Teaching Your Own Kids

I was just speaking with some parents yesterday about the challenge of practice. They were saying their child actually loves to play piano, but when they correct what they are playing the child shuts down and stops playing. The parents find it frustrating because they want their child to enjoy playing piano, but they also want them to work on improving. So how do parents achieve this when the kids won't listen to them?

The challenge of teaching your kids is real for every parent. We have many parents who are professional musicians who bring their kids to us saying, "I can't do it- you try!" All day long you are working on improving manners and completing school work, not to mention eating, bathing and dressing. After awhile kids start to tune their parents out, making teaching something new frustrating for everyone involved. So the reason it's so hard to help your child practice is because this is not the only thing they are hearing from the parent...this is one MORE thing.

That's why teachers step in, it's not always because the parents can't teach it themselves, it's because sometimes kids need to hear things from someone else. So when you are frustrated with the way your child is practicing, feel free to trick them. Have another adult, a friend, a neighbor, your spouse...anyone else...say what you want them to hear. It can be as simple as, "I liked what I heard you playing! Could you try it with ___ ?" And if you don't have someone else, then ask your teacher and they can say it for you so that your words will be heard!

Remember to hang in there, many parents are in the same boat, you are doing great :)