Creative Ways to "Do it again!"

Repetition is a fundamental part of piano practice, but it’s not always a favorite part of practicing. These are ways that I ask students to “do it again” with flair. Each item is designed to be musically meaningful so that repetition doesn't become mindless. A specific musical goal underlies each activity. For example, playing parts of a piece “oppositely” draws attention to the intended character of the piece, and playing a piece in a different octave helps us to hear something familiar in a new way.

1. Play while singing the melody.

2. Play the right hand one octave higher and the left hand one octave lower.

3. Play small sections with your eyes closed.

4. Play the piece at different tempos (e.g. largo, adagio, andante, allegro, presto).

5. For primer-level pieces written for one hand, play the right and left hands together in parallel motion.

6. Make the piece sound like different animals (e.g. play it high like a bird, or low like a whale).

7. Play all dynamics oppositely (e.g. loud becomes soft, etc.).

8. Play all articulations oppositely (e.g. legato becomes staccato).*

9. Play and sing the accompaniment.

10. Play and say each downbeat (beat 1) out loud.

11. If the piece has multiple voices, play while singing or humming the soprano, alto, tenor, or bass line—alternate which voice you sing with each repetition.*

12. Transpose the piece to another key.

*these activities are for more advanced students or for pieces that are well into the learning process

An easy way to incorporate strategic repetition is to gamify it. I write down ways to repeat a passage on popsicle sticks and have students draw a stick, pre-selecting the sticks that are appropriate for a student’s level and stage of learning. The mystery of which stick they’ll pull keeps students eager to practice repetition in their lesson! The best part is that this game is easily replicated at home—I keep batches of sticks for varying levels handy and send them home with students. Students may even get creative and brainstorm their own ways to repeat a section!

Perfect Practice: Part 2

Five More Strategies for Successful Practicing

Positivity is Contagious

Approaching practice with excitement and positivity is crucial. There will be days that you don’t feel like helping your child practice. There will be days where your child doesn’t feel like practicing. These days might even overlap! Nonetheless, as adults, we are tasked with creating and controlling the practice atmosphere. Announcing that it’s time to practice with a friendly—not demanding or nagging—tone is a good place to start.

Although part of piano practice is identifying and correcting mistakes, it’s also important to focus on what the student is doing well. While I don’t recommend undue praise as a way to motivate or lift spirits, it’s a good idea to keep a healthy positivity/negativity ratio: for every constructive criticism, try to mention two areas in which the student is excelling in a given practice session.

Avoid Mirroring Tension

Sometimes, tension will build in at-home practice sessions. Perhaps your child is reluctant to practice altogether, or is frustrated with challenging parts of their assignment. It’s important to not greet your child’s tension with more tension. Adults are responsible for identifying and diffusing tension; young children do not always have the emotional regulation skills to do this themselves. Diffusing tension may including pausing for a moment to tell joke and have a laugh, offering praise for effort if the student is working diligently on something challenging, or keeping communication open by having the student evaluate their own work. What do they feel is the hardest part of a particular practice session? In what areas do they feel like they are excelling?

Be Fair and Follow Through

To feel safe, communicate openly, and be freely creative, students need to trust that their teachers will not give them more than they can handle, hold them to unrealistic standards, or be inappropriately picky. The same is true for at-home practice, where the parent temporarily becomes the teacher. Avoid asking the student to do more than is listed on the weekly assignment, and be consistent with requests—it isn’t fair to have a student play a passage ten times if five times was the agreement. When children feel like they are being treated fairly, they will be more likely to put in more effort.

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Deep Dive: Give Rewards—But Know How to Use Them

Although I do not use studio-wide incentives that reward practicing on a regular basis, it’s fine if parents choose to reward practice. Using rewards without considering how they impact motivation, however, has the potential to be problematic. In the book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink discusses the psychology of rewards, including their potential pitfalls. Two main categories of rewards are discussed: If-Then rewards, and Now-That rewards.

• If-Then rewards are given upon completion of a task (e.g., if you do this task, then you will get XYZ Reward). They are usually anticipated by recipients.

• Now-That rewards are also given upon completion of a task, but they are usually a surprise and do not incentivize completion itself; instead, Now-That rewards recognize less-concrete qualities like good effort, divergent thinking, and focus.

If-Then rewards ultimately stifle creativity and inhibit deep thinking. This is because the focus is on the short term and the reward itself—it’s like chasing a carrot on a stick. Pink also explains how If-Then rewards can deflate motivation: “If-Then rewards require people for forfeit some of their autonomy…And that can spring a hole in the bottom of their motivation bucket, draining an activity of its enjoyment” (36). When an enjoyable task becomes a job, our motivation to perform the task out of genuine excitement interest declines.

If-Then rewards are also hard to maintain because they are anticipated by recipients, who come to then expect rewards upon completion of similar tasks. Pink notes, “…before long, the existing reward may no longer suffice. It will quickly feel less like a bonus and more like the status quo—which then forces [the use] of larger rewards to achieve the same effect” (53).

Now-That rewards, on the other hand, foster intrinsic motivation because they allow students to see the relationship between their behavior and rewards. What do Now-That rewards look like in the context of piano lessons and practice? Here are a few examples:

• When the student accomplishes their practice goals before their practice session is finished, reward their focus and effort by allowing some time for games via music apps. Explain that the surprise app time is a result of their focus.

• When the student successfully uses visual aids included in their take-home pouch (e.g., fuzzies, picture cards), reward them with some fun, affordable manipulatives like Iwako erasers or finger puppets. Mention that since they know how to use those aids so well, you got them some new, cool ones!

• When the student uses practice strategies independently, reward their ownership with a treat.

Because they are a surprise, Now-That rewards should always be followed up by explaining why the reward was given—this will get the student eager to show off their good attitude and effort in the future!

What I Don’t Use as Rewards

I personally avoid using creative and improvisatory tasks as rewards in any context. I believe that these activities are inherent parts of music-learning, not fun embellishments to be added as a treat or taken away as negative reinforcement.

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Thank you for reading this long-overdue addition to my Perfect Practice series! For more a in-depth look at rewards and motivation, I recommend reading Daniel Pink’s book or giving this episode of Ashley Danyew’s podcast, Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning, a listen.

The Parent's Guide to Rote Pieces: Part 1

What is rote teaching?

Rote pieces are intended to be learned by imitation. Although the score (music on the page) to every rote piece can be found in the Piano Safari repertoire books, students practice rote pieces by using their ears, reminder videos, and various manipulatives that provide a visual representation of the piece.

The term “rote” might have negative connotations for some adults. Did you ever have to memorize information “by rote” for an exam? It probably wasn't very fun or engaging. The standard dictionary definition of “rote” isn’t very friendly, either: Merriam-Webster defines it as “the use of memory usually with little intelligence.” Fortunately, rote learning in a musical context is much different—and there’s nothing unintelligent about rote learning when it is facilitated by a well-trained teacher.

Why learn music by rote?

By the time children begin piano lessons, they have been exposed to music in a multitude of genres, styles, and settings; rote learning allows students to access the complex music they hear in their world without the prerequisite of note reading. Just as children learn to talk before they can read words, they can also learn to hear, feel, and execute musical concepts with proper technique before seeing and processing written symbols.

Some other benefits of rote learning include:

• Rote pieces sound more difficult than they are and often use the breadth of the keyboard, which is exciting and motivating.

• Because there are no notes to read, students can focus on technique. When a reading piece uses a technical concept first taught by rote, good technique happens almost effortlessly.

• Students become comfortable playing without music in front of them, which prepares them for performing memorized music in the future.

• Feeling and hearing the musical patterns in rote pieces actually helps students to read music later. The patterns are stored in students’ muscle memory as they learn by rote; when it’s time to read music, the emphasis can truly be on note-reading.

For further reading on the benefits of rote teaching, check out Dr. Julie Knerr and Katherine Fisher’s essay.

The Basic Rote Learning Process

Starting hand positions are always shown in the upper left corner.

All of my students—from preschoolers to retirees—learn by rote in addition to learning to read notes on the staff. The practice process for rote pieces, while not more difficult, is different from what parents and students might consider traditional practice. To clarify the process, I’ve created a basic guide to practice.

We learn rote pieces in our lesson; a rote piece will rarely be a YOYO (You’re on Your Own) piece. Students listen to rote pieces for a week or two before they’re taught to play them. This means that students will occasionally have a listening assignment to do at home.

To practice rote pieces at home, students should use the following steps:

1. Listen to the piece multiple times. The student should sing, move, and engage with it as they listen. The Piano Safari method includes a download code at the front of the book; you can store mp3’s of every piece in the book (both rote and reading) on your device.

2. Refer to the score in method book for the starting hand position and lyrics. Do not worry about reading individual notes! Students may point out that the notes move up or down, or recognize other broad patterns in the score. This is encouraged! In fact, I often leave the score open in front of the student to expose them to notation—this makes it less foreign when students eventually learn to read on the staff.

3. Try to play the piece using strategies taught in the lesson before using the reminder video. These could include visual aids in the method book, printable cards, or breaking the piece into small sections before attempting a run-through.

4. If using the Piano Safari method, consult the reminder video on YouTube for detailed instructions. Even if the student plays the piece successfully without the reminder video, it’s a good idea to review the videos to ensure that the student is using correct finger numbers and technical gestures.

Longer rote pieces use picture cards to aid memory.

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In the next part of this rote learning series, I’ll go into more detail about each of the practice procedures for rote pieces, including how to actively listen to new pieces, how to break rote pieces down into manageable parts during home practice, and guiding questions to ask your young pianist as they review rote pieces at home.

Perfect Practice: Part 1

Five Basic Habits for Stress-Free Practice

Most piano families know that practice is an important factor in successful piano lessons, but without clear communication between teachers, students, and parents, the specifics of at-home practice remain a mystery. Just like piano-playing, practicing is a skill to be learned and improved upon. In this inaugural entry in my Perfect Practice series (the title of which is a nod to piano pedagogue Elvina Truman Pearce), my goal is to begin demystifying at-home piano practice, working from broad to more specific ideas.

Practice Starts in the Lesson

My particular teaching style includes covering practice techniques within each lesson—when expectations are clear, and students are confident that they can meet them, they practice more readily. For each assignment, students use specific techniques for at-home practice, and I have students replicate those techniques for me so I can be sure they will be successful at home. By observing the lesson, parents of younger students can get a clear idea of what should happen in at-home practice. Some parents like to take notes while observing, and some even film part of the lesson on their smartphones! It all boils down to what parents feel will be most helpful for them at home. Even occasionally observing a lesson helps maintain communication between teachers, students, and parents.

Choose a Time and Stick with It

A tried-and-true rule for productive at-home practice is following a routine. When treated as a negotiable part of the daily routine, piano practice often lands at the end of the day when both parents and students are too tired to be productive. Elvina Truman Pearce outlines this topic in The Success Factor in Music Teaching: Making Practice Perfect. She makes two great suggestions:

• “trying out” different practice times (before or after school, before or after dinner, etc.) for at least five days each to see which one clicks best with everyone

• splitting up daily practice into two or three short sessions

I promise this won’t be the case. ;) Source

It’s important to note that, while practicing may happen at the same time each day, practice length may vary. I encourage students to use practice time wisely to ultimately spend less time practicing, and I don’t use studio incentives or rewards based on the number of minutes practiced each week. There are certainly broad practice time suggestions for different age groups that are helpful for new piano students, but these are starting points—not rigid guidelines.

Create a Favorable Environment

The ideal practice environment sets the student up for success; it doesn’t work against the student. Is the room quiet, or does noise make it difficult for the student to focus and hear themselves? Is the piano in a relatively low-traffic area, or do waves of activity create a distraction? Are the student’s lesson materials organized and easy to use, or is accessing those materials a task in itself?

“The point is that if practice is to become important to the student and a regular part of [their] daily routine, then a suitable environment for it must be created and respected by the entire family. This indicates to the student that all members of the family respectfully support its importance.”

— Elvina Pearce, The Success Factor in Piano Teaching: Making Practice Perfect (193)

Remember that Children are Children

Children are still learning to recognize and regulate their emotions and behaviors. They need patience and guidance as they learn the self-regulatory skills necessary to direct their behavior toward a goal. Self-regulation includes a complex set of abilities developed gradually from infancy through middle-childhood (up to around age 12) (Ziv et al. 2017). For piano students, self-regulating includes planning practice, changing the plan if something isn’t working, and thinking about what went well and what didn’t. That’s a lot of work for a developing brain!

It’s expected that younger students will need a parent’s help with planning and following through with practicing, and it’s normal for kids to need a reminder to practice—even if they really love piano and excel in lessons! It’s also not uncommon for there to be both good days and bad days regarding attitudes and behaviors regarding practicing, even for top-notch students. Parents who understand this can be better prepared to handle challenging days, form realistic expectations, and exercise more patience with their child.

Deep Dive: Be Organized—But Provide Choice within the framework

As students mature, independent, self-motivated at-home practice is an important goal. Experts agree that autonomy plays a significant role in motivation (Gandhimathi & Anitha Devi, 2016). The meaning of autonomy is twofold. In an educational sense, it refers to students’ ability to guide their learning; in general, it can refer to independence or freedom. Though the two definitions of autonomy are often conflated, we can think of them as two unique components that work together. For students to be interested in their learning process (autonomy), they need to feel in control of their goals (through freedom and choice).

Who makes most of the choices in the context of piano lessons? Parents of younger students usually decide when practice happens; the teacher decides which practice techniques to use (or how) to practice; method books, even when supplemented with outside music, can largely dictate what is practiced. While it’s essential to keep a steady and organized practice routine, it’s equally important to allow students to make their own decisions. Some strategies for providing choice and facilitating independence include:

• allowing the student to plan the order of tasks within their practice session

• incorporating improvisation into every practice session

• using tools that help students keep track of (meaningful, not mindless) repetition independently (see example below)

• providing opportunities for the student to reflect on their progress

• asking the student which practice assignment they feel needs the most focus

• encouraging the student to keep track of questions that arise during practice

Use Iwako erasers to track repetition—each time the student plays the target passage correctly, move an eraser to the other side of the music stand.

In the next Perfect Practice installment, we’ll talk more about practice attitudes, how to deal with difficult practice days, and the do’s and don’ts of reward systems—do you really need to make a sticker chart? You might be surprised!

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Sources

Gandhimathi, S., & Anitha Devi, V. (2016). Learner Autonomy and Motivation - A Literature Review. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(3). https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234674899.pdf

Pearce, E., Sale, C., & Blickenstaff, M. (2014). The success factor in piano teaching: Making practice perfect. Kingston, NJ: The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy.

Ziv, Yair & Benita, Moti & Sofri, Inbar. (2017). Self-Regulation in Childhood: A Developmental Perspective

Getting the Most from Online Lessons

What to do before, during, and after online lessons

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A sudden switch to online lessons in the middle of a life-altering pandemic isn’t everyone’s ideal learning situation, but some simple measures can be taken to help virtual lessons run smoothly and, dare I say, enjoyably! A guide to more in-depth adjustments and optional tech purchases will follow soon!

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Before Enrolling

Time Commitment

Plan for online lessons to require a slightly greater time commitment than traditional lessons. For example, the teacher may have students film and submit some of their repertoire ahead of time for lesson-planning purposes. The student may also need to send video clips of their progress to the teacher mid-week to ensure they are on target. Occasionally, the teacher might ask students to watch an instructional video to get a head-start on a new concept before their lesson (this is called asynchronous, or flipped, learning). Younger students will likely need help accessing these activities, which are completed in addition to regular practicing.

Scheduling

Try to schedule lessons when Internet traffic is light and noise in the house is minimal. With entire families working and learning at home, I understand that this might be difficult—keep reading for tips on maximizing Internet speed.

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Before the Lesson

• Sign up for Zoom if you haven’t already.

• Have all materials (lesson books, sheet music, flashcards, a pencil with an eraser, etc.) ready. It’s helpful to put sticky notes or flags on relevant pages in music books for easy finding. If the teacher asked for the score to be marked between lessons (adding measure numbers, highlighting accidentals, etc.), be sure to do that before the lesson.

• Position the camera to show the student’s upper body, arms, and hands, including the keyboard. I have found that the best camera placement is directly to the student’s left or right, capturing their profile. The student can turn their body to the camera when speaking.

• Check your Internet connection using Speedtest. A download speed of 10mbp/s is ideal if more than one person is using the Internet, but as few as 2mbp/s will work for a single user.

• If your connection is slow, moving the wireless router closer to the piano or using an ethernet cable (if your device will accept one) can help with speed and consistency.

• Be sure all devices to be used during the lesson are fully charged or plugged in.

• If your piano is in a bright room, you might need to close the blinds or curtains to prevent wash-out. The light should be in front of the student to avoid glare and shadows.

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During the Lesson

• Parents should be present to help take notes, handle manipulatives, solve technical issues, and help young students listen for cues. Even some of my high school students choose to have their parents nearby during their lessons!

• The teacher, student, and parent will take turns talking and playing to save time, using cues like “my turn” or “your turn” to eliminate confusion.

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After the Lesson

• Download the recorded lesson to review later, if applicable.

• If the teacher assigned any flipped learning activities, add the due dates to your calendar, or set a reminder on your smartphone. Help your student complete and submit the assignments.

• Encourage your student to practice. Younger students may require supervision and guidance as they practice.

• Be sure to give praise! For students accustomed to in-person lessons, a sudden switch to online lessons can be stressful and confusing—especially with all sense of normalcy lost during the recent pandemic. Compliment your student on their effort, resilience, and willingness to try new things.

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For more resources on piano lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic, see these tips published by The Frances Clark Center and Piano Magazine.