PracticeGuidelines
Students are expected to practice at least 5 days a week on a well-maintained acoustic piano or a weighted key digital piano. Acoustic pianos should be tuned twice a year. Progress only happens with effective practice. Parents are encouraged to be supportive and active participants in practice at home. Notes are written in their binders or writing books with specific instructions on what they should be working on. Please make sure you read these notes so you know your child is practicing effectively. Parents are also encouraged to attend a lesson every now and then and quietly observe lessons when possible.
I introduce a different practice incentive game each year with all students participating. Practice sheets are completed each week and signed off by parents in order to move forward in the game. If they are not signed, the practice days will not be counted until signed off.
There is a wonderful eBook called 101 Practice Piano Tips by Tracy Capps Selle. It is written for parents to guide your children through practicing. I advise all parents of piano students to download this eBook. Following is an excerpt.
"Introduction page
Whenever I have a new piano student, the question parents always ask me is , “How can I help my child?” Believe it or not , there are dozens of simple ways to help your kids, even if you’ve never had a piano lesson in your life! In this book, you’ll find all the tips I’ve discovered during my years of teaching piano. The tips are divided into sections. You’ll find everything from how to encourage better quality practice, to ideas on helping teens overcome boredom. Read through the tips and start trying out a few. Some will work for your kids and some won’t. Just start implementing a few ideas and keep an eye out for what seems to work the most effectively."
You can download this to either your computer or your kindle.