# data[].attributes.body
Practicing better is so important to teach, and while I don't think parents need to read this book, I do want you to see what I read so we can be partners in helping your learners!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Practicing is an essential part of every musician’s life, but we are rarely taught how to practice in the most effective and efficient way. Many of us find ourselves frustrated when we sound good in the practice room only to embarrass ourselves on stage or in front of our teachers. We feel overwhelmed by the amount of music we have to learn, unsure how to balance everything. Playing from memory can feel terrifying and an insurmountable challenge, and overcoming bad habits can seem impossible at times.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
There are so many options! How do you pick a good one?

# data[].attributes.body
My requirements for beginning lessons is to have a digital keyboard with at least 61 full sized keys, a decent bench/chair setup so you're not too high or too low, and touch sensitive or weighted keys. Beginners really miss out on a lot of piano playing if playing softer and louder isn't possible.

# data[].attributes.headline
Creating a Supportive Home Environment for Piano Practice

# data[].attributes.subject
Creating a Supportive Home Environment for Piano Practice

# data[].attributes.body
Learn how to set up a conducive environment at home that encourages regular and productive piano practice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I used to teach piano lessons in the homes of my students. In doing so, I gained something that was really valuable... an insight into where my students were practicing.

There were a variety of set-ups: upright pianos in basements, keyboards in bedrooms and digital pianos in spare rooms. There were also a variety of settings: pianos in a warm and welcoming living area, pianos in dark, cold and hardly-used rooms, keyboards in basements, beautiful baby grands in front of floor-to-ceiling windows.. and pianos covered in last week's laundry... or yesterday's homework, or - wait for it - last Sunday's lunch ... true story.

It was an eye-opener for me. And it has really guided the way I approach the topic of home practice with my piano parents now that I no longer have a "first-hand view" into every one of my students' home practice environments.

Creating a Practice Nest... The What, The Why and The How

You've likely heard the term "nest" used when talking about interior home design - meaning a home environment that is comfortable and personalized to what the inhabitant loves. I use the term "practice nest" with my piano parents because it immediately conjures up an image of exactly what I'm hoping to achieve: a setting where their children feel comfortable, welcome, supported, organized and happy.

When talking to parents about home practice, I used to first concentrate on parental involvement, daily goals and tasks. Now, my discussions begin with how to create an environment that is conducive to regular, and (this is key!) enjoyable home practice.

5 Ways Piano Parents Can Create a "Practice Nest"

Feel free to share these tips with your piano studio parents. In fact, I've written them as if the pointers were being presented to my parents so your welcome to put them into a handout and pass them along! Hopefully with a few adjustments at home, your students' practice time and progress will blossom!

1. When choosing a location for your piano, select a space that is lived-in, welcoming, and well-lit. Keep it close to "the action" but not in the action. Your children will gravitate to the piano more often if it is in a central place in your home. Avoid bedrooms, basements and other "put away" places. Feeling shut-off from the family while practicing will inevitably lead to a reluctance to spend time on the piano.

While choosing an appropriate space, also consider the noise factor; not only from the piano, but also from your family's day-to-day activities. Your children want to be close by, but not competing with noise from TV's, dishwashers and washing machines.

2. Make the space warm and welcoming. Your children will be encouraged to spend upwards of 30 minutes every day in this space. Is it a happy place to be for this amount of time? Small adjustments to lighting and heating can make a world of difference. Seek out places with natural light and ensure it is a cheerful and welcoming space that will encourage your child to visit the piano often for their own enjoyment.

3. Ensure your children have all required materials at hand. Help your children put together a small basket or bin of everything they may need for home practice. Pens, pencils, highlighters, and post-it notes will give your children a sense of organization that will then spill over into their practice habits. Your children will also need adequate lighting to see their music, and a comfortable bench at the correct height to practice comfortably and correctly.

4. Make the "Practice Nest" a communal space. Children of any age appreciate company while they practice. Having a chair, couch, beanbag chair or pillows nearby where family members will be inclined to sit, listen and enjoy the music immediately sets the tone for happy time on the piano. Encourage siblings to stop by and listen quietly, and allow yourself even just 10 minutes to sit and listen with undivided attention each time your children practice. A set-up that is conducive to including the family in home practice will encourage everyone involved to make piano practice an activity the entire family can be a part of.
Incorporating the family into home practice was one of our goals when we set out to re-think the way students complete their technical exercises. Using the TEDDtales story-based approach, even not-so-musical family members can be involved in this aspect of piano practice in a way that creates good memories and lots of laughter.
5. Set the stage for organization. Ensure your children's practice space is uncluttered and organized. Clear out old sheet music and books from the piano bench, use a magazine organizer to hold current and favorite materials, and minimize knickknacks and other distractions from the top of the piano. If you can, avoid having the piano room do "double-duty" for laundry, toys and other clutter. Having the books your children need at their fingertips reliably ensures that no time is spent searching for lost or crumpled music. Get into the habit of placing the piano books in their appropriate space immediately after each piano lesson so they are ready and waiting.

Plus one more! Adding small surprises to your children's practice nest (fresh flowers, a hand-written note of encouragement, a small treat, a new sticker pad, a special pen etc.) helps to show that you value the time they are spending on the piano and that you appreciate their efforts and dedication. Preserving the "specialness" of their practice space encourages positive feelings towards their home music time.

Home Practice Is So Much More Than Minutes Spent

Cultivating good home practice habits is so much more than logging minutes spent on the bench. Long-lasting practice habits that result in long-term progress come from a commitment to making the piano a vital part of your child's day-to-day life... not as a requirement, but as a desire. One giant step towards this goal can be accomplished by making your piano a place he or she looks forward to visiting.
Looking for more ways that piano practice can be encouraged by parents? Read on: 15 Ways to Fill Your Child's Piano Practice Tank Your Not-So-Musical Piano Parents Need This Piano Practice Cheat-Sheet How To Become The Perfect Piano Parent: The Teach Piano Today Podcast

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creating a "Practice Nest" - 5 Ways Piano Parents Can Improve Home Practice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Your students' home piano environment has everything to do with their practice time success. Important info to share with piano parents...

# data[].attributes.headline
Wade through the messiness of learning to practice

# data[].attributes.subject
Wade through the messiness of learning to practice

# data[].attributes.body
You don't need to be a musician to help your child establish the habit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Colourful Keys is primarily a blog for music teachers. However, this article is part of a series for PARENTS of music students. If you're a music parent, read on to learn what your child's piano practice should sound like. If you're a teacher, feel free to pass the link to this article on to parents in your studio.
All you have to do is turn on the TV or look at your phone to know times have changed. And just as the world at large has seen huge shifts in the past 10 years or so, the world of piano teaching has changed - including an overhaul of music practice at home.

Regardless of whether you've had instrument lessons of your own or you've never touched a piece of sheet music, you may feel utterly lost when it comes to determining if your child is practising the "right" way.

Don't worry. We've got you covered.

What does "right" even mean?

As experienced music teachers, we've seen almost everything when it comes to practice styles and strategies. We've done the research and tried it all out on ourselves and our students.

And while we're not convinced there is any one specific "right" way to practise, we've learned what things generally work and what don't. We also know with some level of certainty what a parent needs to be looking and listening for when it comes to practice for their musical offspring.

What Practice Should Sound Like

First things first: Your kiddo needs to practise. No amount of effective strategies or quick tips will make the slightest bit of difference if your child isn't practicing regularly.

In fact, for at least the first 6 months of your child's musical journey, we don't recommend using any special strategies at all. The most important thing you can do in the beginning is establish a routine,like we describe in this article of the "music parent" series.

Get your child to their instrument at the same time or same part of the routine every day, and follow your teacher's instructions for what to practise. If that lasts no more than 5 minutes in the beginning, so be it.

Once that beginning routine is established, it can start to be moulded into something more effective.

Messy

Yep, your child's home piano practice should NOT be pretty. If you hear loads of mistakes, ad nauseam repeats of miniscule parts of a song and oddities like playing from the end of a piece to the beginning, pat yourself on the back! Your child's practice is shaping up nicely so far.
If you want more advice about home practice, check out this step-by-step guide to helping your child enjoy their music practice.
It may sound like a lot of chaos, but the path to mastery is a bumpy road. And just as you assume you'll reach your destination (even though you hit some turbulence along the way), don't conclude your child isn't learning and growing just because practice sounds like a hot mess.
It's a quick read, addressing all those pesky questions you have about your child's home piano practice (including the questions you don't know you have!).
Because it's usually the exact opposite.

Chunky

If your child is truly practising the "right" way, you won't hear a piece played beautifully from start to finish until it's been practised in small sections first. In addition, those miniature bits will most likely be played on repeat until mastery is gained.

You'll also hear tiny segments of a piece played on repeat where your child targets tricky spots in a song. This strategy is actually a scientifically proven approach called "deliberate practice", and it makes learning any instrument more efficient.

Slow and Steady

When it comes to your child's sports aspirations, speed is a definite plus. But in the world of instrument practice, speed is an enemy - at least in the beginning it is.

As your child is learning new material, listen to make sure their playing is thoughtful and unhurried. In fact, a lot of the time it should be so slow at first that it barely sounds like music at all. (Yeah, we know that sounds a little ridiculous, but please trust us on this.) Speed is a separate practice element. What we're going for first is accuracy.

Weird

Depending on the teacher, your child might be armed with several tactics to improve their playing while making practice time a lot more fun. But some of these tricks might seem a bit odd... 🤪

Tell me if any of this sounds familiar:

There are dice sitting on your piano

Your child sometimes hums instead of playing anything at all, or you see them wiggle their fingers but hear nothing

You regularly hear them go from one thing to another and then go back to the first thing and repeat the pattern, all in quick succession

They'll play a piece starting at the end or somewhere in the middle

Your child has asked you for 3 small trinkets they can use to practice with

Your phone or tablet mysteriously goes missing during practice sessions

Strange as these things may sound, they're part and parcel of proven methods for effective practice. (No, they're not just random ways to make your child's piano practice fun - that's just an added bonus.) Keeping the brain active and engaged keeps musicians from mindlessly playing through their pieces, which in turn means their practice will be much more effective.

What Practice Should *NOT* Sound Like

If you're still not sure about your child's piano practice, you can watch out for these markers indicating less-than-effective or inefficient practice sessions:

Your child plays their new pieces from beginning to end without stopping or slowing down

Mistakes might be "fixed" immediately after they're made, but you don't hear those trouble spots revisited

Smooth-as-silk playing of much-loved and polished pieces from the past without any signs of the messy and weird practice described above. (This is called playing the piano, and is the result of the effective practice described above.)

For more like this, check out other articles from our "music parent" series:
How do you feel about your child's home music practice?

Feel free to leave your thoughts or questions in the comments section below, and we'll do our best to help.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Is your child's piano practice "right"? - Colourful Keys

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you feel utterly lost as to whether or not your child's piano practice is "right", don't worry. We've got you covered.

# data[].attributes.headline
Keeping Kids Motivated to Practice Piano

# data[].attributes.subject
Keeping Kids Motivated to Practice Piano

# data[].attributes.body
Discover some creative strategies to keep your child motivated and excited about practicing the piano.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's Saturday afternoon: time for piano practice. You've reminded your child twice already since lunchtime. Yet instead of keys being played, all you've heard so far is "In a minute!"

It's now well past three o'clock, and the piano still hasn't been touched. You sense that this will end with the usual argument.

"I don't want to practice!"

"The piece is boring."

"Why do I have to learn how to play the piano, anyway?"

You point out, yet again, that piano is great for both mathematical skills and language learning. Of course, your child isn't convinced. It's in these moments that you wonder whether your kid really will be grateful for the opportunity they had to learn an instrument during their childhood.

Many parents struggle to encourage kids of the "smartphone generation" to sit at the piano and practice. A piano, after all, doesn't have glowing buttons, bright colors, or cool features. For most kids, all it has to offer are some sheets of music and the instrument itself. Chances are that your child simply can't fathom that playing the piano could be fun, let alone feel inspired to practice efficiently!

Unfortunately, there is no foolproof formula that'll get kids excited about practicing piano. But there are a number of strategies you can try out that will make a difference.

The chemistry needs to be right

Finding the right piano teacher is crucial. Your son or daughter must be able to connect with their teacher. No matter how accomplished or qualified a teacher is, they won't be able to teach your child successfully if the two don't get along with each other. Listen carefully when your child talks about their teacher and pay attention for signs that they don't gel well.

Trial lessons can be helpful, but can only provide a first impression. If the trial goes well, keep monitoring your child's attitude in the following lessons. Asking your child if they click with their teacher or not in these early phases can prevent lots of disheartening practice sessions later down the track!

Of course, it's natural for your child to complain about having to learn something new or difficult. This is something you both have to go through, after all! Small frustrations will inevitably arise once in a while, but learning to cope with these is just another valuable part of the learning experience.

However, if your child starts to complain about the teacher as a person, do your best to work out why. Try talking to the teacher about it: There might be ways to solve this issue together. If it doesn't look likely, don't hesitate to switch teachers. Let's face it: neither your child nor the teacher will enjoy or benefit from the time spent on lessons if they don't connect. A child that dislikes their teacher will almost certainly find it difficult to stay motivated.

Teachers do tend to give more of themselves in lessons if the child appears to be progressing and enthusiastic. But this simply won't happen if the chemistry isn't right!

Practice time and expectations

Once you've found the right teacher, practicing at home is the next step to master. We've got two articles filled with practice tips to keep your child engaged and help them avoid common mistakes: Four tips to master any song and Top five mistakes when learning to play the piano. There you'll find more detailed information, so I'll keep things brief here.

In the early stages, it's important to keep practice sessions quite short. Children will be much happier to work through two sessions of 10 to 15 minutes of practice each day, rather than one long session in the evening. It also helps to make practice a part of their routine during the week. Saving practice for the weekend won't help much, as your child will lose the opportunity to reinforce new skills each day. Daily repetition of hand movements, patterns and exercises is a vital part of practice for even the most accomplished pianists!

You'll probably witness yourself how long gaps between practice sessions will cause your child's skills to fade, slowing their progress as a result. Avoid this by encouraging them to practice a little bit every day. Point out that their only other option is doing one long, difficult hour on a Saturday afternoon and they'll definitely be on board with keeping a daily routine!

As a parent, it's difficult not to beam with pride when your child learns something new. Children love to hear that you're proud of them too! But you've got to be careful that they don't start feeling the pressure to perform and meet your expectations.

At the beginning, most pieces your child learns won't sound that nice as they practice them. But that's totally fine! After all, you can't expect them to pick up pieces by Chopin and Beethoven after a few weeks of lessons. Learning piano is a process that requires time. Try to be patient, and help your child to stay patient too.

Give your child the freedom to learn at their own pace, and encourage them when they achieve new milestones, even if they're just taking baby steps! Every child learns differently and learns to love different aspects of piano-playing. This is something we should celebrate.

Use small treats

Developing a routine of practicing takes time but is also very important. To get into the habit of practicing regularly, little treats can be helpful in the beginning. These treats can be almost anything, depending on what works for your child. I recommend negotiating with your son or daughter about the kind of treats they would like and what you approve of, such as extra minutes to spend at the PC, extra mobile phone credits, or staying up a bit longer on the weekend when your child practices regularly.

A very popular way of motivating and reaching goals is collecting "points." These points can be almost anything, but stickers are the easiest way to track them. There are stickers in all kinds of shapes and colors, so have your child choose some he/she likes. And whenever your child practices, he/she gets to put a sticker either on a special chart you set up for this purpose, or maybe just a calendar or a little booklet.

It's really important that you and your child decide on a specific treat for a certain amount of stickers. That saves you some discussion afterwards.

Collecting points (or stickers) provides additional motivation and is an objective your child can reach faster than mastering a whole piano piece. This works especially well for younger students. The younger your child is, the more important it is to have small goals they can reach in a relatively short amount of time.

How you can make practice cool and fun

Kids and teens love smartphones and tablet PCs, or in short, everything that has a screen and looks like fun. This enthusiasm for technical devices can be useful when it comes to teaching piano, too. Some piano teachers already include tablet PCs in their lessons. This lends a certain "coolness factor" that has a positive impact on a child's attitude towards practicing. There are also many different apps for ear training or reading notes.

The fascination with apps and PCs can also be used to make practicing more fun and to provide additional incentives for practicing. That's why several piano teachers are already including flowkey in their teaching (if you want to read more about it, click here).

In flowkey, the student is in an interactive learning environment that has all of the appeal of a cool and fun app. They can scroll and browse through our library, clicking and swiping to find a song he/she really wants to play. Then, your child can learn it in an interactive way, getting immediate feedback.

Interacting with electronic devices is something kids and teens grow up with and enjoy. The fun they experience doing this can also become part of practicing when they use flowkey. This way, the frustration often experienced when practicing can be turned into learning with joy.

Find your set of "little helpers"

When you start to learn how to play an instrument, motivation usually is at its highest. Everything is new and exciting. Especially at the piano, it is possible to play a nice little tune quickly. The challenge is to actually keep this motivation over a long period of time.

When making progress, the pieces become harder, and you need to work more for your progress. Many people struggle with that and stop playing. There isn't one single magic trick to overcome this challenge and not give up. As with most things in life, it's a combination of several factors that lead to success. Our friends from TakeLessons interviewed music teachers, bloggers and child psychologists and wrote a great article on that matter as well. So check out their 13 Super Effective Ways to Motivate Your Child to practice Music.

I hope I have given you some inspirations to find the "little helpers" that will keep your child motivated. And hopefully, all the "I don't want to practice" discussions during the weekend will be a thing of the past. :)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Motivate Your Child to Practice the Piano? | flowkey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Encouraging your child to practice piano doesn't have to be a battle of wills. Here are some great practical tips for getting kids motivated.

# data[].attributes.headline
Why Daily Practice is Essential for Piano Students

# data[].attributes.subject
Why Daily Practice is Essential for Piano Students

# data[].attributes.body
Learn why daily practice is crucial for your child's musical development and how to make it a part of their daily routine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
First of all, it is important to understand why a regular practice routine is so important for pianists of all levels. When you practice regularly, you are able to build on your previous sessions and make steady progress over time. This is especially true for beginners, who need to establish a solid foundation of basic skills and techniques. By practicing regularly, you can reinforce what you have learned and avoid forgetting what you have already mastered. Regular practice also helps you develop good habits and a sense of discipline, which are important for any musician.

‍

Another benefit of a regular practice routine is that it allows you to set specific goals and track your progress. You can decide what you want to work on each day, whether it is a particular piece, technique, or theory concept. By setting goals and working towards them, you can stay motivated and feel a sense of accomplishment when you reach your objectives. You can also use your practice sessions to identify areas that need improvement and develop a plan for addressing them. This will help you stay focused and make the most of your practice time.

‍

So, how can you establish and maintain a regular piano practice routine? Here are a few tips and strategies to consider:

‍

1. Find a convenient time for practice: Choose a time of day that works best for you and your schedule. Some people prefer to practice in the morning, while others prefer the evening. Consider factors such as your energy level, available light, and any other commitments you may have.
‍

2. Set aside a dedicated practice space: It is helpful to have a dedicated space for practice, whether it is a separate room or a designated area in your home. This will help you focus and avoid distractions. Make sure you have a comfortable chair and a well-lit workspace.
‍

3. Set a consistent practice schedule: Decide how many days per week you want to practice and stick to it. You don't have to practice every day, but it is important to be consistent. For example, you could practice for 30 minutes four times a week, or an hour twice a week.
‍

4. Make practice a priority: Don't let other activities or commitments interfere with your practice time. Make practice a priority and schedule it in your calendar like any other important appointment.
‍

5. Be patient and persistent: Don't expect to see progress overnight. It takes time and effort to learn and improve on the piano. Be patient with yourself and don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results. Keep practicing and you will see progress over time.

‍

In conclusion, a regular piano practice routine is essential for making progress and achieving your musical goals. By establishing and maintaining a consistent schedule, you will be able to build on your previous sessions, set specific goals, and track your progress. With patience and persistence, you will be able to develop your skills and musicality, and become a better pianist.

‍

Did you enjoy this article? You might want to read our articles about 5 Expert Tips for Effective Piano Practice, the benefits of ABRSM exams, and a comparison of solo vs group practice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Importance of a Regular Piano Practice Routine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Piano practice is an essential activity outside of music lessons and a regular practice routine is crucial for making progress and achieving your musical goals. In this article, we will explore the benefits of a regular piano practice routine, and offer some tips and strategies for establishing and maintaining a successful practice schedule.

# data[].attributes.headline
Positive Reinforcement Techniques for Piano Practice

# data[].attributes.subject
Positive Reinforcement Techniques for Piano Practice

# data[].attributes.body
Explore various positive reinforcement methods that can help encourage consistent practice and progress.

# data[].attributes.body
Learn how to transform piano practice into a fun and enjoyable activity for your child.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Discover tips and resources to make practicing piano more fun!

At Hoffman Academy, our goal is to help piano students LOVE playing the piano from the very beginning. Making daily practice a positive experience is the key to helping students succeed. Read on for some suggestions to help your piano student look forward to practice time every day.

How often should you practice piano?

Piano practice requires consistency and discipline. Everyone has busy days, so it's OK to occasionally do a very short practice session when that's all you can manage. Being flexible with the amount of time you spend on piano practice is fine, but try to be consistent about the habit of going to the bench every day.

To help motivate daily piano practice, try our Hoffman Academy practice tracker! Hang this chart next to the piano and check off each day as you practice. It's a great way to visualize your progress.

How long does it take to learn piano?

The amount of time spent practicing every day makes a big difference in how long it takes to learn the piano. Try our piano practice calculator and see for yourself!

It's simple! If you practice twenty minutes a day, you'll learn the piano twice as fast as if you practice only ten minutes a day. In fact, you may learn even faster because you'll feel encouraged by the good amount of progress you're making.

How to create an effective piano practice routine

A good practice routine includes working on technique, developing music skills like sight reading or playing by ear, working on new songs, reviewing old songs, and also time for creativity and fun. Here's an example:

1. Check your piano posture

2. Do some finger power exercises, such as playing scales and arpeggios

3. Practice a new piece

4. Practice sight reading

5. Review pieces you already know

6. Improvise, compose, or try playing something you've heard by ear

The order of the steps depends on the piano student. Some may enjoy starting by playing piano pieces they already know. Others may want to save that for the end of the practice session. The important thing is to be consistent and make sure that daily practice time is balanced between developing a variety of piano abilities.

To help keep on top of your piano practice routine, we have a free piano practice chart for you to download.

Hoffman Academy also includes detailed practice instructions for each lesson to make sure that piano students are keeping all of their piano skills sharp.

Can piano be practiced on a keyboard?

Yes, you can practice the piano on an electric keyboard, but there may be some disadvantages depending on the size and quality of the keyboard.

The best keyboards have 88 weighted keys. These keyboards, which are usually called digital pianos, are designed to mimic as closely as possible the sound and feel of an acoustic piano. With a keyboard like this, a piano student can develop finger strength and also the ability to play at different dynamic levels. Moving from a high-quality digital piano to an acoustic piano will require a little adjustment, but it won't require that the student acquire completely new skills.

If you're away from your usual acoustic piano or good-quality digital piano keyboard for a while, there's no harm done in practicing on a smaller electric keyboard for a few days. However, it's not recommended to learn the piano exclusively on a lower-quality keyboard. Here's why:

If a keyboard is not touch sensitive, a student won't be able to practice playing with dynamics (loud and soft). A piano's dynamic range is one of the things that make it such a great instrument. Piano students will miss out on a lot of the piano's potential if they can't practice on a keyboard that allows them to play both loud and soft.

An electric keyboard without weighted keys won't develop a student's hand strength. They may be able to play the right notes, but it will be more difficult to move to playing an acoustic piano. Their ability to play with good dynamics will be affected as well.

Lastly, if a keyboard doesn't have enough keys, students won't be able to play more advanced piano pieces. Common finger exercises like two-hand two-octave scales and arpeggios may not fit on a smaller keyboard.

Having an acoustic piano or a good quality electric piano keyboard has one more big advantage: it makes playing the piano a more enjoyable experience!

Learn more about how to choose the right keyboard or piano for you.

How to practice piano scales

Piano scales are an important part of learning the piano, but for some students they can become a source of frustration if they're not introduced in the right way. At Hoffman Academy we start by teaching pentascales, which are five-note scales that can be played with the hands in one position. Read "What is a pentascale" to learn more, and download our free guide to all pentascales !

After students learn their pentascales, they're ready to start the one-octave scales. At first, these scales are practiced hands separately. Only when students have reached a more advanced level do we have students play their scales hands together. By building up a strong foundation, step by step, starting with simple pentascales and then progressing a little at a time, piano scales are much easier to manage.

When practicing a piano scale, always play slowly at first. A metronome can help you choose a slow tempo and keep a steady beat. As the scale becomes more familiar, gradually increase the tempo. It can be fun to see how fast you can go!

To learn more about piano scales and tips for playing them, visit our and our Guide to All Scales: Major, Minor & More . You can also download our printable major and minor scales chart Fingering Guide for Major Scales and Fingering Guide for Minor Scales.

Use piano practice games

Children love games, and when it comes to piano practice there are lots of ways to have fun and be creative. A good practice time game will have a clear and specific goal with results attached. Within those guidelines, your imagination is the only limit.

To create a great piano practice game, first decide what skill you'd like to target, such as piano posture, or playing a section of a piece without missing any notes. Then choose a clear, specific goal that's attainable for your child.

If hand position is the issue you'd like to tackle, make the object of the game to keep fingers curved and relaxed, and don't worry about anything else. Next, decide how you're going to give feedback. One fun way to do this is to have a small object like a toy or a coin set near one end of the keyboard. Move the object one key closer to the end every time the child succeeds. Make up a story about the object that your child will enjoy, such as a prisoner trying to escape from a dungeon, or a lost pet finding its way home.

Above all, piano practice games should be positive. Don't set objectives too high. Children will enjoy games most if they can be successful 85% of the time or more. Use your imagination, be creative, and find out what clicks for your piano student.

Older students and adults can enjoy piano practice games too! When practicing with a metronome, make up some rules, such as "play this measure three times without mistakes and advance the tempo by ten, if you do make a mistake set the tempo back by five." When you reach your tempo goal for that practice session, you win!

For more piano practice game ideas, check out this list of Great Piano Games for Students.

How to practice sight reading for piano players

It's important to understand that sight reading is a specific skill that is independent of playing practiced pieces at the piano. For most students, sight reading will not come automatically as they progress through their piano studies. It's a skill that must be developed intentionally.

To practice sight reading effectively remember these tips:

Choose a piece of music that is much simpler than a song you could learn to play with practice.

Start by carefully looking over the piece of music. Check the key signature, the time signature, and look at each measure to get an idea of what to expect as you play.

Sight read slowly at first. If you find you're making a lot of mistakes, slow down or choose a simpler piece of music.

When reading melody lines, look for relationships between notes. Do they repeat, step up, step down, skip, or move in a larger interval? Focus on relationships rather than the absolute positions of the notes.

When reading chords, focus on the lowest note and the shape of the chord rather than on each individual note.

As you sight read, look ahead so you'll know what's coming. Expert sight readers often learn to look several beats ahead of where they're playing!

Get more tips on how to become a great sight reader .

How to practice piano chords

Piano chords are a wonderful way to add richness and color to music. Piano students should become familiar with all the various types of piano chords, how they are built, and the different forms they can take. Knowledge of chords will help with playing, sight reading, playing by ear, improvising, and composing on the piano.

When playing a chord, listen carefully to make sure all notes are sounding equally. Keep your wrist flexible and use the full weight of your arm to play the chord, not just your fingers.

Chords come in different sizes and shapes, and it's good to practice as many of them as you can. Try to look at the shape of a chord and connect it with the shape that your hand makes to play that chord on the keyboard. This will speed up your reading and playing.

For a handy reference chart that has every chord in every key on the piano, download our FREE Ultimate Piano Chord Chart .

What is the best way to practice a piano piece?

The best way to practice a new piano piece can be summed up in two concepts:

Think of learning a piano piece as training your brain to do something. Every time you play a little piece of the song correctly, even if you're playing it very slowly, you're teaching your brain and your fingers how to do it. If you play it too fast and make a mistake, now your brain has learned that mistake! When learning, it is better to play slowly and accurately than up to tempo and making mistakes.

When practicing the piano, it works best if you focus on one small part of a song at a time. Choose a few measures to work on, and once those are learned, move on to another few measures. Once all the small sections have been learned independently, it isn't very hard to put them all together. This is much more efficient than practicing by always starting at the beginning of the piece and playing to the end.

How to practice piano without a piano

Practicing every day is important, but what if you don't have access to a piano for a few days? You can practice the piano even when you're not at the piano! Here are some ways to do this.

One way to practice without a piano is to use a flat surface like a table or a desk and place your hands on it as if it were a piano keyboard. Move your fingers through the motions as if you were playing a song on the piano. You can do this for finger exercises, songs you know, and songs you're still learning. Go slowly and make sure you're using the right fingering! Doing this exercise will help with finger strength and muscle memory.

You can also practice the piano without moving your fingers at all. Simply imagine yourself playing a piano piece. Think about how your fingers will move and how the keys look and feel while you play. You can do this while looking at the sheet music, or if you have the piece of music memorized you can do it with your eyes closed. After doing this exercise, you may be surprised at how much your playing improves when you get back to the piano.

Another way to practice without a piano is to listen to recordings of the pieces you are learning. Knowing how a piece of music should sound allows you to know instantly when you're playing a wrong note. It can also help you develop your musical sensitivity. Listening to different interpretations of a piano piece by various expert pianists can be very insightful and inspiring. Hoffman Academy Premium comes with listening tracks for every piece in our curriculum to enhance your piano learning.

Experience the power of piano practice

When you consistently practice the piano, using smart techniques, focus, and a positive attitude, you'll be amazed by what you can accomplish. Piano pieces that you would never have dreamed of playing will become easy, and there will always be more challenging pieces to try. We hope these piano practice tips will help you on your piano practicing journey!

Join Hoffman Academy and get great piano practice support, such as daily practice instructions, both listening and play-along audio tracks, piano practice games, charts and reference guides, and more!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Make Piano Practice Fun - Hoffman Academy Blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Although learning the piano requires discipline, that doesn't mean it can't be fun. Learn how to make piano practice fun for yourself or your young learner.

# data[].attributes.body
Better for older/more experienced piano players, but I love this reminder: "No matter how advanced of a pianist you are, it's always more important to play the right notes than to play a song faster. No one is impressed by fast, sloppy playing; they'd much rather hear someone playing accurately at a slower tempo."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You or your child has started to learn piano, and you're really excited about playing this beautiful instrument and playing some amazing songs! However, you might be feeling overwhelmed and wondering what to learn first. Fortunately, these 13 tips for beginner piano players should get you going on the right track for piano success!

If you're a brand new pianist, you'll definitely want to check out the top piano exercises and easy classical songs for beginners-- plus these helpful tips for finding a great piano teacher.

Jump to:

Intro

Learning piano is an exciting journey, but it certainly can be overwhelming when you're first beginning! From choosing method books to searching for an awesome piano teacher, there's a lot to decide upon-- not to mention finding time to practice.

If you're a new piano student or are thinking of enrolling your child or grandchild in piano lessons, here are some great tips that should get you off to a solid start.

Tips

Music Fundamentals

You won't be able to play sheet music without learning to identify the notes on the treble and bass clefs (the grand staff). Grab a beginner's method book and download this fun app to help you learn the notes on the staff, and practice it daily. It takes a lot of time and effort to learn how to read music, but it's so worth it!
2. Practice scales, chords, and arpeggios daily.
Not only will scales, chords, and arpeggios warm up your fingers at the start of your practice session, but they will also teach you some basic music theory, strengthen your fingers, and improve your technique.

If you're brand new to piano, start with C major pentascales hands separately, then hands together. Once you've mastered that, start learning the C major scale in parallel motion and contrary motion. Add on triads and arpeggios, then gradually build up to learning a new key signature until you've learned all 12 major and 12 minor keys.
3. Practice sight reading daily.
Sight reading means to read and play a song you've never played before without preparation or practice. Sight reading tests your note reading skills and music theory knowledge, and will help you learn new music faster.

Practice this by working through a dedicated sight reading book, or simply play a song that's a couple levels below your current skill level.

For a fun, interactive way to practice sight reading, try the Royal Conservatory of Music's new online sight reading practice.
4. Practice ear training daily.
Learn to identify intervals and chords by ear. Clap back rhythms and play back simple melodies. Honing your musical ear will help you greatly in your piano studies.

My favorite way to practice ear training is with the Royal Conservatory of Music's online ear training. It comes in all levels from brand new beginner (Prep A and B) to advanced (Level 10), and the exercises make it quick and easy to practice daily!
5. Learn basic music theory.
While you don't need to be a music theory professor, learning a little music theory will help you understand what you're playing and will enrich your learning experience. Playing piano is like learning to speak a new language, while music theory is learning the grammar and mechanics of that language.

Work your way through the Royal Conservatory of Music's Celebrate Theory series starting with the Prep Level, and you'll have a solid understanding of music that will apply to singing or any instrument.

Other books like Harmony by Walter Piston (affiliate) and this amazing free music theory book by University of Puget Sound are fantastic resources for learning music theory on your own!

Practice Sessions
6. Sit with good posture.
If you're sitting too close to the piano or slouching a lot, it will make playing uncomfortable and difficult. Make sure that your forearms are level with the keyboard, that you're sitting on the front half of the bench, and that the bench is far back enough that you can easily stand up between the bench and the piano.

For a visual guide, check out these posture tips. If you implement these suggestions, you'll start feeling more comfortable at the piano right away!
7. Learn a song in the following order: notes, fingering, rhythms, expression, then speed.
Make sure you're playing the correct notes (i.e. don't forget accidentals or sharps/flats indicated by the key signature) with the right fingering, then learn the rhythms.

Once you've got these components solidly learned, shape the melody by adding the expressive elements indicated in the music (crescendos/dimuendos, ritardando, staccato, sforzando, etc.). Last of all, work on speeding up the music to the performance tempo.

Think of a song as being a five-legged stool. When any one leg suffers, such as the notes or rhythms, the song quality is affected. If you focus on what's most important first (the notes), then work your way through the other "legs," you'll have a solid, beautifully played piece!
8. Use the right fingering.
Playing a piece with incorrect fingering is awkward, slow, and frustrating. Many times the sheet music will have a recommended fingering printed in the music, but this isn't always the case.

If you're not sure what fingering to use, ask your piano teacher or watch videos of experienced pianists playing the piece and use their fingering. Remember, the best fingering is the one that allows you to play the music with comfort and control.

One way to really improve your fingering is to practice scales, chords, and arpeggios consistently, since they are the basis of music.
9. Implement the 3x3x3 rule.
Practice the right hand three times, the left hand three times, and then play hands together three times. This simple strategy allows you to get lots of practice on the separate parts before putting them together.
10. Focus on accuracy over speed.
No matter how advanced of a pianist you are, it's always more important to play the right notes than to play a song faster. No one is impressed by fast, sloppy playing; they'd much rather hear someone playing accurately at a slower tempo.

There's been many times where I quickly learned a new set of measures and thought it was fine, but later realized that I had issues with the notes and rhythms. It's much harder to "un-learn" the wrong way then it is to learn it correctly the first time! Whenever you're learning a piece, start slow, and gradually increase the speed over time.
11. Play at a consistent tempo.
Many students will cringe when their teacher pulls out a metronome, but fear not-- using a metronome is the key to playing at a consistent speed. Many songs will provide a suggested metronome speed for a performance, but always start learning a song at half speed.

If you don't own a traditional metronome, this free app is a wonderful, portable option for your cell phone.

Other Important Tips
11. Find a good piano teacher.
With today's technology, it can be tempting to teach yourself piano by using an app or watching YouTube tutorials. Although there are many excellent teachers online who create valuable instructional material, they should not be a replacement for a live teacher who watches your playing and guides you.

You'll make faster progress, avoid silly mistakes, practice consistently, and enjoy playing more when you're taking weekly private lessons from a good teacher--whether they're in person or online lessons. Although excellent instructors will charge $60+ per hour, there are many wonderful teachers who charge much less. Use these helpful tips to find the best piano teacher for you!
12. Practice consistently.
Make a serious commitment to practice consistently (4-5 days per week). If you're brand new to piano, start with 10-15 minute sessions per day, and work up to 30 minutes per day. If you're pressed for time, do two 10-minute sessions per day, or one 5-minute session and one 10 minute session.

Remember that it's much better to do multiple short sessions each week than doing one or two long ones per week. You'll retain the information better and learn faster that way.

As you become more advanced, you will gradually increase your practice sessions to 1 hour and beyond.

Don't force yourself to play 100% classical music if you think it's boring. Keep a few classical songs in your repertoire to build technique, but add in jazz, hymns, worship music, pop, or other genres that you like to keep your playing interesting. Piano should always be something you enjoy!

There are many supplemental music books in a variety of exciting genres, like the ones from Faber and Faber, which are suited for beginner pianists. Look around at your local music store or online and see what you like.

FAQs

Conclusion

Now that you know what to focus on during your practice sessions, you should be able to make the most of your practice time. If you implement these tips, you should be seeing consistent improvement over time.

If you're progressing slowly, don't be discouraged! Piano is one of the hardest instruments to learn how to play, and as long as you are consistently getting better, you're making progress.

It's my hope that these beginner piano tips were inspirational and helpful for you. If you have tips for beginning pianists that you'd like to share, please leave a comment below. Both my readers and I would be happy to hear from you!

More Piano Practice Tips

You must use the category slug, not a URL, in the category field.

Follow Emma Blair Piano on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!

If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, please leave a comment below. You'll make my day!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Looking for tips and tricks for learning piano? These 13 handy tips for beginners will give you the info you need for practicing the piano.

# data[].attributes.headline
How Parents Can Take an Active Role in Piano Practice

# data[].attributes.subject
How Parents Can Take an Active Role in Piano Practice

# data[].attributes.body
Tips and advice on how you can actively participate in your child's piano practice to support their learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
An engaged piano parent's only goal is to support daily practice in a proactive way. Simply said, we want piano parents to encourage daily practice without nagging.

Nagging makes piano practice miserable and has the opposite effect on our quest for regular practice routines.

Instead, proactive piano parents have their own home practice tasks to complete, just as their children do. This creates a teamwork environment where parents and children are working together towards the common goal of daily practice.

14 PRACTICE TASKS FOR PIANO PARENTS

We have established that regular practice routines will not happen without proactive piano parents. So, how can parents be proactive practice assistants even if they have never touched a piano?
Below we've included a list of Teaching Assistant Tasks that musical and non-musical parents can perform during home practice sessions.
1. The Practice Practice Bouncer: Let's begin with the simplest of tasks for piano parents. To encourage effective daily practice, proactive parents must act as the Practice Practice Bouncer. This job requires parents to keep family pets, siblings, and friends out of the piano room. Even more importantly for older students, this job requires keeping cellphones quiet during practice sessions.

2. The Practice Videographer: Piano teachers love to know what's happening at home. By being a videographer, proactive piano parents can provide teachers with valuable home practice recordings that can be used to improve technique, posture, rhythm, and more.

3. The Piano Piece Request Line: The most accomplished piano students always revisit pieces from their past to brush up on skills and to simply revisit some old favorites. During practice sessions, parents can get involved by requesting their children to perform some pieces that they have enjoyed hearing from past recitals.

4. The Lead Vocalist: Most people are not too comfortable with breaking out into song in public, but they will happily sing in front of their own children. Parents of your littlest piano students should be encouraged to sing along with song lyrics. Just make sure that the sing-alongs happen with songs their children already know quite well. Sing-alongs do not work when a song is first being learned.

5. The Youtube Liaison: As students get older, it can get harder for piano parents to be active in the home practice process. By transitioning from an authoritative role to an assistant role, parents can be supportive by performing simple tasks such as searching out quality Youtube performances of pieces their children are playing. It can be a really useful experience for teen piano players to see and hear performances of the pieces they are about to play.

6. The Piano Studio Janitor: Parents are the ultimate, and original, janitors. While it is important that students learn to organize their own practice spaces, if parents are looking for a simple task to get involved in practice sessions, getting the home piano space in order before each practice session can be very helpful.

7. The Concert Promotor: As a parent myself, I know that showing off our kids comes naturally. For this reason, proactive parents can take on the role of home practice concert promotor. This job involves getting their children to perform when friends, grandparents, and aunts and uncles come over for a visit, or sending videos and initiating FaceTime performances.

8. The Timekeeper: If your students are using Andrea And Trevor Dow's Timed Note Reading Tests For Piano, then their parents can be the timekeeper when it is time for their daily note reading practice. Learn more about our timed note reading tests here.

9. The Sticker Giver: The worst thing a parent can do during a home practice session is to instigate practice wars. Music is supposed to be a delightful experience. And what is more delightful for piano students than stickers?! Encourage piano parents to listen in on home practice sessions and then distribute stickers when they hear a piano piece or a technical exercise that was performed particularly well.

10. The Role Reversal: Parents spend most of their lives in an authoritative role but during home practice sessions it can be a wonderful learning experience for their children to take the leading role and teach the adults something new. Encourage your piano students to teach their parents how to clap a rhythm, play a piano game, or perform a simple duet.

11. The Check-Marker: As a piano teacher, you probably spend a great deal of time writing detailed lesson notes, only to have them returned with very little feedback. By putting piano parents in charge of checking off home practice tasks on your lesson assignment sheets, you will have a better idea of what happened during your piano students' home practice sessions.

12. The Lesson Note Reader: This task goes hand-in-hand with The Check-Marker. Piano students often forget to read your lesson notes and, therefore, do not know what their focus should be during home practice sessions. Encourage your piano parents to read your lesson notes to their children before the start of piano practice.

13. The Active Audience Member: Whether musical or not, piano parents can lend an ear as a piano practice audience member. Instruct your piano parents to only provide positive feedback as they listen to their children perform repertoire and exercises.

14. The Frustration Interpreter: Young piano students are not great at vocalizing their challenges. Teachers often struggle to uncover what is tripping up their students. For this reason, parents can serve as an interpreter for piano teachers. During home practice sessions, encourage your piano parents to discuss difficulties and challenges with their children and then record their findings as notes that can be shared with you at the next lesson.
Try these tips and make your child's practice sessions at home more fun and motivating! Happy Playing!
Interested in music lessons near you? CONTACT US!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learning Piano/ How parents can help with piano/ Parents as piano practice helpers - After School by Klassik Arts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An engaged piano parent's only goal is to support daily practice in a proactive way. Simply said, we want piano parents to encourage daily practice without nagging. Nagging makes piano practice miserable and has the opposite effect on our quest for regular practice routines.

# data[].attributes.headline
How to Help Your Child When They Want to Quit Piano

# data[].attributes.subject
How to Help Your Child When They Want to Quit Piano

# data[].attributes.body
Advice and strategies for parents on how to handle the situation when a child wants to stop piano lessons.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
(Illustration by María Alconada Brooks/The Washington Post; iStock)
Share Comment Save Q: My 10-year-old started music lessons as a toddler and has been playing the piano for the past few years. She has (or, rather, was taught to have) a good ear for music. We expect 20 minutes of practice, six days per week, with one 30-minute lesson. Every practice is a struggle; she will go out of her way to avoid doing it. We've seen tears, screams, sudden emergencies and a magical engrossment in something she believes I find more important than practice. (She's smart, so think picking up a college chemistry book.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Advice | My child wants to quit piano lessons. Do I let her?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A few chores per week and a short daily piano practice don't seem like the end of the world, but maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture?

# data[].attributes.headline
Understanding the Importance of Patience in Piano Practice

# data[].attributes.subject
Understanding the Importance of Patience in Piano Practice

# data[].attributes.body
Learn why patience is key in the world of piano practice and how to instill this valuable trait in your child.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In recent weeks, I have focused on playing piano using my full hand range (by practicicing the opening baseline of Castle of Glass by Linkin Park), maintaining proper posture and playing with my left hand in addition to my right simultaneously... but this is taking a long time to progress. The most important thing I've had to remind myself is patience. Not surprisingly, there are no short-cuts to success with physically playing the piano. Your body has to be taught the movements in order to experience success. In understanding terminology, tricks for learning can occur much like it would learning from a textbook in the classroom, but you still need to understand and apply aside from memorize ( Bloom's taxonomy). What are some things that have stood out for me?
Key points that I've noticed in my development and tips you can use.

I still need to keep learning different chords and songs I enjoy. And play them to completion, not just the parts I like. But some parts of songs may teach certain things (chords or hand range).

A song I enjoy is so much easier to play (practice).

I've only scratched the surface of learning piano. Be patient.

I need to maintain and honour a regular schedule to keep playing regularly, it's easy to get caught up in life and skip a day or two sometimes.

Some songs I am simply not ready to learn/play yet.

It isn't easy to play piano while singing... but can be very rewarding when achieved, even if you can just hum it to start.

Playing with two hands can be done, but learn one hand at a time and then combine them together.

There is no limit to resources out there, but some may be different, find what's accurate and works best for you.

Maintain good posture and consider getting an instructor to critique you for even a brief amount of time. I was fortunate to work with a music teacher in person, but many virtual piano courses are available.

It is so amazing to be listening to the radio, hear a song, and think: I bet I could play that.

It is so amazing to be listening to the radio, hear a song, and think: I bet I could play that.

Recommendations on resources to learners.
I really enjoyed using Synthesia. If you can drop thirty dollars (USD) to purchase it, I found it very useful used in combination with Free Midi. Searching on Google or on YouTube is an easy way to find tutorials on songs, terminology, or instructors/courses available on-line. Some of which are free for the frugal!

Did I achieve all of my goals? No. But learning is never complete and my journey with the piano is no exception to this idea. In addition to the goal of learning the four chord song one day, as I've made countless references to... this classic below by Johann Sebastian Bach looks like another goal to learn in the future. The video below is slowed down enough for me to follow along while I play (if I can't find a midi). I considered learning classical at the start of the term, but just hadn't got around to it yet. After reading about Bach, I was reminded about the universal language that is music. That a song that someone composed close to three hundred years ago can make my spine shiver and emotions echo that of an individual who lived in a world not as connected like mine. But this connection through music transcends time, worldview and language. This serves as a reminder of why patience and hard work is important in learning music... and while I believe that success will look different for all students, he did (apparently) provide this quote to close on:

"I worked hard. Anyone who works as hard as I did can achieve the same results."
Johann Sebastian Bach from BrainyQuotes

Have you been learning an instrument? Would you emphasize patience as well? Let me know below!

Logan Petlak

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learning piano: Patience, hard work and connections that transcend time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learning piano is hard. Check out my tips, successes and struggles and appreciating connections through music.

# data[].attributes.body
This blog post has some great ideas for making small amounts of practice an easy new habit!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Help Your Child Develop a Solid Music Practice Habit – Colourful Keys

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Try “habit stacking” to help your child develop a regular music practice routine, and banish those parent/child practice wars for good!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Blogpiano Lessons For Kids The Parents Role In Their Childs Music Lessons - Lessons In Your Home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In order for the children to be succesful musicians, the parent must be supportive during their piano lessons.

# data[].attributes.body
I prefer to teach listening and hearing music patterns, then we start adding reading into it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Colourful Keys is primarily a blog for music teachers. However, this article is part of a series for PARENTS of music students. If you're a music parent, read on to learn why a lot of teachers no longer teach note names using mnemonics. If you're a teacher, feel free to pass the link to this article on to parents in your studio.
If you had any musical training as a child - whether general music class in school or outside music lessons - you were probably taught the names of notes by using mnemonics or acronyms. (Every Good Boy Does Fine, anyone?) But will those tricks really help your kids learn to read piano music?

First things first: If you never learnt acronyms for note names on the staff (such as "All Cows Eat Grass") and you think I'm crazy for talking about cows at all, you can stop reading here. 🐮

But if those silly sayings are familiar to you, keep reading.

Because while teaching your piano kiddos those same music mnemonics might seem easy and helpful, we know now that those mnemonics tend to their reading progress more than help.

What's wrong with using music mnemonics?

The problem with mnemonic devices for music, in particular, is that they're the slowest method of figuring out a note name. To use a mnemonic you need to go through these steps:

1. Select the correct mnemonic for this clef (treble or bass) and line/space notes.

2. Say the mnemonic to yourself while working up the stave.

3. Think of the letter that starts the word you landed on.

4. Find this note on the piano.

This is extra cumbersome if you're a child and can't even spell the words quickly.

How We Read Piano Music

The surprising truth is, we don't really need to know all the note names in order to read and play piano music. We actually read piano music in . We don't stop and think: "That's an A. OK, next I'll play a B."

We don't do that because it would be impossible to do it quickly enough to actually play music. 🤯

So even if you consider mnemonics to be a great way to remember note names, note names aren't very important when first learning to read piano music.

Landmark Notes

Imagine someone asks you for directions from the shopping mall to the primary school. From the outset, you have to know where the shopping mall is: the starting landmark.

The same holds true for finding your way around the lines and spaces of the staff. In the beginning, teachers often want your kiddos to learn the names of just 3 to 5 landmark notes.

As long as your child can find the landmark notes their teacher assigns, they can navigate their way around the rest of the staff.

Patterns and Intervals
Reading music on the staff is similar to finding your way around the neighbourhood.
Let's continue with our analogy of giving directions from the shopping mall to the primary school. You've already established where that landmark shopping mall is. Now, how do you help your friend make their way to the school?

It probably goes something like this: "Walk 2 blocks south then turn right. When you get to the stoplight, go 3 more blocks and the school will be just across the street."

Once your child knows where to start their piece (from those landmark notes we talked about), they simply need to see if the notes are going up or down and by how far. That distance between 2 notes is called an .

If your child is just starting out, they're probably learning steps and skips on the staff. Down the road, they'll learn to read notes that are farther apart than that.

Are you ready to let go of the music mnemonics?

It's not that we don't want your child to learn the note names; it's just not a priority in the beginning. Help your child commit those landmark notes to memory then read the rest in patterns, and they'll be reading music in no time!

Feel free to leave your questions in the comments, and we'll do our best to help.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why *NOT* to Teach Your Child Music Staff Mnemonics - Colourful Keys

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teaching your children music mnemonics to learn note names might seem easy and helpful, but those mnemonics tend to hinder more than help.

# data[].attributes.body
I have been following Color in My Piano for years. Joy is full of great ideas-here's some!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This page contains FREE piano/theory worksheets, sheet music, lesson plans, and other resources for music teachers and students. Please enjoy using them for personal and educational uses only. I only ask that you do not redistribute the files on other websites and or alter the files in any way. Thank you!

Use the Printables navigation menu at the top to browse through the other categories of files.

After downloading the file, you will need to unarchive the zipped file and then save the folder to a handy place on your computer's hard drive. The majority of my worksheets/games are created using Microsoft Word and these PNG image files. Click here to view my video tutorial about how you can make your own music worksheets, too! Check out this post to read more. Check out this post to read more. Check out this post to read more.

BANG! Rhythm game
" 1.1 MiB - 40,667 hits - 18 March 2014
This pdf contains the BANG! cards and container labels for playing the BANG! Rhythm Game. Gameplay: Each student draws a card from the box on their turn. If they answer the card correctly, they get to the keep the card. If they draw a BANG! card, they must return all their cards to the box. The student with the most cards at the end is the winner. (Note: The rhythm cards pictured are available in my shop here. You can also substitute note-naming flashcards instead of rhythm cards.) To view the original blog post about this game, click here.

Black Key Group Sorting Cards
" 258.0 KiB - 56,359 hits - 20 November 2012
These cards are a great manipulative to use with young beginners when you are first introducing them to the keyboard. Students can use the cards to build a keyboard on the floor, alternating the groups of 2 and 3 black keys. Or, students can use these at the piano, and lay the cards right on the piano keyboard, matching the groups of black keys appropriately. I printed a few sets of these cards, laminated them, and put them in zipper bags. This short activity is great for Piano Readiness Classes. There are two versions included in the pdf: one with the letter names on the keys, and one without.

Click here to read the original blog post about this. Check out this post to read more.

Circling Fun Sheets
" 38.6 KiB - 19,711 hits - 21 August 2015
This PDF contains a couple of circling sheets inspired by Irina Gorin (of the Tales of a Musical Journey piano method). When I attended Irina's three-day workshop in 2015, she mentioned a few (non-musical) activities that can help students improve their focus, concentration, and memory skills. One activity was to give students a page with random single-digit numbers all over it and ask them to circle all of the 2's (or whatever number you choose). I decided to make a music note version of this sheet because I thought it would be fun to for students to do while in the waiting room area of my studio. I printed it two-sided, laminated the sheet, and plan to pair it with a dry erase marker. To view the original blog post about this, click here.

Check out this post to read more.

Click here to read the original blog post about this. Check out this post and this post to read more. Check out this post to read more. Just a few minutes a day will greatly improve their note recognition skills! Check out this post to read more.

Grand Staff Pass
" 2.6 MiB - 37,096 hits - 8 January 2013
"Grand Staff Pass" is a activity for finding and naming notes on the grand staff. Each student has a printed grand staff in front of them, and must find the notes as indicated on the cards. The cards are passed to the next student, going counterclockwise around the room. The complete instructions for this activity are included in the pdf. To read more about this game, please read the original blog post here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This page contains FREE piano/theory worksheets, sheet music, lesson plans, and other resources for music teachers and students. Please enjoy using them for personal and educational uses only. I only ask that you do not redistribute the files on other websites and or alter the files in any way. Thank you!