students; it is a tangible way for them to measure their progress.

Unexpected

Is there a way your can mix in something unexpected during lessons or home practice? 

Sometimes if I’m asking a student to practice a certain part of their music over and over, we will make a game of it. If I just told them to play their music three times, they are automatically resistant and expecting to be bored. However, if I pull out my set of rubber, sling-shot chickens and tell them they can sling a chicken across the room after each repetition, suddenly they are much more enthusiastic!

They are still doing the work but now they are much more engaged and having fun.

Nurturing

Nurture is simply the process of caring for and encouraging the growth and development of your piano kid. This is in our job description as parents.

Through the process of maintaining regular practice at home, we are nurturing our piano kids’ ability to face challenges, manage their time, and doing things that might be hard but still must be done.