How to support your child's piano practice

If your child is learning to play the piano there are lots of things you can do to help them to practise at home, even if you do not play or read music yourself. Here are a few suggestions:

• Make sure your child has a notebook in which they or the teacher can record what they need to practise between lessons, and that they understand what they have been asked to do (always contact the teacher if this is not clear).
• If your child is motivated by things like star charts you might want to transfer the pieces they’ve been asked to practise onto a weekly chart so that they can add a sticker or tick off when they’ve played them. I do this for my own daughters and it works a treat! Etsy has a lot of good ones.
• Try to have a consistent time each day when practice happens, this way it becomes part of the routine (although reminders may still be needed!).
• Encourage them to play slowly and with hands separately at first.
• Get them to teach you - ask questions about markings on the music, or which note it is they are playing, why the notes look different from other notes and what it is they like about the particular piece of music.
• Be their biggest champion! Tell them how much you enjoy hearing them play and if they get frustrated remind them how far they’ve come since the first lesson.